[webproducers] Re: [wwwac] Vetting long distance clients.
- From: "Michael Randazzo" <randazzm@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <webproducers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, <ruth@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 17 Oct 2002 10:17:17 -0400
Hope you all won't take this as too much of a buttinsky, but The New
School and Web Producers Organization are holding an event on (I think)
the very topic you are discussing. Details are as follows and we expect
an animated discussion on these issues.
Michael Randazzo
Director
Computer Instruction Center
The New School
Art of the Proposal
Friday, Nov. 1st *
12:30 to 2 p.m.
Parsons Auditorium @ 66 Fifth Avenue
What are client expectations? What strategies/deliverables can project
managers/freelancers utilize in successfully responding to RFPs? Clients
increasingly expect more with less, and up front work, e.g. rapid
prototyping often now supercedes wireframes. In an extremely tight
market, putting together the right proposal is the critical factor in a
project success or failure, regardless of the budget. *Please join The
New School Computer Instruction Center (CIC) and Web Producers
Organization (WPO) for a discussion of these issues with Christine M.
Erikson, Senior Consultant with CTGi, Kate Hartnick, President of
Hartnick Consulting, Nancy Maloney, Director of Communications at Barnes
& Noble and Sandy William, Director of Online Services at the Barnett
Group.
For more information or to RSVP for this event please e-mail
cic@xxxxxxxxxxxxx or call the CIC at 212-229-5876
>>> ruth@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 10/17/02 00:52 AM >>>
On 10.16.02 11:31 PM, "Lee Semel" <lsemel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> Ruth,
>
> On a related note, how do you handle it when the situation goes the
other way
> -- when the client continually delays, unable to respond with
deliverables and
> approvals? For instance I was dealing with a person who, according to
our
> contract, was the main contact for the project and responsible for al
> deliverables and approvals. However, it turned out she needed to get
a
> consensus of all the partners in the company, approximately 10 people,
to make
> any decision, even on small things such as a homepage blurb or colors.
Do you
> build in penalties into the contract for the failure of the client to
live up
> to the agreed schedule?
>
> Lee
>
I haven't encountered this situation as a contractor, but I have been
the
client in this type of situation -- I was the liaison between my company
and
the design firm and had to coordinate all deliverables and approvals.
The
only thing I can offer is to help make my job as the client and liaison
as
easy as possible. Sometimes this requires a finite set of options (about
3)
so that the executive decision makers don't have to think too hard about
a
seemingly mundane decision that they happen to be responsible for.
In cases where this approach doesn't make sense or isn't possible, then
I
would recommend a) a frank discussion with the client's liaison (the
role I
played) to get a sense of the feasibility of moving forward on schedule;
b)
a policy called "no tolerance for slippage" (quoted from Ernst & Young
project managers), where a delay in any milestone is unacceptable by any
party -- and such a delay will result in g-d knows what, because to be
perfectly honest, I wasn't involved in those conversations; c) if you
are
inclined to counter with client-oriented penalties -- a delay in
deliverables -- I can't see a financial penalty except in the case that
it
actually costs you extra to delay (paying sub-contractors, etc.).
To be perfectly honest, I think that emotions play a big role in this,
even
if they shouldn't. It comes down to guilt and "saving face". The
liaison's
company won't necessarily understand that it is their own fault for a
delay,
and may ultimately blame the liaison. This kind of pressure could
provoke
him/her to make independent decisions. Therefore, it's also about
influencing behavior. This isn't part of a "kinder, gentler nation". But
it
is realistic. Get the liaison to be your ally. Middle managers have more
power than they believe they have in a company. Believe me, there's
nothing
an exec wants more than a middle manager who can make good decisions.
Not sure if this helps. I may have more to add tomorrow. In the
meantime, I
welcome discussion.
> At 04:44 PM 10/16/2002 -0400, you wrote:
>
>> On 10.16.02 2:32 PM, "Carl Friedberg" <friedberg@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>>
>>> As a consultant, when I get a new client, I always insist on billing
my
>>> first day's time immediately, and wait for that check to be cashed,
>>> before I put in any serious work. After the first check, with most
>>> companies, subsequent payments tend to come out on a more-or-less
>>> regular basis. It's the first check that can raise the red flags.
>>
>> Likewise, in a recent experience I had with a "difficult" client (who
>> happened to also be long distance -- Paris), I stated clearly in the
>> Statement of Work that work would not commence before receiving
payments in
>> hand (as per the payment and production schedule) AND that any delays
in
>> payment, client deliverables, and feedback would result in a delay in
the
>> deadline -- no leniency on this point.
>>
>> On a tangent, this was the same client who wanted to penalize me for
>> lateness -- I had posted about that a few weeks ago. The specific
request
>> for the penalty structure was set forth during our first encounter
and
>> entailed a "discount" for each day the project was late; the client
left it
>> to me to define what this "discount" would be. (mini-rant: do I look
like a
>> masochist??)
>>
>> Further to that demand for a penalty structure, I increased my prices
>> (without actually letting him know), stated that my pricing was not
>> negotiable, and insisted that I create the schedule including all
milestones
>> and deadlines. I offered choices in terms of project scope enable him
to
>> control costs and deadlines, but did not budge on prices and policy.
In the
>> end, although my client was apparently more comfortable with my
hard-line
>> approach (I suppose he believed that I truly intended to deliver on
my
>> commitments), I still walked away from the business because I had a
strong
>> suspicion that things would not go well down the road. I had
collected a
>> $100 down-payment prior to writing the proposal, which I kept as
>> compensation for the strategic consulting inherent to the
proposal/SoW I had
>> produced. I'm not sure how one would formalize that kind of
down-payment. He
>> just handed me a crisp $100 bill over a cup of tea, as a sign to
proceed
>> with drafting the proposal. There was no paperwork.
>>
>>
>>
>> ..............................................................
>> Ruth Kaufman
>> 212.828.6386
>> 917.623.7423 (mobile)
>> ruth@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> http://ruthkaufman.com
>> ..............................................................
>>
>>
__________________________________________________________________________
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to
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>>
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>>
>> Questions and comments are welcome just e-mail me,
morry@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
>
__________________________________________________________________________
> To unsubscribe send a blank message with unsubscribe in the subject to
> webproducers-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
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> including subscribe, unsubscribe, digest, and vacation visit
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website.
>
> Questions and comments are welcome just e-mail me,
morry@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
..............................................................
Ruth Kaufman
212.828.6386
917.623.7423 (mobile)
ruth@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://ruthkaufman.com
..............................................................
__________________________________________________________________________
To unsubscribe send a blank message with unsubscribe in the subject to
webproducers-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
To access our webform (instead of sending e-mail) for popular commands
including subscribe, unsubscribe, digest, and vacation visit
www.WebProducers.org. You can also access the list archive at the
website.
Questions and comments are welcome just e-mail me,
morry@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
__________________________________________________________________________
To unsubscribe send a blank message with unsubscribe in the subject to
webproducers-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
To access our webform (instead of sending e-mail) for popular commands
including subscribe, unsubscribe, digest, and vacation visit
www.WebProducers.org. You can also access the list archive at the website.
Questions and comments are welcome just e-mail me, morry@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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