[consulting] Getting Freelance Work

[Matt Chapman]

Yes, bidding too low is often just as bad as bidding too high. The
trick is figuring out what the clients expectations are, and what the
actual budget is, and finding the sweet spot that lets you finish the
project with a reasonable profit and make the client happy.

Easier said than done, which is why RFPs are usually a waste of time
until you're large enough to support a dedicated sales person, and can
make ends meet if s/he works for 3 months without bringing in a single
project. I have yet to meet a freelancer who wants to sign up for that
game.

I've had better luck partnering with larger agencies that do have
full-time sales people. I let them do the RFP (and pay me for my
consulting during the process). You may need to agree to take on some
of the risk when the actual deal is closed for an arrangement like
this (i.e., cap you billables), but it's usually worth it, IMO, for
the risk you avoided in the RFP response work.

All the Best,

Matt Chapman
Ninjitsu Web Development




On Sat, May 29, 2010 at 1:46 PM, Sam Polenta <sam.polenta at gmail.com> wrote:
> I recently sent a proposal in response to an RFP. I was told that I
> made the final four and they asked me more questions. Then I was told
> that I made the final two but that they chose the other vendor, a
> firm. I of course am a lone freelancer. I know that people on this
> list have advised against freelancers responding to RFPs, but I did
> anyhow make the #2 slot in this case.
>
> The guy who I spoke with was so nice, however, that I asked him for
> feedback, if he could, as to why I made it to the final two and also
> as to why I did NOT make it to #1. He was happy to respond. He said
> the Board made the final decision, but he explained two reasons why he
> *thinks* they chose against me in the end.
>
> One was that a different freelancer also contacted them but when they
> (eventually) clarified that they require a proper proposal for the
> Board to review and consider, he declined to proceed and sent a very
> strongly worded warning against working with freelancers who bid low
> on projects like this one, claiming that a common strategy for
> freelancers in this business is to start with a low bid to secure the
> deal, and then charge outrageous amounts for change orders and
> anything not covered in the original specifications.
>
> He said that my bid was indeed the lowest and that the Board had read
> the warning letter from the other freelancer. He said probably some of
> the directors must have been thinking, "Gee, what if that other guy
> was right? I'm glad he warned us about this!"
>
> How do you like that? Perhaps if I had bid more they would have
> accepted my proposal. Maybe I should *raise* my rate! ;)
>
> Sam
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