We receive many inquiries about the cost to upgrade MAS 90 and MAS 200 to the latest 4.4 version. By far most people are looking to satisfy themselves that the quote that their present consultant provided (usually just range of hours) is fair.
Usually a customer is shocked to see that our quote is higher than what they think their consultant is going to charge them. That is until they think that they really haven't gotten a price from their consultant - rather they have an estimate that is probably going to vary when that final bill is sent.
Here's how our quotes start:
A project to upgrade your MAS 90/200 to 4.4 for professional services (assumes you have current Sage and any other needed software maintenance) would start at $ .
There's no mention of hours or rate. That's because we first will provide an estimated typical fee based on similar client's that we've worked on (versions, # of users, enhancements).
At first we provide this estimate for budget purposes. If we know it's going to take $10 to upgrade your system and you only have $ 2 -- then this preliminary estimate is a great time saver for both of us.
Fixed vs Hourly Pricing (The Hidden Secret Your Consultant Isn't Telling You)
Pricing is a factor of many things -- and what many of our best clients find (too late) is they were misled by a low hourly price from another consultant which they compared against the detailed fixed price we provided.
Some of those customers become our most loyal and devoted fans -- but not until they were surprised (shocked?) by a bill from their former consultants.
The reason they were surprised -- and that the other consultant seemed at first to be cheaper?
The client was comparing an estimate (project hours at standard hourly rate) which they thought was lower.... until the bill they received from their hourly consultant showed the actual (much higher) hours -- and higher billed amount.
The only thing fixed about the price they'd received was the hourly rate. At the end of the engagement they learned that the hours could vary wildly from original estimates.
When they asked their consultant why the actual bill was so much higher than the quote - the consultant's #1 response?
"The price we gave you was an estimate - the costs could be more -- or less"
If you think that those estimates usually come out less - I've got a surprise for you...
Surprise (excess) billings is actually the #1 reason we find companies actively look to switch consultants.
At Schulz Consulting we price and invoice based on a fixed project cost.
This means we must understand your needs at the START of the project and not learn as we go (hourly billing) and expect your company to pay for our lack of initial due diligence.
The items covered (scope) of the project are laid out clearly in a detailed proposal - so there's no chance for a surprise bill.
In cases where you ask for extra services - we clearly explain the associated cost and send a quote for your approval prior to starting on any extra cost items.
Our careful upgrade procedure has been developed after working with hundreds of similar projects.
Every step of our process is documented in our online project management system (which you're free to review at any time).
Project Plan (Fixed Price) v Open Checkbook (No Plan or We'll Bill You Hourly)
The project plan for your upgrade includes:
1. Install and initially configure your upgrade
2. Test conversion where you can review your data prior to final conversion
3. Final or go live conversion
4. Post-upgrade followup (training, troubleshoot, additional service requests)
At Schulz Consulting we price our services in what our clients tell us is the fairest (and their preferred) way - which is as a fixed cost.
Be wary of prices provided as:
"it should take between xx and yy hours at zzz rate. If it takes less then you pay less and if more you pay more".
These are not really prices - but rather are estimates.
The costs usually don't come in as less -- but more.
Under this pricing method you will not know the true price until the project is complete.
Many of the inquiries we receive are from users that are curious about general costs.
Your inquiry may be similar -- and we're happy to provide our preliminary estimate which you can use to compare against your preferred provider's quote .
If you'd like a formal proposal we provide one for a fee which is credited against your upgrade cost.
Wait. A fee? Why a fee when all the other consultants on the web do this for free?
Wait. You Mean You Charge For a Proposal?
There are two reasons that there's a cost to generate a formal proposal:
First, most consultants are giving you a "ball park" estimate based on an hourly rate. You shoulder ALL of the risk of a cost over-run.
Second, we assume the risk of a cost over-run - however we must understand your system, your requirements and the expectations of the project BEFORE we can provide you with a cost.
Our proposal includes a single session to login and review your existing MAS system, discuss open issues and concerns and provide a 10 page document with the scope of services.
Please feel free to contact me to arrange for an evaluation and I can provide you with a cost for an initial analysis (credited against your accepted project).
Thanks,
Inquire here
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