What have you found is best way to educate non-tech-savvy people on this?

 

I tell people that I charge by the project, and it depends on the situation. But they still expect some kind of flat answer (without letting me assess their needs), which is very frustrating.

Recently I've started to use a restaurant menu analogy, the more courses you buy the more you pay, and some foods/dishes are more expensive than others. Then if you have a lot of diners (content types etc) the price is per head!

 

But yes, it's really down to the project because they're always different!

Tell them your prices are based off the approximate time taken to complete a project. I know nothing about car mechanics but I can fully understand some jobs will cost more than others based on the complexity (expertise required) and time taken.

 

The price literally = expertise(rate) * hours

What have you found is best way to educate non-tech-savvy people on this?

 

Normally to put it in their industries context. If they sell cars it's like asking them how much is a car? If they're in catering then how much is a sit down meal? Most of them will answer 'what sort of car' or 'what menu and how many guests' and then bingo, they suddenly understand it's the criteria that sets the budget for a project.

You also need to make a decision early on regarding what type of client the person will be. That fact alone can cause some projects to fail. Full stop

This. I actually would refuse to work with clients who don't take me seriously at an initial meeting. The kind of clients that want a price upfront before any specifications are analysed are the type to introduce scope creep, demand unmeetable deadlines, pay late etc etc. Walk away.