If you have a base fee for your immediate area, at what increments do you charge for shows outside your area?

How big is this job? How far away is this job? How hungry are you? How nice is the potential customer? Is there food invloved? What type of trafic jam are you likely to experience?

I have taken a map and created concentric circles on it which get bigger and bigger, terminating at the end of my service area.

My home base is the center of this "bullseye." Depending on which "ring" the event venue falls in, the fee increases in consistent increments.

So, I have a base fee for various types of shows and then I add the travel fee which I calculate by looking at my "bullseye map" as I call it and adding the travel fee with the performance fee for a total job cost.

Works for me!


Lyndel

Lyndel
I do not understand your answer? Suppose it were a three show job offer, 10 miles out of your travel radius, and the event was an all you can eat BBQ rib cook off, and bikini contest?

All that I read in your post was "bikini contest!" LOL! I might do that gig for free!

I'm not married to my map/chart thing... I do sometimes quote "off the grid." But it gives me a basis with which to quote on simple one show in and out type gigs.


Lyndel

I actually do something similar to Lyndel. It certainly is not a cure all by any means. However. I use it as a base line for figuring out certain zlones that he client is in. I have mione set at home and then 20 mile radius circles out from that. This just helps me to know immediately where the client is located and in what zone and gives me a base starting point for figuring out some things. Obviously many factors play into this, but I have found this to be a decent tool for my wife and i.

Kyle

I like the circle ideas, but how much do you add money wise to the base price per..circle

Hi Kyle!

On a (somewhat) related note...

How many of you quote your base price and call attention to the added expense for travel (time and gas)? Or do you simply build the travel price into the one lumps sum price you quote?

How many of you tell the client that you charge a certain amount per mile (ie. 40 cents) to cover the round trip wear and tear on the car and gas? Plus, if the show is an hour or more away, don't you charge extra for your round trip time? If so, approx. how much (per hour away)?

Hope this is the right thread to post these quations. If not, please direct me to the proper thread, as I seem to recall this subject has been dealt with many times. I shoul ddo my own search on the Café to find the right thread, but I have to leave my computer and will not be back to it until tonight.
Best regards.

Jonathan

I think you should give them a price. Easier for them to deal with. Figure it all out and give it to them.

Most people don't care about what it costs you to do the show, only what it costs them to have you do the show.

Jonathan
I do none of that stuff. If a customer wants me to travel I give him a price that reflects that additional travel charge, but how I came to that fee is not important. When I'm talking to a customer on the phone the only detail I want to discuss is how great my show is.

Kyle
Do you really care about a 20 mile trip? My extra fee kicks in at about 50 miles.

Exactly right Dan. In my personal opinion it is part of my job as a solutions provider for my client to make the decision making process as easy as I possibly can. This simply means I give them one single quote for the show based upon what they are asking me to do.

In this price is included my base price, travel, gas, hotel etc. I also have found it counter productive to state a price and then start tacking on additional fees by calling out travel exspense, gas price. It just leaves a bad taste in the prospect's mouth. One single price works much better and is easier for them to simply say yes or no.

In regards to the circle or zone concept, it really depends upon you and your own business model and needs as to what you charge per each zone. You alone will have to factor what you need for gas and travel based on where you live etc. Take a look at your shows and show offerings and then figure out what you need yourself. There is no one answer for that.

Kyle

Good point Danny. I usually give them a total rpice and tell them it includes round trip travel time and expenses (so I do not breakit down). Howver, if I am travelling by car from Montreal to Ottawa (two hours each way), then I tell them I am charging and addition $ ____ to make the trip (ie. addiitonal $200). If the trip is two hours away, and my show late at night, I will defintiely only go if they agree to cover meals and lodging on top of my other costs (ie. show, and travel).

It works for me since my clients are largely corporate and either have the budget to bring in a performer from a (relatively) nearby city, or do not.

I am curious to know how others handle this.

Jonathan

"And that fee is complete", or "And that fee includes travel", or "And that fee includes travel, except for accomodations", is how I word it.

I generally charge about $25 per hour of driving (one way) outside of my core area. Some charge more ($50, $75, $100, etc).

(This is different if I have to go off of the island. Then it gets factored in a different way again.)

With some customers (schools, churches, etc.), you can quote them two fees. One fee if they have a single show, or a different fee if they have multiple shows.

If they can find other customers for you, so that you can do multiple shows while in their area, then you can split the travel portion of the fee between the customers or even waive the travel fee entirely (in some cases).

Explaining it in print helps them. Example: One show $795. Two Shows, Same Day $595 per show.

- Donald

If a gig involves travel, multiple performances, or walkaround plus a show, or mulitple shows, parking, tolls I will quote one price for everything, and if they invite me to eat with them I do a 60 minute show instead of a 45 minute show, because inviting an Italian to dinner is like giving him a standing ovation.

Sit down, Mangia, MANGIA!!

I have something quoted in my rider.

my base fee includes up to a 30 mile radius.
anything more you have to include mileage.

then I have other variables.

A few comments, I never overtly charge mileage, it just screams look for someone local. As to fee I think of it this way-first how big of an area do I need to get the amount of work that I want? This sets my base area and I charge the same fee for the whole area (so I set the fee for the far point). Beyond that I charge a significantly larger fee.

Of course I keep some upward flexibility depending on the event, although I never eat with the customer.

Gil Scott

Danny,

Are you suggesting that you quote just one all-inclusive price?

How common-sense-is-not-so-common of you.

-Robert

I also have a map with concentric circles on it at 30, 50 and 80 miles. Beyond that I labeled key cities with the distance to them. This acts as a quick reference for me when someone calls for a quote.

For larger shows, I jump on yahoo maps and get the exact distance to the gig. Then I charge the base price plus .50 per mile both ways. So if the gig is 175 miles away, I charge an extra $175. In most cases that works fine. The farther out though, I usually modify that again. Because overnight stays might be involved, and there is more travel time. I've also been thinking of upping the .50 cent per mile charge. But its such a handy number to work with.

Have all the maps you want, draw all the pyramids, circles, crop circles and junk you need to make your Spyrograhp training meaningfull. I think all that should be kept to yourself.

Does WalMart give you the breakdown? When you have to justify your price, in my opinion it is showing a bit of less confidence in the product than I think you should show.

Does ANOYNE think the client really cares in general? If you provide more than they think they are paying for, they will be happy, and not care how you arived at the final price.

This is just a personal preference and a personal opinion. It applies ONLY to me.