This morning I received an email from an acquaintance asking two simple questions: “How much would it cost to make a basic website for my church?” and “How much would it cost per month?”. Okay, this is good. Someone is interested in hiring me. However, their straight-to-the-price approach is a little tricky to defuse. I don’t want people to hire me because I’m the cheapest (although that’s how I used to operate). I want them to hire me because they see the value of what I provide and know it’s well worth paying for.
The following is my response. I tried to absorb this original question, add some magic, and respond in the best way possible. After all, this first interaction is absolutely crucial in setting the stage for a long-term business relationship. The delicacy of this email cannot be overstated.
John,
Great! I’d be excited to work with your church to develop a basic website. In fact, just last weekend I just finished a basic website for a church in Danville called First Baptist Danville (http://firstbaptistdanville.com/). I enjoyed the project very much and I’m sure I would also enjoy working with your church to get something really nice and functional set up for them.
It’s difficult to give an cost estimate before talking through the project scope, but I know that’s not a very useful answer so I’ll try to do my best with what information I have. For a basic website similar to what I’ve done for First Baptist Danville, the cost would be between $XXXX and $XXXX with a monthly fee of $XXX (which includes hosting, email, support, updates, visitor tracking, and everything else they would need to continue improving the website over time).
I’m not the cheapest developer out there. In fact, I don’t compete on price. I compete on quality and service, which in my 8 years experience I’ve found to be more important than price when creating healthy, win-win relationships. I love website development and it’s my goal to provide the best possible value on every project. It’s a thrill for me!
These are ballpark figures that will change once we can talk a little more about the project. Who should I contact to discuss the project in greater depth?
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts,
Drew
555-555-5555
To be honest, my initial reaction was “How can I possibly give an accurate quote – he hasn’t given me any information!” Instead of replying with “Well, it depends on blah blah blah…I need more information”, I gave as much help as possible with what little information I had. Hopefully this is the start of a good project for both of us. I love my work!
