How to handle these oversmart Stupids?

[prabha_friend]

One of my acquittance is constantly forwarding the online prices of some x software and it's features... Asking me to build the exact same software for the same or lesser price. How to handle him?

 

[The_Doc_Man]

Tell him that if you are spending time building software for him, you are not working on your own company that will one day earn you a million dollars. Ask if he's ready to properly compensate you for his distraction.

Also, if he wants software X at the same or better price, tell him to go online or to the store and BUY the software for that stated price, since that is what he was willing to pay.

 

[RonPaii]

And tell him you want your rake back.

 

[Cotswold]

Sometimes a client would come up with what they thought was a brilliant idea that would massively improve my software.
It was such a good idea that they thought I should add for free. Only problem was that the idea was very company specific, just theirs in fact. When I told them that I would need to spend three, or four days adding their amendment and there would be a cost to them. Somehow that always caused an abrupt change of mind in regard to just how much of a good idea it actually was.

The idea that something needs doing is not restricted to software. So often that important demand, to save a building, or create something new that is desperately needed. Interest always fades away when the people lobbying for them are asked for donations to enable it to happen.

 

[prabha_friend]

But my client diligently is not ready to accept my way of solving his problems. What he exactly said is this:
"I want the exact screens but with little customisations for me".
The problem is he is not ready to believe my words I repeatedly telling him: "Please tell what you exactly want instead of what all others are offering"

I am still ready to working for him but Not his way!

 

[RonPaii]

But my client diligently is not ready to accept my way of solving his problems. What he exactly said is this:
"I want the exact screens but with little customisations for me".
The problem is he is not ready to believe my words I repeatedly telling him: "Please tell what you exactly want instead of what all others are offering"

I am still ready to working for him but Not his way!

You could always propose working T&M with regular payments. Provide him with the duplicate application followed by each change request. Do not do fixed cost because it will never be complete because your client does not know what he really wants.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

You have the right to tell your client "I don't know enough to do what you want and therefore cannot in clear conscience take this job." YOU have to remember that every failure to provide is a bad notch in YOUR reputation, and I can assure you that because the customer doesn't know what he wants, you will not be able to provide what he wants. NEVER EVER start a project without a clear AND PRINTED AND SIGNED AND DATED document explaining what the product will do. And don't EVER have such a document that says "Just like product XXX" because that is how you get your butt sued off for copyright infringement. You have a fiduciary duty to yourself not to take on schemes that will result in killing your business and bankrupting you in the process.

 

[Isaac]

One of my acquittance is constantly forwarding the online prices of some x software and it's features... Asking me to build the exact same software for the same or lesser price. How to handle him?

Tell him when he provides you with a team of developers and $5 million in in capital along with a full business plan for how to accomplish it, you'll be happy to

 

[Isaac]

But my client diligently is not ready to accept my way of solving his problems. What he exactly said is this:
"I want the exact screens but with little customisations for me".
The problem is he is not ready to believe my words I repeatedly telling him: "Please tell what you exactly want instead of what all others are offering"

I am still ready to working for him but Not his way!

Well, there's nothing wrong with an end user or client pointing to another software to help you understand what it is that they want.
Perhaps you spend a little time looking at that other software and use it to help guide you into writing requirements - Together.

 

[prabha_friend]

There's a difference between "Needing a car to go office daily vs wanting an aeroplane because the maker is an acquaintance"

 

[prabha_friend]

Yesterday casually he said "Please create an exact replica of WhatsApp" for 80$ he also told me he is ready to increase the fare to 20 more dollars. But not even a penny more 100$

 

[The_Doc_Man]

Your acquaintance (I won't say "friend" because clearly he is not) is living in a dream world. That price in modern consulting buys MAYBE 1.5 to 2.0 hours of CHEAP consulting. The $80 price to which he alludes is the price associated with high-volume sales, where you get $80 per unit for selling over 10,000 units. This person of whom you speak will bleed you dry the moment you agree with him.

When I was still working for the U.S. Navy many years ago, my consulting price was over $50/hour, and with inflation now, you could easily double that. In fact, back then if you were an ORACLE-certified DBA you would have been getting $80/hour or more. But I wasn't ORACLE certified, I was only an Access expert so I wasn't worth as much.

You seriously need to sever ties with this person. If he was your conjoined twin, you would STILL need to sever ties. His attitude is that bad.

 

[Isaac]

Yesterday casually he said "Please create an exact replica of WhatsApp" for 80$ he also told me he is ready to increase the fare to 20 more dollars. But not even a penny more 100$

I once combined a home network between our families various laptops, some shared workbooks that ran vba constantly, a vbscript that never stopped running, and excel's Range.Speak to make a sort of communication network. It was the crudest thing you can possibly even
imagine, but it sort of worked. The kids were little and they found it fun when I'd suddenly make their laptop read a new message and speak it out loud. Like "CLEAN YOUR ROOM NOW!" etc