>>>>What about 1/3 up front, 1/3 when I deliver for testing, and 1/3 when they accept?
>>>>
>>>
>>>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.
>>>
>>>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)
>>>
>>>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.
>>>
>>
>>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.

That's one thing I have never really been able to do, keep multiple clients going at once. It's almost always been one at a time and that's kind of the way I like it. When I am working I do tend to bill 35-40 hours a week so it works out OK.