Well said.... I can't begin to even count the number of clients who have returned to me after a false start with someone else (sometimes even years later).


>>I've got a client that is replacing my 15 year-old system with something new and has decided not to use me. "Nothing personal, just business" and we parted amicably.
>>
>>Once they made that decision, the Client has not used me for anything. They didn't ask for my help with an RFP, they didn't involve me in the data conversion, etc. They do however ask me questions - How does Table X relate to Table Y? What data structure do we pass the credit card processor and what format do they send back?
>>
>>Those questions are quick and easy to answer, but they are quick and easy to answer because of my expertise and years of experience. I feel like I'm selling myself short giving away that knowledge at my hourly programming rate. Also, and maybe it's petty, but I don't really feel like helping out the guy who's replacing me.
>>
>>So what to do? Suck it up, answer the questions, and charge the hourly rate? Tell them they are on their own at this point? Have a different hourly rate for this expertise? Tell them that if they want me standing by ready to help they'll have to pay me a retainer?
>
>>>So what to do?
>
>That depends on whether you want to do what makes you feel good, or want to do what makes good business sense.
>
>I can't help with the feel good part, but good business sense recognizes that the tech world is a
>small world and that it's not inconceivable that you might have another relationship with this client in the future, as remote as that may seem right now.
>Good business sense also recognizes that it never pays to annoy anyone -no matter who it is - and it always pays to do someone a favor, especially when that favor doesn't cost much.
>
>Having have been in the business for a long time and having gone thru separations like this I've been pleasantly surprised to have ex-clients, whom we treated well during a not-so-pleasant separation, come back as better clients than they were in the first place.
>
>I'd answer their questions courteously, promptly and at a the same rate that I charged them in the past.