In the pursuit of a profession (even if it's a passion), there's more to it than the quest for utility or the pleasure of doing what you love and being of service. That much is obvious. We're talking about a profession, not a hobby. So, ideally, you'd like to be paid, but in the right way, after you've done something.

Unfortunately, it's not uncommon to come across customers who will do anything they can to break the price they've kindly set rather than revise their demands.

What they don't know is that the fee is based on a well-thought-out formula. It includes the estimated time, the technology required or needed, the complexity of the mission (advanced design, debugging, etc.), the time required for exchanges, not to mention the cost of electricity, connection, etc., plus a reasonable margin.

Let's face it, you don't start a business to work for free or spend your time giving gifts. If you do, you may not last long.

My business is to help a business succeed using digital technology. In general, the service I provide isn't just a product or a service: I put my heart into what I do... I deliver more than I charge, in the interests of customer satisfaction and loyalty. But also for free (not that much) and effective advertising through recommendations. To tell you the truth, my pricing takes a lot of things into account. So there really is plenty to pay for free.

I'd like to make it clear that I'm not against negotiation and discounts. However, I do think it's essential to have a win-win approach. This benefits every member of the company. It is with this in mind that I draw attention to certain practices.

These facts are even more trivialized and considered the norm when it comes to a customer belonging to our entourage. If they think of you for a service, it's usually because there's a way for them to spend less. When they should be the first to value and support you.

In my opinion, our friends, family and acquaintances should be the first to support us. Not by funding us for free, but by paying us a fair price for our services. It's good to be asked for your services by those around you. That's a good start. But it would be better to pay for these services at the set price, without trying to break them. Knowing that, personally, customer satisfaction is at the heart of my concerns and that in general my aim is to deliver beyond expectations.

Because I'm aware of what's at stake, I do my best not to charge too little (which doesn't mean I charge too much): it's our job, and if we give in too much, we risk killing it or devaluing it. Repeatedly, it becomes a norm, a choice. After a while, there won't be any manpower left for the trade, everyone will have deserted it, because it's not profitable... So it's not in my interest to proceed in this way, nor in the interest of society.

To this phenomenon, which taints the relationship or collaboration between customer and service provider, we could add the fact of wanting to include other requests in the initial estimate. Whatever the reasons, this is free work.

Let me remind you that not all customers do this. There are a lot of good experiences out there. And thankfully so.
As for the others, I have to admit that there are still some who don't really understand our profession. We remain tolerant and patient.
It's all about supporting each other.