>>>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.

Should also mention for lurkers that hourly rates are deceptive. Guys who work contract jobs often think of hourly rates in terms of 40 hour weeks. So $75 an hour is $150k a year. Billing for productive hours actually worked off site if you can bill 1000 hours a year that's good. Obviously I shoot for 40 hour weeks at my $125 rate if I can but I find that if I do that all for one client I'd better be showing impressive results. Four clients billed 10 hours each stay pretty happy.