[AccessD] The Business Side Of Databases

It is tricky.......They *need* you to stay in business for the next set of changes that will inevitably come but how do you afford to stay in business if you have a quiet period? I have 3 or 4 main clients at any one time who provide most of my income and then other small stuff.

A friend of mine (contract programmer) suggested to me the other day that I consider selling a day to each of my main clients. It wouldn't have to be a whole day but it might be, or it could be one day a fortnight .......so they agree to pay 1 days salary for the entire year. It's a pretty ambitious idea but he feels that the clients would see it as an opportunity to keep their system more dynamic / you could offer to be on-site for all/many of their 'days' and they would have a secure agreement. It feels like a big ask but I'm going to sound it out to one client (also a friend) and get some feedback.  Then I'd have the security of the pay check whilst working for myself......ain't that the holy grail?

Kath
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Christopher Hawkins 
  To: accessd at databaseadvisors.com 
  Sent: Tuesday, June 26, 2007 1:34 AM
  Subject: Re: [AccessD] The Business Side Of Databases


  I'm another one who needs to do a better job of selling ongoing business, Kath.  It seems like a chicken-and-the-egg type of problem though - once you write (or re-write) a complete system, if you've done your job correctly the client probably won't *need* any maintenance.  So what do you sell?  It's tricky.

  -C-

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