Craig Bloem, Founder & CEO of Free Logo Services (which is not his first startup), says,

• Look at code samples – I ask them for their code and have “A” level programmers I trust look at the code and tell me how good it is.
• Similar projects – Have they worked on projects similar to what I am going to have them work on so that they will be familiar with the challenges and the technology.
• Excitement level – Are they excited and challenged by what you will have them work on? Good programmers and IT shops need to be challenged constantly.
• Use their applications – I have them bring in their own computer and show me what they have developed (apps and programs) and tell me about what parts of the programs they owned and what was challenging to them about it. You can also see how they set up their desktop and what tools they use. Look at the programs they have developed. Were they scalable? Do they accomplish their main purpose?
• Personal interaction – How do they communicate with me? Do they
  understand my questions, and what questions do they ask?
• References – I learn more out of references than anything else. Do they learn fast, how is their quality, can they manage deadlines, what are their weaknesses and strengths so I know how to work with them and what to watch out for if I hire them.
• Education – What GPA and schools did they go too. Specifically, how did they do at math?
• Github – Do they have a github account and if so,what have they written?

Ethan Roberts, President of Monkey Mind LLC, says,

• I’ve been on both sides of the fence finding consultants for companies I worked at, and now I’m an independent consultant that other companies hire. From a company standpoint, I looked for a close fit on skillset and then at personality during the interview. If one candidate had better skills but the other one was easier to work with and close on skills, I’d pick the second one because I don’t need a hassle for the whole project. As a consultant I try to have a great skillset and an easy-going personality for exactly the same reasons.

Eric Leland, of FivePaths LLC, says, “We regularly hire consultants and programmers, and help our clients do so.”

• We like to find contractors through peer resources. Partners or clients we work with may have leads or resources they have experience with.
• We trust our partners and clients, and value their experience with the talent they have hired, which makes our vetting process much easier. For some skills, we need to reach more broadly – we use professional networking organizations for various sectors that serve the talent we need. One example is the Nonprofit Technology Enterprise Network, whose membership is experienced with many software packages that nonprofits seek.
• Professional networks exist for many established technologies, helping to aggregate smart talent, not just people who are job hunting. Smart talent, even when they are not available, can lead to great resources, helping to reduce the time it takes to find and review applicants.

Next week we’ll look at what some successful IT consultants and independent programmers have to say about the best ways to get clients. But this suggestion is too good to keep on the shelf for a week…

• Self-described hacktivist Fred Trotter says, “I found that finding clients became much easier when I ‘wrote the book’ on my subject matter”: Meaningful Use and Beyond; A Guide for IT Staff in Health Care

So: Have you considered writing a book about the area where your greatest skills lie? It can be a major career boost.

About halfway down the page in the second article we find these words:

Question: How do you decide how much to charge?

David: Randomly… mostly based on how much I thought the client would pay. I had one client tell me to raise my rate, that is an advantage of having good clients, they want to help you as much as you help them. I usually ended up undercharging which put the client and myself in a bad position. Undercharging is worse than overcharging. With undercharging, the client becomes dependent on you (and they can’t afford to go to anyone else) — it’s just not sustainable. Eventually you need to raise the rate or drop the client; it’s a difficult choice and a hard conversation, either way.

There’s more on this subject in the article, which I strongly advise you to read if you are or plan to become self-employed.

The thing is, pricing decisions are some of the most important ones you make as the owner of a service business. Charge too much and you have no customers — and even if you get some who are awed by your wonderfulness or have unlimited budgets, sooner or later they’ll wise up and find someone else who will do the same work for less.

But as you see, David warns more about undercharging than overcharging. He’s right, too. I have a video production client I started working for a while back at a cut-rate price. Now I can’t afford to continue at the original rate, and I am going to cut her loose. She’s been a troublesome (although nice) client from day one. If I had quoted her a higher hourly rate at the start, I might have scared her off. Or at least I would have earned more for the aggravation she’s caused me, and it would be easier to tell her to take her business elsewhere.

The thing is, there is no one “right price” when you’re pricing a service — or many physical sales, including the real estate in which Trump deals. Making a deal that is fair for both you and your client is an art, not a science. All you can do is read up on the idea, get expert advice (SCORE is a good place to go, and it’s free), and learn as you go along.

Google negotiating with clients and you’ll find enough useful reading matter to fill up many months of eat-at-your-desk lunches.

Perhaps, if you learn enough about selling your services and — possibly more important — how to price them right, one day you, too, will be able to live on a comfortable boat in a warm climate and only work a few hours a week.