>>>What about 1/3 up front, 1/3 when I deliver for testing, and 1/3 when they accept?
>>>
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>>Sounds like you're talking about a fixed price contract so sure, if it works for both of you, why not. I think the important thing is that one tries to structure a good relationship with the client where it is win-win in that it is in both your best interests to have the relationship work. I try to structure things in such a way that the client knows I'm in for the long run and not just a quick kill.
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>>I have one client I was doing VFP work for at $125 an hour. I convinced him to do do a project we had just started in .NET (which I had not yet started doing for client work ) . instead. After he agreed, I unilaterally and without being asked dropped my rate for him to $75 an hour on the grounds that my expertise in .NET was not what it was in VFP (though in fact as we know a lot of what we get paid for is design, analysis and SQL Server which has nothing to do with the language of the app)
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>>He was stunned but impressed. I have since raised my rate for him (after over a year at the first rate) started other clients at the higher rates, but I feel that being fair with him over that transition period bought a lot of trust.
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>Between what you and Marcia say, maybe I should move to Ohio ;-) Your low end rate resembles my high end.

I only have one client in Ohio. I do almost all my work for clients in other states - most of whom I have never met face to face. I haven't left the house for a client in a year except to drive downtown once in a while to have lunch with my local client of 14 years. Otherwise everything is Logmein, Dropbox and the phone.