On May 16, 2011 at 05:30, mariomp said...
To O/P: seriously? Is your business doing that well that you would walk away from what should still be a profitable job without even trying? Aren't you basically leaving money on the table?
While I rather provide the complete package, with business and economy being what it is, I can't afford to walk away from a job just because client provides the equipment.
I manage job expectations; charge for every little thing; don't provide warranty for equipment related issues, and charge for testing (usually at client's location) for every piece of equipment I'm installing.
Does it always end up well, no. Do I always make the money from the job, yes.
Others will tell you that if you start taking that caliber of client, than any referrals will be for that kind of clientele. While I agree with that statement, I believe that it still beats sitting at home not being able to pay the bills.
If on the other hand you're busy and business is booming, than dump the client and don't look back.
Mario,
That's a good set of logical choices. Just the other day I took a referral for installing 3 displays on mounts that the client already purchased at Costco. It's T&M, neat and clean, and it worked out for me.
Doing it on a larger project with integration, I'd think long and hard. Looking at it from a long term perspective, I worry about the risk to my 'brand' and the ability to maintain what I perceive to be 'my system' that the client happens to own. When the client makes all the equipment choices and sources equipment haphazardly it's not a 'Mario's Company' system. It's the client's system, you're just an asset they hired help it along.
In setting expectations, make it very clear that this is not a 'Mario's Company' system and that you don't want your name or company associated with the end result. If things go south, they'll still likely complain about you or the company, no matter how little it's your fault and how much you warned them of the risks they were leveraging.
But hey, if you got to eat.....
