How to tell a client a price for your work if you don’t know how much time you will spend?

Question

Work organization

How to tell a client a price for your work if you don’t know how much time you will spend?
I'm used to evaluating my work by the hour.
But what if the task is not typical and it's even very difficult to estimate it roughly?
calling a fixed price is like a finger to the sky, it’s not an option
to ask the client to pay for the hours worked is also not an option, because for the client this is uncertainty and he needs to know how much money he will have to spend for work (and here I understand the client 100%, although would be about but the price tag should be announced for the work)

Answer 1

If you do not have enough experience, then you do not need to take on a task that you cannot even appreciate.
If the task is drawn up with such an indistinct TOR that you cannot evaluate it, you either need to finish off a clear TOR from the customer or not to take it again.
If the task inherently requires investment, then just say straight out that you will undertake, but the price and terms you indicated are approximate, and it takes so much time to clarify.

Answer 2

Divide such a task into 2 stages at once:
1. Research and a working prototype.
2. Implementation and implementation of TOR.
For research: take a small fix in advance and if the outcome is unsuccessful, honestly return the money. It will be MUCH better if you agree on a safe deal (BS, FairPlay)!
For implementation: after the study, there will be a complete understanding of the labor costs and you will announce them to the customer after the "Research" stage.

Answer 3

See how much such work costs other performers and build on this. If for some reason you are preferred by the client, you can slightly overestimate the average market. If not, then lower it.

Answer 4

Must know.

Answer 5

Work by the hour and get paid for the time you spend, not the time you call it out of the blue.
And there will never be problems.

Answer 6

I take my most pessimistic assessment - and multiply by 3.
Well, it's better to cling to the customer with his teeth in the throat - and tear out the description of the task from him.

Answer 7

Ask for a little more first. If you still spend less time, then donate money to the fund to fight the extinction of the mongoose.

Answer 8

I constantly struggle with these kinds of questions. As an option - call the client an approximate cost of + 30-40% for unforeseen circumstances. And explain that the cost is difficult to estimate, offering an alternative to pay by the hour, or say that if you work faster, you will return the balance. If you manage to return something from the original cost, you can get a regular customer

Answer 9

Say how long the development will take with an optimistic calculation and how much with a pessimistic one. With the condition of prepayment, of course, according to the first option.
But if your problem is not a complete representation of what needs to be done - make up the TOR in more detail. So much detail that you can write exactly how much it will cost. In this case, you will be able to add additional time not to the entire project, but to a separate task. But it’s worth doing this only if you will definitely carry out the project!
If there are tasks that you still cannot evaluate because there is nothing with which it should work (in other words, there is enough data), agree with the customer on their completion after the main work.
If there is no TK at all - it was stupid to ask this question!
All of the above applies only to normal customers who are focused on the result, the quality for which your "work" is very important, and for a long period.
If your client came up with a "brilliant" project while sitting on the potty in the morning, then seeing the amount more than he expected at least 10 times, and even not certain, he will run away to a freelancer who will promise him to do everything for 2 rubles, but in the end he will not do anything, and the client will not be very offended because today he came up with a new brilliant project on the potty, and the old one is no longer interesting to him.

Answer 10

Ask the client what he is willing to spend the budget for the project ...
And at least approximately estimate the time frame for the work "for yourself".
If he says: "Crying a THOUSAND!" and there is work for another week at least ... well, you understand ...

Answer 11

Robert Martin's book The Ideal Programmer offers an interesting method.
Make 3 ratings:
1. Optimistic - almost unrealistic.
2. Normal - how long does such work usually take
3. Pessimistic - if something went wrong.
And provide all 3 estimates to the customer.
He will know exactly what's what and what to expect.
For a better understanding, I advise you to read the aforementioned book.