I have a question for the pro developers/designers.
When a customer who doesn't know much about the internet asks you to do a CMS or a forum for them, do you use open source softwares or do you code everything from scratch?
Also, if you use these open source softwares but modify them & add a theme that you made, do you charge them for the modifications only or do you avoid telling them that all you did was the customizations?
When a customer who doesn't know much about the internet asks you to do a CMS or a forum for them, do you use open source softwares or do you code everything from scratch?
- Depends on their budget.
Also, if you use these open source softwares but modify them & add a theme that you made, do you charge them for the modifications only or do you avoid telling them that all you did was the customizations?
- If I made the theme, yes. If not, it is their choice whether to purchase the theme or not.
How it usually works is you get connected with a client based on your previous works or tasks for other customers.
You then review what he needs, and because you're the professional you give him options of what is already available. Chances are he wouldn't know how to install it anyways.
The key is to be honest. It will take you very far in your relationships with your clients.
But you're able to sell him on other aspects of a pre-built CMS. Go on about the security aspect, how you'll be on call to upgrade his CMS when new versions come out, you'll be on alert standby, etc.
If you want to earn some cake you'll have to know PHP and MySQL and the web in general. You'll then want to provide a realistic quote based on required features he needs.
The pre-configured script way should be at least 10 times less than the from scratch CMS. It only makes sense. You'll then have to discuss ownership rights, etc.
Whatever you do man, please use a contract in all business relations. Don't learn the hard way.
I am in a situation where a business associate wants to create a platform and I can easily implement phpbb to handle what he wants. It seems all TOO simple, but it gets the job done.
I could push for hiring a coder to build an application from scratch, but why? If the coder died or went AWOL several weeks into the project, who would be able to pick up the project and hit the ground running?
With the more popular open source, install on the fly applications, there's a larger pool of knowledgeable people who can dig in and make it work in worse-case scenarios.
i tell them the plain truth, if they gonna buy the software i tell them the url where to buy it, i will only charge for the installation and setup services.
I always charge them 10 times the market rate and also give them the CMS made from scratch. I have left the other work for others. No interest in making or editing an existing CMS nowadays.
Clients do whine for sometime about the rates. But then the result they get shut their mouths and they thank me in end
and they thank me in end 
