Got my first big client and need pricing advice. They run events in a specific market and their current system is a total mess. Everything is stuck in Google Sheets with basic forms for registration. No proper customer management or automated marketing at all.
I’m planning to build them:
- Custom CRM in Airtable with smart matching features
- Automated registration system that connects directly to the database
- Self-managed automation platform for workflows
- Email marketing automation with proper segmentation
- AI-powered content creation tools
- Automated messaging for customer communication
- Smart email management system
This is way more complex than my usual projects. Not sure if I should charge by the hour, set a flat rate for each part, or do monthly payments. What pricing model works best for this kind of setup? Any gotchas I should prepare for when quoting this type of work?
Break it into phases instead of mixing pricing models. Phase 1: CRM setup and data migration. Phase 2: Registration system and basic workflows. Phase 3: AI tools and advanced automation.
I learned this the hard way two years ago. Started with hourly pricing and the client lost it when AI integration ran 40% over. Scope creep turned into a total nightmare.
Now I do fixed price per phase with clear deliverables. Way easier to manage expectations and actually get paid. For your scope, I’d quote 30-35k total over 3-4 months.
Here’s what nobody tells you - always budget data cleanup time. Moving from Google Sheets is never clean. I’d set aside at least 20 hours just sorting their messy data before you can build anything.
hybrid pricing sounds smart! fixed for the CRM makes sense, since it’s pretty clear what needs to be done. hourly for AI - yeah, that’s gonna be tricky to estimate. 15-25k feels right, just know your worth and don’t undercut yourself!