NYCPHP Meetup

[Brian Pang]

> Maybe I'll show up at that party on the 19th and pick you-guys' brains.

David, feel free to contact me off-list regarding these topics since I
won't be at the meeting on the 19th (getting married the next day, woo hoo!)

Something else that I wanted to stress was the writing of the proposal.
If it is going to be an involved project as had been origially posted, a
well-written proposal can go a long way in communicating to the
potential client that you have a deep understanding of the project they
are asking you to bid on as well as justification for the price you have
delivered, especially if they find it on the high side. (is that a
run-on sentence or what?)

Strong proposals have won me more business than I've lost or not-won and
often when I've known that my price was 5-8 times more than what the
competition was quoting in a "proposal" that was a simple 1 page email.

Why? Because my proposals demonstrate that I have taken the time to
understanding the client's business and needs regarding the project,
have considered a myriad of possibilities for increased complexity and
taken into account the full development cycle. All of this helps to
assure them that you will have minimal cost overruns that you might have
to come back to them for later asking for more money.

Sometimes, I still don't win the job for whatever reason, and the effort
is all for naught (save the learning experience), but at least I know I
gave it the "old college try." (ok, i didn't go to college, who's counting?)

Then there is the whole topic of requirements and specifications, but
really, that is part of the development process.


> 
> Brian's et al's comments are most helpful to this semi-professionl PHP
> dude who would like to get more work.

Great. Nice to hear.

I'd be more than happy to offer my services in helping you price work
and/or the proposal process as well as req & spec.

Brian