Fw: Newbie Contractor needs advice

[Tim Altom <taltom -at- SIMPLYWRITTEN -dot- COM>]

Welcome to the razor blade. It sounds like you're having a classic
introduction.

Your first tip-off was the 100 pages in 8 days nonsense. Next time ask to
see the material you're being asked to lay out, as much as is available. And
next time put a clause in your contract that you expect material to arrive
in a certain pattern of time. If it doesn't, make it clear you're taking
other work in the interim and they'll have to get your time back when it's
available.

For now, I'd send a letter to the client or call, to say that the work isn't
arriving on schedule and you're going to have to seek other work while they
get their act together. One of the hardest lessons to learn is how to be
up-front and candid with clients when you're positively dying for all the
work you can muster. You may be stuck with hourly rates, but that doesn't
mean you have to sit in the alley waiting for the stage door to open. You're
in business, and you have to do what businesses do. Many clients will get
indignant. You can then either work something out with them, or drop them
and go on. If you drop this one, you can be sued. You'll have to decide if
that scares you or not. But you'd be surprised how often clients can turn
reasonable when you make it very, very, very clear that you're not going to
court bankruptcy for them.

I know this sounds hard-nosed and harsh, but contracting is a rather
pitiless matter.

Tim Altom
Simply Written, Inc.
Featuring FrameMaker and the Clustar Method(TM)
"Better communication is a service to mankind."
317.562.9298
http://www.simplywritten.com

----- Original Message -----
From: <temoore -at- BELLSOUTH -dot- NET>
To: <TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU>
Sent: Tuesday, August 17, 1999 3:37 PM
Subject: Newbie Contractor needs advice

>I'm new at this consulting gig. I'm sure you all remember that email I
>sent about a client who wanted a 100-page manual in 8 days. Well, as
>anticipated, the whole thing is a mess. The plan was that the SME would
>submit the content, and I would import the text and graphics into the
>template (basically a layout job). I expected to work 40-50 hours a week
>to get this accomplished. (Unfortunately, I was not able to negotiate a
>fixed-rate.)
>
>I arranged time in my schedule to accommodate this client, and the SME
>has not been keeping up their end of the bargain. The result is that the
>manual has been reduced to around 50 pages and I have not put in the
>hours expected. I wait and wait for the SME to submit the information
>needed, and I call and leave messages and email with the SME and the
>Project Manager to no avail. In fact, I spent an entire day and a half
>trying to get someone to answer my phone calls and even physically
>visited the office with no results. (Do I bill for that time?)
>
>Because it's an hourly assignment, I've lost significant $ in the
>process. How do you, as contractors, protect yourself against this? Is
>it possible to require a client to agree to, say, a minimum of 40 hours
>a week for two weeks? How do you handle such situations?
>
>Thanks for your help.
>

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