How to win contracts as a solo developer?

Question

What are some of the secrets to ensuring that one gets development contracts from potential clients? Especially if you are a solo coder.

Answer 1

Be the best person for the job, at a market price.

Also, this question presupposes you want to always get the job. I've found that alot of times, you don't want the job. Be prepared to walk away when that happens.

Answer 2

Good relations with the customer used to bee my primary source of contracts while I worked as a solo coder/consultant.

Earlier projects for the customer or good references from other customers that the customer knows.

In addition good references from other projects.

Answer 3

You need to convince the client that you are the best/fastest/cheapest.

Unfortuntately that isn't a easy task. Knowing people helps. Knowing what the competition is up to is great. But don't make the mistake to offer ypur service to cheap.

Answer 4

I find that it always ends up with trust, and that even price and speed are secondary to trust. So you don't have to be cheapest or even fastest as long as you're able to convince that you will deliver the product they ask for. If it was all about price we'd all be outsourced long ago.

Answer 5

In my experience on my own for nearly a decade I cannot say there is one single thing. It is a multitude of things and you really have to feel out the potential client and know what they are looking for. Often times it has less to do with fractional price differences from one developer to another and more to do with how you handle the relationship in the early stages. Most people can sniff out a situation where you are kissing their ass to try and get the work, if you come in and offer to do the work in X number of days then most people know you are making promises you cannot keep.

Often times when I am successful it is because I take a higher road - put myself on a different level than other developers. Foo Company asks me to bid on a project and I tell them I would love to talk to them about it but I have found that I am most successful on a project of this nature if I meet with them after they have met other potential developers. I commit to sit down with them for a couple hours and go over their needs as well as what other developers have offered. We spend time talking about their application and then the proposals of others and I help them to weed out which time estimates are insane and which approaches that other developers have suggested are flawed and why. Usually I dont see pricing in a scenario like this but the client gets a fresh perspective on all their bids and I get to see what others are offering. In the end I explain how I am different and often will deliver a sobering assessment of the situation that doesnt denigrate the people I am competing with but rather helps the client realize that most initial guesses as to project timing are just that - a guess.

I tend to offer a simple, iterative process that is very easy to understand. I like to throw in the SCRUM elements here of a product backlog and sprints. It is easy to explain and puts control in the clients hand - most love it. It is easier on me because estimating features accurately is much easier than entire projects.

Ultimately you want to make the BMW vs Kia argument without ever actually making the argument. Through your actions you want to prove you are a different class of consultant. Talk to them about your relationship with them, about communication issues. Explain to them you have been most successful when X or Y and even go so far to tell them about projects that went badly and why. People find comfort in knowing you can admit mistakes and understand why they happened.

Some other points, most people, especially small businesses dont like to feel as if they are held hostage. They dont want to need you. If you can give them as many controls as possible into the process they feel more in power. I host my code on a publicly viewable SVN like codespaces and give them an account to view the code anytime they want. I let them see the CruiseControl instance and give them admin power in the bug tracking tool. I setup an WSS project site and put all the documents there...these are small things that create a big impression and go a long way to making the client feel in control.

Answer 6

Trust absolutely.

Just think how many contracts are sealed on the golf course. Price and speed are not the only critera here. It's the relationship aspect which plays the largest part - I think.

Answer 7

client study is most important thing in this case i know trust and personal relationship do works but how do you present yourself to the prospective client do matters hence a good study on prospective clients gives you insight about what exactly he needs.

Answer 8

don't try to convince anyone, don't be artificial - be a professional.