Milestone Plans

It has happened many times. A potential client will come to me and ask for a quote for my services. I find out exactly what they want/need, and then I send them my quote.

They look at my quote and realize their current budget will not cover all they need and/or want.

They find another developer and/or designer who charges less, and when they get their final product they’re totally unhappy with the lack of quality and/or support. They end up coming back to me to redo the work, and now they’re out of even more money than what I originally quoted them.

My remedy for avoiding this unfortunate situation is to offer what I call Milestone Plans (MPs for short).

This is how Milestone Plans work:

With an MP, you make your first payment (the deposit) to get your project started. The deposit, which is nonrefundable three (3) days after the deposit is paid, covers:

the cost of setting up and installing WordPress [for security reasons I never, ever use the one-click installation of WordPress]
installing, activating and configuring the security and functionality plugins necessary to begin and to complete your project as outlined in the Scope of Work
setting up and configuring your chosen theme and/or page builder
activating and configuring the "coming soon" or "maintenance mode" page to keep the site hidden until it's ready to go live

When the next milestone payment is made, then more work continues.

Once the next milestone is met and approved by you, then further work is paused until the next payment is made and so on until all payments in the milestone plan are completed. The site remains my property until you have made your last milestone plan payment, and then the site is turned over to you and becomes your property without reservation.

There are fees associated with MPs.

MPs can be spread out over four (4), six (6) or eight (8) equal payments and must be completed within six (6) months to avoid additional fees.

MPs are not based on set dates. Each installment is based on your ability to pay the next installment to keep your project going until completion.

When you pay your next payment on your milestone plan it is an indication that the work for the previous milestone has been completed. That means that if you decide you want changes to something that has already been paid for, completed and approved, then you will be required to pay additional fees for asking to go back and revisit previously completed and approved work. Those revisions must be paid for before the next milestone can begin.

Keep in mind that Milestones Plans are simply an option.

You can use the traditional, non-fee-incurring methods of paying by the hour or “half down/half when done” if either of these work best for you.

My goal for offering Milestone Plans is to make sure my clients have options and don’t have to go with a mediocre designer/developer because that person charges less. Often, a lower price means you’re going to end up with a low-quality product.

I’d love to be a part of bringing your online presence to life.

Don’t let cost be an obstacle or to prompt you into working with a much-less experienced designer/developer.