>But have you learned these tools because an employer has requested you have the skill, or in your own time on the off-chance that that it may be useful at sometime in the future?

Both.

>Good idea. For the rental option, how do you arrive at a reasonable price for you and the client? To keep the price down I guess most clients don't have their own web-servers, so what software would you use for front- and back-end?
>ASP? Access? VFP tables accessed via ODBC (I guess Foxweb or Web-Connect are out of the question at this level)? Do you keep the demo limited to IIS running in 'localhost' mode?

Most small businesses really want a program to simply work in-house and not be connected to the Internet, but often have old machines (W95 is often the top-limit) with different screen-sizes and all the other complications you can think of. Here you can install PWS (you cannot assume NT and IIS) on a single machine and run an intranet so that these old machines can still be used (they will all support browsers, plus if they have, say, Macintosh's, then they can be used too). Also, only one reasonably powerful machine is required (to run the VFP exe). Other advantages: as an example, one company employs a lot of staff to answer the telephones over November to January: they just hire a load of PC's for this period and use IE to connect to the database - no installation required.

For back-ends I see what they already have, if anything (one client was using DBII, I think, on a CP/M machine...in 1995), but will usually offer VFP as there are no licensing issues. Webconnect or FoxWeb are fine for this level too and there are other systems you can use: I like this C/S-Web model because, as you might be aware, housekeeping and network maintenance are usually low priorities in small businesses (unfortunately) and at least there is less chance of data corruption with the data on one machine and no network file-opening/sharing going on.

Pricing is relatively easy - I take what I would charge them for a one-off system and spread it over 2 years, then work that out as the monthly rental fee (minimum sign-up period 1 year). I charge support separately (for a very small fee), plus mileage if I have to come out. 1 year sounds like a risk, but to slightly change an old Jesuit saying "give me your business for 1 year and I will make you mine for life" - my record is one database that has been running and providing income for 13 years.
Additional changes are either encompassed in the support fee or discussed with the client for a separate charge depending upon the type of changes required.

Demos are performed across the internet so that nothing leaves me until it is paid for - I use Lotus ScreenCam (free, and you can have narration too) and screen shots if I send out a demo disc. Demonstrating a system across the 'net (having given name and password) is 'soft-sell' in many ways: the users can play with the system as long as they like and see exactly what it will look like in-house.

>
>Do you have a 'framework' ready so that if if you wish to pitch to a new/potential client you can do minimum changes, but enough to make it appear that you have developed specifically for their business? I'm intruiged...
>
>Regards,
>Alan

Yes, I've developed a simple, consistant navigation model that I can tweak for specific customers - the simplest and most effective tweak is merely to have their own logos appear on-screen: small businesses don't usually see bespoke software in their day-to-day lives, so this can impress for very little work.

From my experience, most (small) businesses value performance and simplicity over looks - that's the software, not me - and most UK businesses (90%?) are small businesses. They usually have old hardware, so you can (and should) avoid java, javascript, .NET, Flash or whatever the latest fashion is - just use plain old HTML. My most unusual sale came from showing a client the system in a hotel bedroom - using internet access through the TV set: I knew it would work because it was just plain old HTML.



Better not tell you any more...even if you are a long way away!