How to set milestones with no information about the project... add later?

[60a1b9de]

Newbie here....
I just responded to my first project, so I'm brand new to the whole process.
In the project description, they just said they need a video editor for an ongoing project. That's it. I would have preferred to set Milestones, but with no information about the project I couldn't see how, so I set it to be paid once the project is completed, and the duration to 1-3 months.
So I have 2 things I'm wondering:
1. How do I set Milestones/duration when I don't have any information about the project, and
2. Is it possible to set Milestones and/or change the project duration later, once I've talked to the Buyer and gotten more information about the project?
Thanks

[AndreaG]

Hi Bruce,

The milestones can be changed up until the contract is created, your client would set them up when sending an offer. You can discuss this with your client and come to an agreement on what milestones should look like. After the contract starts, the active milestone cannot be changed, you can only propose changes on future milestones.

[prestonhunter]

re: "How to set milestones with no information about the project... add later? "

This is very simple:

Hourly contract

[feed_my_eyes · Accepted solution]

You can state in your proposal that your price is a placeholder and ask the client to message you to discuss further details. But honestly, I think you should avoid responding to vague, one-sentence job posts. Worst case scenario, they're scams ("I need a [fill in the blank] for ongoing work" is practically from the scammers' bible), but even if legit, clients who don't go into any detail often aren't that serious about hiring. And as a newbie, you'll need to write a very convincing proposal that makes you stand out as uniquely well-qualified in order to get your first job; you're not going to be able to do this if you know nothing about the client's needs. If client just writes "I need a video editor", they'll get 50+ proposals that all say "I know how to edit videos" and it'll be impossible for you to stand out. 

[60a1b9de]

Thanks Christine. You nailed it. The job was removed as violating TOS

[prestonhunter]

Bruce:
I'm glad you didn't get entangled in something that would have been a mess.

Not referring to your situation, but speaking generally:

There are MANY clients who are good people and have money, and are willing to spend money, but who are not skilled in writing project descriptions.

A wise freelancer recognizes these situations and instructs the client to set up an hourly contract instead of a fixed-price contract. Even if the client originally thought that they wanted to use a fixed-price contract.

When an experienced, proactive freelancer works with such a client, the results can be rewarding for both.

Of course a client who provides no information whatsoever is a client we should all avoid. But if a client is simply wishy-washy in terms of their specific requirements, that is something we can work with as long as the hourly contract model is used.