Hours in Advance?

[blueocto]

A client has sent me a brief etc etc, and has asked me to tell him how long it will take in advance?
Which seems a bit odd, as he knows how much it costs per hour, he knows I have a fulltime job, knows how much work he is asking for and I would tell him at the end anyway?

Anyhoo, he wanted to know, how long it would take to create 3 logos, stationary (letterhead, business card, comp slip) using one of the logo designs and an a6 flyer..... by Friday!?!?!

What do you reckon it would take?
My free time consists of 5pm - 11pm, not including the usual checking emails/forums, sorting out the kitten, having tea etc

Im totally confuzzled lol I dont want to over/undercharge myself

[Toon]

Be honest with the price and don't undercharge, if they need doing by Friday I can't imagine him getting a cheap price anywhere else.

[blueocto]

Well we've already agree on xx per hour, I just dont want to say "oh it'll only take 5 hours" to have to go back and say, "well, actually, it took 10" y'know?

[Toon]

Give yourself lots of time, if you finish earlier you could even offer a cheaper price of completion

[drewbie_wan]

ORRRR.. finishing everything really fast, and wait till the very end to complete haha.

[LeadMagnet]

I know that feeling. I think it's just a matter of getting comfortable with your own abilities, getting to know the limits of your own skill and to anticipate any little problems you might have along the way. In time you'll be able to gauge your deadlines better.

For now i think you should follow toon's advice.

[blueocto]

Well he was off for 2-3 days, and I can't find his phone number, but he emailed over the weekend and there was some tweaks to be made and now its been sent to the client for feedback so far.
So god knows what the urgency was for lol

[Lee CGI]

Just think it though how long each step takes plus the time needed for research then multiply the time by two as the client will always do your head in with reworking becasue all of a sudden they become the expert. Never try to promise the exact time it will take because you dont want to rush it. I prefair to finnish it then think about it for another day and offer various versions of the final and improvements.

[Noli]

Lee CGI nailed it right for you!
"... multiply the time by two..." is the way to go.

You might think it is too expensive for the client and worry about losing the job... but HEY, here is the logic behind it:

- If the client is working with you because he has faith in your skills and creativity > he will pay whatever you ask for because he believes in you.

- But if he decides that you are expensive, then you were given the job because you gave a cheap quote.
In this case, you DO NOT WANT this sort of clients - right?

[blueocto]

Yeah, you makea valid point Noli

I always keep a record of the exact time spent on something anyways, with this being my first year of business, I want to see how long Im taking to what I get paid for, to help guage my costs etc etc

So I'll see what happens when he comes back form speaking with the client