The Joomla! People Portal ™

The retainer way is the best I have found. I charge X amount of dollars for my services per year. I keep this somewhat relative based on the size of the organization, understanding their budget a bit more, how many hours am I going to have into it, etc etc. I also make sure I know what my competitors pricing is for website development. For instance a competitor charges $100 an hour. I can navigate how many hours they will spend updating the site in a year or making the changes I need to make, never giving over full control to the client until they decide they don't want to renew the contract. So for instance if I know that the competitor of that site worked for like 50 hours on a site that year that's going to be $5000 in that year, I can come in because the wonderfulness of Joomla and probably cut that manpower in half therefore charging my client $2500 a year. This ends up in me actually working on the website 10-20 hours a year so I come out fine. Also think about it this way, If I charge a little bit less than maybe I would like up front, but I know the site is going to be low maintenance, and that this is going to be a year after year contract, isn't it a good idea to give them a break on the design or something else to keep them so you have that money coming in year after year guaranteed vs. looking for someone else? The other key factor, this is something that everyone of my clients loves, is to actually post training screenshot videos in a special "tutorial" section of your site. They love it, and I do to because most of the time I can refer them back to the videos, or say "Oh I'll go ahead and post it this time no problem, but I'm pretty sure this is in one of the videos" next time they look at the video first and don't call me. It's great for the clients and it's great for business. I have just started out about a year ago and already have five very nice contracts. I'm hoping to add about seven more so I essentially work 10-15 hours a week from home or wherever and make about as much as I did working where I worked. As far as the contracts themselves I ask 50% at the deposit, 50% as the site goes live with payments to follow 50% on yearly contracts at the beginning of the contract and the midway point. Also if you have a client that has some distance between you and them, make sure you give them the option for onsite training or other things, but make sure they are aware that they are going to pay for it based on state mileage rates, and any hotel bill at the state price. This is fair, and will make them think twice before they request you seven to eight times a year to be on location to teach them this or that. Another thing to do is design a test site to show them, if your a good programmer it will take a day or two, but if the contract gets you a couple thousand on a year to year basis wasn't it worth it? Clients are more likely to hire you, and you've got a better understanding of what it's actually going to cost. If for instance you use a program that costed you money to purchase, then you know to charge the client vs. eating it yourself. Keeping the costs down in other areas's and then you shouldn't have those long drawn out, well i didn't like this part of it conversations. I showed you the product before you signed the contract, you liked it, you signed the contract, this is what I built, this is what your getting. This system also makes the client feel that they have someone they can call if anything ever goes wrong. They are more than happy to do it most of the time. It saves them long term. The biggest thing as always though, is be open and honest with your clients. You are going to find more often than not that open communication with your clients, and your understanding that they are paying you good money, so be a good businessman will save you alot of grief. Once they pay the money, bend over backwards to do all you can within reason. And yes there may be times where they ask for something that may not be in the contract, however your using OpenSource software so it's essentially the time in customer service to add it, just do it.

Gordon, May I see your website? I would like to see your work. Also, are you making progress with Piecemaker?

It was perfect for my nonprofit site. Allowed a wide choice for presentation techniques. Was easy to maintain esp to add new content. The wide choice of extensions was a definite plus. Was easy to learn how to manage it.

Thanks for the response James! My goal was/is to see if we could get more connections started as I have found that my own interaction with MY local JUG has been a tremendous help in furthering my knowledge base AND I seem like less of an island. That, and the attendance at Joomla Day events puts you in touch with some REALLY great people. Getting to know local designers/developers can cultivate working relationships that are mutually beneficial and can help solidify your brand as well, allowing you to actually put that "shingle" out and start to actually SEE a return on your investment of time and expense. How serious am I about "getting connected"? Well, while we DO have an Indy JUG, I've already been in contact with the guys in Chicago (that currently have 2 JUGS) and plan on taking a ride there for a visit. After all, it IS a tax deductible expense!

I love AdminPraise2 and AdminPraise. They work great!

Hi Everyone! There are some great ideas here! Do you guys mind if I borrow from some of you? I've installed more than 50 Joomla sites. I really would should setup some pre-configured installs. Especially for those web sites where I don't install a RocketTheme site with their Rocket Launcher. For every site, I install AdminPraise2 Admin Template, Akeeba Backup, Akeeba Admin Tools (updates Joomla), JCE (and most of the JCE plugins), JCE MediaBox (Plugin) and SH404SEF.

Although I have designed templates, I shy away from creating company branding or logo's. I use a local artist, who charges 250-500$ to create a logo for companies. I charge back that cost to the client.

Hi Brian, I agree if you are moving from CB to JomSocial, you may feel you have lost some of the control you once had. I had been using CB for quite some time, but JomSocial just had an out-of-the box social networking solution that would save me oodles of time. Maybe as JomSocial continues to grow, some development features will be included. They are actively listening to what users are asking for. The trouble is, where to you cross over from it's ease of use to a more developer friendly version. I bet thats tough to decide. But I digress as always. I also need a registration control feature, and thus far the best solution I have found is JSPT. http://www.joomlaxi.com/products/jomsocial-profile-types.html It costs, but I believe the price is worth it if JomSocial is truly the solution for you. The hours I saved in creating the functionality of these two extensions was worth the price tag I paid. You might also look into AEC, (it used to be free, but they have gone commercial now), which JSTP integrates with if you are looking for subscription features. Let me know if this solution is not what you were looking for. Marni