The scariest pricing idea ever...

Seen over at The Freelancery (found on my Twitter feed - social media strikes again) was an article on a different kind of pricing structure.

As consultants, we struggle with the old hourly rate vs. value add question as well as with how to gather feedback from our clients on how they perceive our work. The folks over at The Freelancery are proposing a pretty radical notion - pay what you think it's worth.

It's a concept that took off in a number of industries, particularly during the GFC. London restaurant Little Bay decided to do away with bills asking customers to pay only what they want for meals in an unorthodox bid to beat the credit crunch. The results were very interesting. Sure there were people who paid less (or nothing at all) but there were plenty who paid a lot more than the standard price of the meal.

While this idea is no doubt a terrifying one, it's also a brilliant one. You say to your clients "I'll do the best possible job that I can and you pay me what you think it is worth" - this way you actually do deliver some great work and if the client sees value in this, will be willing to compensate accordingly.

The Freelancery believe that clients will respond to this idea too. They say "Most will be astonished that you offer the option. It shows you trust them. That you value their judgment."

An interesting idea - what are your thoughts?

Little Green Men

From the map magazine blog:

"You stare at him. You silently coax him to shed his red coat and don his flashing green attire. He stares back at you and wills you to wait patiently on the footpath. Suddenly your eye catches a flash of green and you continue your journey to the other side of the road. Maya Barkai’s
public-art installation, Walking Men is a photographic journey displaying 99 versions of pedestrian traffic-light symbols from around the world. The international ‘green men’ currently adorn a building site in downtown New York City. Pedestrians who find themselves crossing any streets near 99 Church Street can browse Walking Men from the streets of Zaragoza in Spain, the alleys of Buenos Aries, to Maya’s native Israel. The installation is a part of the Alliance for Downtown New York’s project to ‘dress up’ public areas dampened by the fall of the World Trade Towers."

Cross River Rail - A step in the right direction

According to THG's Kirsten Fry, Urban Designer, the proposed Cross River Rail plan, released last week, (click for a larger view of the plan and it's proposed catchment areas) is a move in the right direction towards creating a sustainable future for Brisbane, but is it too little, too late?

With South East Queensland’s population expected to all but double in the next 20 years, the only way to reduce congestion in the CBD is through prioritising public transport – bus, rail and ferry. However, projects such as Clem7 are prioritised, sending the community the message that cars are the future of transport in Brisbane – something the experts agree is just not sustainable.

Kirsten has put together a comparison of major rail cities, from New York to Tokyo and compares them to Brisbane here.