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12005a0b
Community Member

When to Charge a Potential Client/Paid Consults

I understand the interviewing/hiring process should include at least one interview, but I am uncertain when or how to charge them beyond that if they decide to keep "interviewing." Basically, I have met with several clients looking to get free professional advice/ideas with no intent to hire. I have another potential client that booked a 30-minute meeting, which went an hour, then asked for a second hour meeting followed by a list of "ideas" or outline of what I would work on, how, and with whom (a very thought out list). Basically, do I continue to do these consulations without charging or is there a time when it is appropriate to ask for a contract or paid consult?

5 REPLIES 5
prestonhunter
Community Member

When?

As soon as possible.

 

This isn't your kindly grandmother calling you on your birthday.

 

This is somebody who wants to make some money, and they want your help. (Or even if they don't want to make money, who cares? You are not running a charity. You are a professional freelancer who should be paid for your time. When you DON'T charge for your time, you are enabling the client to violate Upwork ToS. Don't turn these clients into rule-breakers.)

 

You have nothing to prove to these people. They are talking to you because you know what you are talking about, and they know that.

 

I have PLENTY of clients who hire me and INSIST on starting a contract before the first meeting is scheduled. That's the right thing to do.

 

You can schedule a meeting and then tell the client to go ahead and click the "Hire" button so that you can go to the meeting.

 

If you REALLY DON'T want to insist that they hire you before any meeting of any kind, then make it a practice to MOVE THINGS ALONG QUICKLY.

 

For example:
They schedule a meeting, and then ten minutes into the meeting, you KNOW BY NOW that they are not simply verifying that you speak English and that you aren't actually some 10-year-old boy from Canada... So the "interview" period is over... You can then make it clear that you're "in." Tell them:

 

"Frank, thank you for meeting with me like this. I think you already understand why I typically talk to clients for a few minutes before starting a contract, to make sure it's a good fit for both of us. I can see that this is a serious project and I am ready to move ahead. Do you have any last questions for me before we start the contract?"

 

At this point, the answer should be "no."


If the client has a question about your availability or willingness to work on the project, that's fine. Answer those questions. If the client wants to take any more time describing their project or asking you about how to do it, then politely interrupt them:

 

"Frank, I'm sorry. I meant: Do you have any questions about my availability or about how to start the contract? I don't have any more questions for you, and I'm ready to accept the contract now. After the contract is in place, we can continue to talk about the project."

 

====

As a general rule of thumb:
When a client is talking to you about her project (not talking about YOU and your qualifications)... then if she has NOT already hired you, she should have a nagging feeling in the back of her mind: "Am I seriously doing something wrong here? I haven't hired this consultant yet. None of this conversation actually belongs to me. Am I seriously making this person ticked off by taking her time when she's not under contract yet?"

Thank you for this, Preston. I have been giving away more free time than I care to admit. I assumed most clients interviewed mutliple freelancers before making their decision and that this was all par for the course. Although, I was never really able to justify the half hour and hour long conversations. Ill use this information this week before my client tries to lock me into a second hour-long unpaid consult. 

It doesn't matter to me if the client is "interviewing" only me, or is interviewing dozens of people. I am not a kid that the client is thinking about giving an opportunity to. Any time the client spends talking to me is time that benefits the client. So the client needs to pay for that time. Clients who contact me expect to pay for my time.


Preston H wrote:

It doesn't matter to me if the client is "interviewing" only me, or is interviewing dozens of people. I am not a kid that the client is thinking about giving an opportunity to. Any time the client spends talking to me is time that benefits the client. So the client needs to pay for that time. Clients who contact me expect to pay for my time.


This really quite sums it up. I often say "I don't audition." If you aren't certain you want to work with me within a 30 minute call, with my background and qualifications, then it's not going to be a good fit for either of us. I have phone calls to determine if the client's project is viable, not to sell them my resume. 


Preston H wrote:

When?

As soon as possible.

 

This isn't your kindly grandmother calling you on your birthday.

 

This is somebody who wants to make some money, and they want your help. (Or even if they don't want to make money, who cares? You are not running a charity. You are a professional freelancer who should be paid for your time. When you DON'T charge for your time, you are enabling the client to violate Upwork ToS. Don't turn these clients into rule-breakers.)

 

You have nothing to prove to these people. They are talking to you because you know what you are talking about, and they know that.

 

I have PLENTY of clients who hire me and INSIST on starting a contract before the first meeting is scheduled. That's the right thing to do.

 

You can schedule a meeting and then tell the client to go ahead and click the "Hire" button so that you can go to the meeting.

 

If you REALLY DON'T want to insist that they hire you before any meeting of any kind, then make it a practice to MOVE THINGS ALONG QUICKLY.

 

For example:
They schedule a meeting, and then ten minutes into the meeting, you KNOW BY NOW that they are not simply verifying that you speak English and that you aren't actually some 10-year-old boy from Canada... So the "interview" period is over... You can then make it clear that you're "in." Tell them:

 

"Frank, thank you for meeting with me like this. I think you already understand why I typically talk to clients for a few minutes before starting a contract, to make sure it's a good fit for both of us. I can see that this is a serious project and I am ready to move ahead. Do you have any last questions for me before we start the contract?"

 

At this point, the answer should be "no."


If the client has a question about your availability or willingness to work on the project, that's fine. Answer those questions. If the client wants to take any more time describing their project or asking you about how to do it, then politely interrupt them:

 

"Frank, I'm sorry. I meant: Do you have any questions about my availability or about how to start the contract? I don't have any more questions for you, and I'm ready to accept the contract now. After the contract is in place, we can continue to talk about the project."

 

====

As a general rule of thumb:
When a client is talking to you about her project (not talking about YOU and your qualifications)... then if she has NOT already hired you, she should have a nagging feeling in the back of her mind: "Am I seriously doing something wrong here? I haven't hired this consultant yet. None of this conversation actually belongs to me. Am I seriously making this person ticked off by taking her time when she's not under contract yet?"


One of the few times I pretty much 100% agree with Preston's advice. The call is essential to establish the validity and credibility of the client. If you know what you are doing, this should be done in 10-15 minutes. At that point, time to start a contract. 

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