Can you really afford to give your client a discount ? Selling a service is not like selling a car or a chair where most of the costs of products are known. A service is almost open ended, unless you can specify very tighly in your contract/proposal. I think we should only give discount to a well defined scope. In order to get the discount the client needs to play a part like for example paying cash ahead of the project .
For Example:
Scope: Preliminary Planning Research for a restaurant
Senior architect: 6 hours @ $120 per hour
Junior Architect: 2 hours @ $80 per hour
Adminstration: 2 hours @$60 per hour.
Drafting: To be determined if required. Drafting @ $40 per hour
Printing to be billed at cost if paid within 7 days
Proposed Time : 10 hours
Total: $1000
10% discount if all are paid up front.
So if the client wants to save $100. Ask them to pay up front. If not , break down into 2 payments the most for a small scope like this one.
A discount is not free. It should be in exchange of something that is valuable to your firm.
