heheheh...good stuff. I really face this problem, sometimes lose clients when i say site cost depends on your customization.

From now i'll give them this e.g.

Thanks for discussing this topic :)

Simple analogy, but very effective. Thanks! I use it all the time, and it really helps people get into the right mindset before making key decisions about what their site should be.
Sometimes i also use a slight variation on this analogy, namely 'What does a house cost?' Same basic principle, but some people relate better to houses than to cars :)

Great article. Simple and to the point analogy. :). Articles like these really help to educate potential clients.

A valuable resource for young, aspiring designers.

Excellent analogy my friend, I'll make a point to use this from now on ;)

salud

I prefer an analogy of house too, because, according to my opinion, it is more proper. Website is more like house than like car. That's why I push term "web-architecture" instead of "webdesign" (in vein, of course, the later is too well established). But the analogy of a car I also use quite often, but in different situation - when I speak with a client, who already has a site and we discuss possible changes, I use following examples:
"well, the engine is still good, but we must change the chasis" and so on...

Great analogy. I am currently a student getting into the web design field, however I was wondering how I would answer those questions. Now I know thanks for discussing this with us.

Great analogy, I will have to agree with a previous post in that I like to compare a website to a house. I usually try to make them understand that the website is their house and that the price of the house doesn't include the property in which it will be built "hosting". I feel that the hardest this to make clients understand is that it cost money to make a website and it also cost money to have it stored somewhere, and to get ab address. People think the internet is free, because they only pay once a month and they don't realize all the backend work that goes into a site development.

Design is just another product one sells and one buys. I usually have example sites that I know how many man hours that was required to execute the site and how that translates to dollars. I find clients want to hear dollars when they ask dollar questions. They are quite happy to hear a ballpark figure and are intelligent enough to understand that its an estimate if they go with a similar structure and multimedia content. I like your use of car and house method but when it comes to the big dollar question that answering it in that fashion frustrates the client they want a number. Oh and always summarise this initial discussion as it occurs and follow it up with a letter outlining the discussion asap.

I am thrilled after reading all the comments.
This is why I love the Internet..and think it is the greatest gift to mankind...The best of knowledge, thoughts and ideas being shared accross the globe.
Scott everything is cool about what you write..except one line on the page...
"No portion of Scottmanning.com or its associated sites may be reprinted in any form without prior consent"
Why Scott, You ve such good articles on ur site...Let the entire world reprint them..only on the condition that they mention the source www.scottmanning.com
I am sure if anyone who appreciates the article would not mind to mention your name as it belongs to you.

Rest is upto you...

It depends on the designer/programmer you hire... Some are cheap, some are not.

Thanks for the article Scott, some excellent tips!

This is a good article. I'm not a website creator, however I've spent many yrs as a software eng at HP & moonlighting for other businesses. Your analogy is fine but customers (inhouse or not) need $ amounts. They're smart enough to know all websites aren't the same price. So what to do?

1) How much is it going to cost? Answer: I can't answer that until I know what your needs are. Then proceed to interview the client in detail.

2) Follow up with your understanding of the customer's needs in writing.

3) Present 3 solutions. Cheapest, Moderate, Most Expensive. With dollar amounts attached. Break out development & hosting amounts. Include an estimate of your confidence in your estimates, plus or minus 25% for example.

These 3 steps are on your dime, but retain all materials. Business clients appreciate a business like approach. Maybe, the costs are too much for them now. But they'll be able to plan & when they do decide to go ahead they'll remember to call you.

One other comment: Always talk to your clients in business terms not in any form of computer jargon. This is especially true when presenting alternative proposals. Explain what the differnece between, say, the cheapest & moderate versions is in business terms. The moderate version performs follow up automatically, while the less expensive version requires someone on your staff to do xy&z. Not "There's a ton of scripting to be written in the 2nd alternative."

Very helpful.

I use the house analogy, same cup of tea. :-)

As mentioned two posts ago, break down your quote into static html, development fees, multimedia enhancement, hosting etc.

Another tip is to have optional 'plugins' (e.g. gallery, guest books, auctions, whatever), which clients can tick off as addition to their basic website before returning your quote.

Always difficult to tell, since it often changes from client to client.

a site costs $12.95. end of story.

^ yeah and so are cars...

if you want a Hot Wheel set...

anyways, Great article.

how much does it cost to start a horse website?

hey dose it cost to make your own home page

I prefer the methodology by DV Moore (the guy that works at HP as a Software developer that responded in this article)
If someone responded to me with a "how much does a car cost" to my question, I would think that they were a smartass and probably continue to look for other website developers.
Also the initial thought that you are placing in their head is that of an expensive item (don't forget that 2 of the most significant investements are usually your house and your car)and if you are dealing with decision makers, chances are they have an expensive car.

I think that a better response would be "I can't answer that until I know what your requirements are"

Anyway good article.

Great Analogy...I've also used, "How much does a pizza cost."
Again...lots of options and sizes.