Consulting Rate Schedule and Terms
Small projects always welcome.
Rates
| Your Location | Rate for services conducted at Your Location | Rate for services conducted at My Office | Travel Costs | Minimim |
| Local: Kenosha County, WI Racine County, WI Northern Lake County, IL (north of Highway 120) | $155.00 / Hour | 95.00 / Hour | NA | 2 hrs/day for on-site work, no min for office work |
| Extended Local: Within Milwaukee, Madison, Rockford, Chicago areas. | $155.00 / Hour | 95.00 / Hour | $50.00 / Hour travel time | 2 hrs/day for on-site work, no min for office work |
| E-Consulting: All locations within the U.S. | $95.00 / Hour | 1 hour min for e-consulting | ||
| U.S. On-Site Other locations within the United States outside of my Local service areas. |
Contact me for quote and availability | $95.00 / Hour | Per Quote |
Terms
Rates effective starting 9/1/2021
Hourly rates are billed in half-hour increments.
Clients will be invoiced at the end of each calendar month or at project completion (whichever comes first). Ongoing projects with few hours per month may be billed over longer periods (every 2 or 3 months).
Invoices are payable upon receipt. Rates are subject to change.
How much can you expect to pay?
A typical assignment for me usually ends up costing between $300 and $4,500, with $1,000 to $3,000 being the most common. I have occasionally done very brief assignments that cost less than $300 (some as low as an hour or two) and more extensive projects that cost well over $5,000, but I've gotten pretty good at managing my involvement in projects to a level that gets the client the assistance they need without breaking the bank. In fact, over the years my project-level costs have gone down even as I've raised my hourly rates. This is simply the result of me refining my services to get you what you need as quickly and efficiently as possible. These ranges represent local clients or remote consulting (e-consulting) for non-local clients. Additional costs will be incurred if I have to travel.
How I keep costs down (and how you can help)
Primarily, I keep project-level costs down by simply being very good at what I do. It doesn't take me long to understand your operation (even with e-consulting), and I focus on controlling my involvement to only those areas where you need my level of expertise. If I feel there are tasks that the client can do with a little guidance (rather than me doing it), I will recommend that route. I will also help you to define and narrow the scope of the project to those area where—based on my experience—I feel you will get the greatest benefit. You can help by clearly describing your operation and getting me the information I require as quickly and as accurately as is practical.
Over the years, I've gradually moved to an e-consulting model for the vast majority of projects. This is much more affordable.
In addition, my streamlined approach towards consulting means I spend most of my time providing consulting services rather than selling consulting services. My marketing strategy is simple; I provide enough information on my website to educate prospective clients on my services and capabilities. Between my articles and my books, you should have a pretty good idea of my capabilities. I'm not going out and banging on doors or having to pay someone else to do it for me, I am not out there wining and dining prospective clients or providing presale presentations, meetings, quotes, references, etc. My reasoning for this is that if I did those things, I would have to pass on the costs associated with them to my paying clients.
If you feel it's important (and are willing to pay) for a consulting firm to have a team that is willing to spend numerous hours coercing you into accepting their services and ensuring that every project is a "BIG" project, you are probably not a prospective client of mine. I chose to offer an alternative, and if you are serious about making improvements; want fast, effective, and affordable services; and don't need your hand to be held while you're making up your mind; I would be very interested in doing business with you. I enjoy working for small to mid-sized businesses, and this is what I needed to do to keep my services affordable for that market.
