johntabita - 6:47 am on Nov 13, 2004 (gmt 0)

What does that client do for his/her clients for "free"? The more you do for "nothing" the more you will be asked to do for "nothing". So I do nothing for nothing.

I couldn't disagree more. I have a client that suddenly couldn't get to their website from their office. I probably spent 1-1/2 hours figuring out what I knew wasn't my problem (the DNS lookup on their in-house server somehow got messed up). This same client then gave me two more web projects and all of their print work.

Another client asked to meet with me because he had the chance to land a big account and needed to clarify some questions they had about his website's capabilities. I didn't charge him for the hour we met (although he did buy me lunch). The next week, he sent two referrals my way.

For me, it's a judgement call. Neither of these clients are the type that take advantage and they are always appreciative. On the flip side, another client called me into his office to discuss some site updates. I sat with him for over an hour while he printed out pages of the site and marked up the changes he wanted made. Do you think I charged him for the time I sat there? You bet I did.

I often visit a client on a presale visit, and many times visit again when the sale is made and I want to gather facts and impressions for their site. How about the client who wants progress review sessions at his office, 30-40 minutes away?

Since you're already gathering "facts", how about gathering one more; namely, how many meetings they'll require and build that into the price?