Steve Kownacki
3
COW Coins
2
Premiere Pro Coins
Forum Replies Created
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I’m appreciative that my electric bill is down! A/B/C roll was a mountain of gear. Of course now we have to turn on the heat in the winter.
Steve
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You’ll have to do the Km/Miles conversion, but I charge $.55 per mile (as Mike said the US gov reimbursement rate) for vehicle use on anything over 40 miles round trip – so I don’t bill for local travel directly. This does not include tolls, parking, or other per-diem. The local stuff has mileage built into the price I quote for the shoot, when I know there’s lot of driving, I make it a visible line item, just like a hotel bill (if the client isn’t paying it directly).
Mileage is not an intangible and should be a line item when you are figuring up your bids and should be stated in a scope of work/contract/agreement so there’s no question later. It adds up fast.
And if you think about it, you have a client 50 miles away – that’s 100 round trip. You have 5 meetings with them, now 500 miles. At $.55 is $275 just for the use of the car. So if you don’t work that into your budget you are either giving that away if you are self-employed; losing profit if you reimburse employees and don’t have it figured in your profit line to begin with; or not correctly paying for company vehicles.
Now that I think about it, you have to have a consistent method of tracking vehicle expenses. It’s either a personal vehicle that the company reimburses you for mileage (or you take 1 deduction at the end of the year) OR it’s a company vehicle that tracks all of the expenses of gas, maintenance, washing,insurance, etc. and pays for all of that directly.
And don’t forget to check with your insurance company about business use of a personal vehicle.
My $.55 for the morning. (Oh, and be sure to confirm any statements with your attorney and tax adviser.)
Steve
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Grinner, ya nailed it!
And then I spewed coffee. (then smack her on the ass for good measure)
Steve
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I would never adjust the original invoice – never. That opens a can of worms for them to dispute what is the correct amount regardless of the dates on them.
The proper way (not being an accountant) using Quickbooks or similar, would be to to send them a monthly statement with statement charges or create a separate invoice for finance charges and then create the statement showing the original invoice amount and the subsequent finance charge invoices. And you have to be specific as to when the FC starts – the date of the invoice, after the 30 past due, etc. And can charges accrue on the finance charges or just the original amount.
AND if a client has a preferred method of billing that will get me paid – no problem from me. When to submit them, how to submit them (email, mail, dropoff, whatever). I have one that reminds me every time 2% net 10 and the check is there. This is not to say I offer blanket discounts.
I’ll have to disagree with your security of holding the raw… they got the master and that’s all they need.
Now, not being a lawyer but playing one like most of us do on a daily basis, my clients don’t own any copyright till the bill is paid in full. So if they air stuff without paying that’s in violation and I suppose I would send a “cease and desist” letter after I recorded it on TV. But this is not an issue since material isn’t released without payment or is at least watermarked.
I third the statement with Walter and Ron on always needing a signature on a scope of work/agreement/contract. Mine is now 7 pages long.
Steve
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My goal is never to sell but to educate. And just like applying for a job, doing your homework and speaking intelligently to a prospect about their business is critical. I don’t sell videos, we provide solutions. You must first identify what a client’s need is and then seek a solution and it may not be video. There’s been numerous times after a call that a client needs print or web and I introduce them to a partner at a lunch – keeping me in the loop. This builds trust. What happened in the last case was that while my initial prospect didn’t need me directly, his friend did; so we got a job with a new client but not the original one I was courting. Nifty.
While getting new clients is nice, maintaining current clients is far more profitable. There’s a huge cost to gaining business. Keep your customers happy.
Part of my mission statement – you have one of those, right? – is “…to make you the hero in your organization.” What triggers that prospect? A raise? A promotion? A bonus? A pat on the back? But what will get them that? Increased sales, reduced downtime in training, fewer callbacks on services? What can you provide to them that will help them achieve that goal. You have to be able to identify what triggers them and fix the problem they have.
So in response to your question, am I cold calling, no. For me it’s all about my current client base:ask for referrals, keep in touch with newsletters (only names I get personally), call and say hello, send cards, recognize their achievements. Meaning, when I see them in a publication I’ll call and let them know, even cut it out and send it. This is LOTS of work. Probably why I’m still at 70+ hours and writing this on a weekend.
Steve
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Great post. I once literally got scorned by a national sales manager at a TV station because I didn’t talk. I was brought in because their in-house team was busy. Client was outlining all the details of what they were and what they wanted – local guys kept on suggesting this and that, basically making asses of themselves. I listened for almost 45 minutes then that sales guy turned around and said “you don’t talk much!” I politely responded that it wasn’t my turn yet. That’s what sealed the deal with the client! We turned what the TV guys thought was another $800 spot into a 3-spot campaign for 10x that amount.
Steve
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Repeat your name, company and phone number at the end of your message. Speak slowly and clearly enough I can figure out who you are.
Steve
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The guy who wrote the 4-hour Work Week only answers email once a week.
I can’t quite do that and run my shop, but like Ron, I only respond in an appropriate time based on the client or vendor and the project at hand. Most times responses can wait. Sometimes I need to do reviews with others; you never want to look too available; good time management doesn’t allow you to do email unless necessary; etc.
Like all the discussions about contracts, you establish the means and rules for communication up front. Some rush jobs require the client to sit in or be available for immediate feedback – let them know up front. Goes back to plain old good communication in the beginning… and that’s face to face in most cases for new clients, via phone and follow-up email with existing.
All this lightning-fast communication I think gets people in trouble. Not enough time is spent thinking before hitting send. That’s why I don’t have a PDA, I don’t want to be that connected nor available. I’ll never set meetings when at a meeting. Give’s me time to think about everything on the way home that may impact what needs to get done in the meantime.
Steve
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Hanging pack blankets on stands just out of frame would help, but getting that mic in as close as possible needs to be done. Replace your cam mic with a supercardioid about 12-18″ from the doc.
You can also mount the lav inside his jacket lust below his neck by making some footballs out of gaff tape, putting the mic between them, and then sticking that between the shirt and jacket. Hopefully he doesn’t move around a lot to cause noise. How big is your lav? It’s not obtrusive on a news anchor? Tuck the wire under the clip and it’s barely noticeable.
Steve
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That model rents for under $50/day. Why mess with a new mic setup that you are not familiar with?
Steve