OT - Do you charge consultation fees?

Sorry for the OT. This question is more geared for owners of small
consulting practices or those who work at VARs, but anyone else can
chime in as well:

As you know, during the sales process there is a lot of time spent
prospecting, initial meeting with potential clients, discussing
requirements, network assessment, follow up meetings with decision
makers, etc...it often takes 3-5 meetings to make a sale.

Sometimes it pays off and you win a nice project, but lately I've been
running into companies that are just looking for some free advice -
basically taking my ideas and doing the work in-house or shopping
around for a lower price.

I am curious to hear where you draw the line as to what is free? Do
you charge a consultation fee for the 1st meeting with a client? How
about the network assessment? Do you vary your approach based on the
size of the deal?

Thanks,
Gregory Gombas
CCIE #19649

Blogs and organic groups at http://www.ccie.net
Received on Tue Dec 15 2009 - 09:32:08 ART