Originally posted by David71
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Tips on going direct?
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'CUK forum personality of 2011 - Winner - Yes really!!!! -
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Originally posted by northernladuk View Post
I think the 99% Eek mentioned was more symbolic than factual. Chance of your standard contractor getting one are closer to absolute nil. The number of contractors that have managed to make a living from these is miniscule.merely at clientco for the entertainmentComment
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Originally posted by eek View Post
Tenders have zero benefit for contractors - while it's probably not true that they will have been written by the preferred supplier it's often not far off the truth...
For those that aren't, then it's a race to the bottom - who will go in the cheapest, not who is the best. It's a lazy way of rejecting business by interviewing fewer people and letting the prices fall.…Maybe we ain’t that young anymoreComment
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Originally posted by WTFH View Post
I would expect most tenders are written by the preferred supplier, or at least heavily reviewed/checked by them.
For those that aren't, then it's a race to the bottom - who will go in the cheapest, not who is the best. It's a lazy way of rejecting business by interviewing fewer people and letting the prices fall.merely at clientco for the entertainmentComment
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Originally posted by eek View Post
the ones I've seen have questions designed so that only their preferred firm can win. My favourite was 1 that required direct support from Adobe consulting - which was only possible from 1 of the firms asked to tender..
However I saw few Digital Outcomes 6 that pay 800pd outside. If you can hit the skillset sweetspotLast edited by GitMaster69; 18 May 2022, 09:43.Comment
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Originally posted by GitMaster69 View PostHowever I saw few Digital Outcomes 6 that pay 800pd outside. If you can hit the skillset sweetspot'CUK forum personality of 2011 - Winner - Yes really!!!!Comment
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Originally posted by northernladuk View Post
And could you hit the sweet spot? Just picking day rates and waving them about is next to useless.Comment
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Originally posted by GitMaster69 View Post
So far you provided 0 tips. Why you're even here? MODS?'CUK forum personality of 2011 - Winner - Yes really!!!!Comment
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I only work direct. There are basically two ways to get direct contracts. To do this consistently, both require that you are a specialist, not a generalist.
The first is networking, building a contact list of clients who you've supplied in the past or who will provide recommendations to other potential clients.
The second is bidding or tendering, but this generally won't work as a micro company, you will need to join forces with other (larger) suppliers.
I do a mix of both but, again, you're pretty much wasting your time if you're a generalist, like a coder.
There is a subset of the first case where you've already worked with clients before and they invite you back, which may be a possibility as a generalist if you did an outstanding job, but the reality is that generalists are easy to come by, on demand, and clients don't really need to look you up, so that will only work rarely, not as a strategy.
Whether you're a specialist or a generalist, advertising is pretty much a waste of time.
In summary, specialise first and then develop a reputation and a network over time, attending conferences or technical events etc. You should make a particular effort to find other suppliers that you can tender with.Comment
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