General Consultant Discussion

This is a tough one. I think you're basically cooked unless you promise cheap.

That said, some thoughts:

• Do NOT respond directly. You must talk to this tech about the situation and context. Not renewing the agreement was not this guy's decision, and much of the rest is not either. They decided to try to do it cheap. Still, get this guy to tell you as much as he can about what he's heard and what he thinks is possible. email is NOT your friend here. Too many emotions.
• We talk about our approach as "value pricing" but it's really "pricing on purpose." In other words, what do you WANT the the customer to do. Do you realisitically WANT this firm as a customer, or would rather they take their business and demeaning attitude elsewhere? If after talking you think you could prove your larger point to the decision maker and they'll pay your agreement, then you take one route. If you don't care, then you'll just price them to fix the problem, make a pile of money because they're jammed with little recourse and have them learn you're far better than the alternatives.
• The tech tries to minimize the likely problems but YOU have no confidence that's the case. It could be a complete FUBAR. You don't know. There is no reason for you take that risk.
• You definitely should come up with 3 options to choose from. One option could be "hourly work, $300/hr, with $5000 retainer." (You're the ER doc, right?) "When we've used up 15 hours, you must add $2k to the retainer to continue. If we don't use it, I keep it until you eventually use it - or not." This their cockup not yours. 
• If you want them long term, they must pay for your highest level for a year. customize what's in that level so they (not the tech, the Controller or CFO) get value they think they need. 
• Then a fixed fee price to assess how much shit they're in. You're not going to fix it, just closely define it. From there you can propose 3 ways to fix the problem, good/better/best. You can't say now what those are or even ball park the price. But you've already communicated you want them long term so they know you aren't going to screw them. 
• I think that framework could work. BUT you gotta talk to the MAN first. If you can't convince him your services beyond break/fix, those involved with helping him move to a more productive plane, then he is not a customer for you. He will not be an ally.

IMO only 20% of Sage 100 customers are really interested in moving beyond the way they've used Sage 100 for the last 15 years. The 80% will simply pay as little as they can to keep doing what they've been doing and then retiring. 

------------------------------
Jerry Norman
Smartbridge Partners
(512) 653-7498
------------------------------

Thanks for your comments @Jerry Norman  You have a lot of great suggestions.  To clarify, this is a customer that I have, for many years, billed hourly for tech support, and billed a fixed price for projects such as upgrades, scripts etc.  Last fall I had an in person meeting with the owner to discuss a Sage 100 upgrade and move to a new server.  At that time, I presented him with my monthly service agreement and explained I was moving off hourly billing.  The service agreement has different prices depending on the service level.  He wanted to know if there were other options and I mentioned the other option was to get a fixed price pay in advance on any service requests.  He asked that I quote him on the Sage 100 upgrade / server move and I gave him a proposal with three different service options / prices on this project.

I have been a mas90 / Sage 100 consultant for 35 years.  I don't remember a customer trying to do an upgrade themselves.  However, I have seen many IT people install the workstation client.  As we all know it rarely ends well when IT tries to install Sage 100 anything.

I don't want the liability of trying to fix something now that someone else did, and then have my fingerprints on something I didn't do from start to finish... Once I touch it I can become liable for other issues.  I am leaning to sending over my original proposal for the upgrade that I gave them last fall.  This proposal will include uninstalling everything they have now and starting over.  If they don't want to do that then I walk away, and they can go somewhere else.  This is the rare example of a customer that I don't want to work with if they don't want to agree to working on my terms. 

------------------------------
Doug Higgs
Midwest Commerce Solutions, Inc
(312) 315-0960
Chauffeur, Chef, and Personal Assistant to Sprinkles
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 07-20-2025 00:42
From: Jerry Norman
Subject: How Would You respond to This Email?

This is a tough one. I think you're basically cooked unless you promise cheap.

That said, some thoughts:

• Do NOT respond directly. You must talk to this tech about the situation and context. Not renewing the agreement was not this guy's decision, and much of the rest is not either. They decided to try to do it cheap. Still, get this guy to tell you as much as he can about what he's heard and what he thinks is possible. email is NOT your friend here. Too many emotions.
• We talk about our approach as "value pricing" but it's really "pricing on purpose." In other words, what do you WANT the the customer to do. Do you realisitically WANT this firm as a customer, or would rather they take their business and demeaning attitude elsewhere? If after talking you think you could prove your larger point to the decision maker and they'll pay your agreement, then you take one route. If you don't care, then you'll just price them to fix the problem, make a pile of money because they're jammed with little recourse and have them learn you're far better than the alternatives.
• The tech tries to minimize the likely problems but YOU have no confidence that's the case. It could be a complete FUBAR. You don't know. There is no reason for you take that risk.
• You definitely should come up with 3 options to choose from. One option could be "hourly work, $300/hr, with $5000 retainer." (You're the ER doc, right?) "When we've used up 15 hours, you must add $2k to the retainer to continue. If we don't use it, I keep it until you eventually use it - or not." This their cockup not yours. 
• If you want them long term, they must pay for your highest level for a year. customize what's in that level so they (not the tech, the Controller or CFO) get value they think they need. 
• Then a fixed fee price to assess how much shit they're in. You're not going to fix it, just closely define it. From there you can propose 3 ways to fix the problem, good/better/best. You can't say now what those are or even ball park the price. But you've already communicated you want them long term so they know you aren't going to screw them. 
• I think that framework could work. BUT you gotta talk to the MAN first. If you can't convince him your services beyond break/fix, those involved with helping him move to a more productive plane, then he is not a customer for you. He will not be an ally.

IMO only 20% of Sage 100 customers are really interested in moving beyond the way they've used Sage 100 for the last 15 years. The 80% will simply pay as little as they can to keep doing what they've been doing and then retiring. 

------------------------------
Jerry Norman
Smartbridge Partners
(512) 653-7498

Hi Doug,

I 100% agree about the liability comment. Two things:

1. He's given you an "out" of having to use someone else's work or assuming liability for someone else's work in the last sentence of his email. Use it! (I absolutely would.)
2. Reiterate your preferred relationship/pricing model and tell the customer that:
   1. Your conversation from 6+ months ago still stands - in fact, it's now a requirement of all your customers. You're moving away from hourly support and moving towards fixed-fee projects with an underlying subscription (or whatever your preferred path is). Whatever the case, make the subscription a requirement and at least a x-year commitment (where "x" is the number of years you need them to commit (this could still be 1)). 
   2. You are happy to take the project on as a fixed fee above and beyond the subscription.
   3. There is a hard requirement to "start over" - and be candid with the "why" behind that requirement.

There's a very easy way to make this a very human conversation where you feel that you, as their partner, get what you need AND the customer gets the level of support they need.

Thanks for your comments @Jerry Norman  You have a lot of great suggestions.  To clarify, this is a customer that I have, for many years, billed hourly for tech support, and billed a fixed price for projects such as upgrades, scripts etc.  Last fall I had an in person meeting with the owner to discuss a Sage 100 upgrade and move to a new server.  At that time, I presented him with my monthly service agreement and explained I was moving off hourly billing.  The service agreement has different prices depending on the service level.  He wanted to know if there were other options and I mentioned the other option was to get a fixed price pay in advance on any service requests.  He asked that I quote him on the Sage 100 upgrade / server move and I gave him a proposal with three different service options / prices on this project.

I have been a mas90 / Sage 100 consultant for 35 years.  I don't remember a customer trying to do an upgrade themselves.  However, I have seen many IT people install the workstation client.  As we all know it rarely ends well when IT tries to install Sage 100 anything.

I don't want the liability of trying to fix something now that someone else did, and then have my fingerprints on something I didn't do from start to finish... Once I touch it I can become liable for other issues.  I am leaning to sending over my original proposal for the upgrade that I gave them last fall.  This proposal will include uninstalling everything they have now and starting over.  If they don't want to do that then I walk away, and they can go somewhere else.  This is the rare example of a customer that I don't want to work with if they don't want to agree to working on my terms. 

------------------------------
Doug Higgs
Midwest Commerce Solutions, Inc
(312) 315-0960
Chauffeur, Chef, and Personal Assistant to Sprinkles


Original Message:
Sent: 07-20-2025 00:42
From: Jerry Norman
Subject: How Would You respond to This Email?

This is a tough one. I think you're basically cooked unless you promise cheap.

That said, some thoughts:

• Do NOT respond directly. You must talk to this tech about the situation and context. Not renewing the agreement was not this guy's decision, and much of the rest is not either. They decided to try to do it cheap. Still, get this guy to tell you as much as he can about what he's heard and what he thinks is possible. email is NOT your friend here. Too many emotions.
• We talk about our approach as "value pricing" but it's really "pricing on purpose." In other words, what do you WANT the the customer to do. Do you realisitically WANT this firm as a customer, or would rather they take their business and demeaning attitude elsewhere? If after talking you think you could prove your larger point to the decision maker and they'll pay your agreement, then you take one route. If you don't care, then you'll just price them to fix the problem, make a pile of money because they're jammed with little recourse and have them learn you're far better than the alternatives.
• The tech tries to minimize the likely problems but YOU have no confidence that's the case. It could be a complete FUBAR. You don't know. There is no reason for you take that risk.
• You definitely should come up with 3 options to choose from. One option could be "hourly work, $300/hr, with $5000 retainer." (You're the ER doc, right?) "When we've used up 15 hours, you must add $2k to the retainer to continue. If we don't use it, I keep it until you eventually use it - or not." This their cockup not yours. 
• If you want them long term, they must pay for your highest level for a year. customize what's in that level so they (not the tech, the Controller or CFO) get value they think they need. 
• Then a fixed fee price to assess how much shit they're in. You're not going to fix it, just closely define it. From there you can propose 3 ways to fix the problem, good/better/best. You can't say now what those are or even ball park the price. But you've already communicated you want them long term so they know you aren't going to screw them. 
• I think that framework could work. BUT you gotta talk to the MAN first. If you can't convince him your services beyond break/fix, those involved with helping him move to a more productive plane, then he is not a customer for you. He will not be an ally.

IMO only 20% of Sage 100 customers are really interested in moving beyond the way they've used Sage 100 for the last 15 years. The 80% will simply pay as little as they can to keep doing what they've been doing and then retiring. 

------------------------------
Jerry Norman
Smartbridge Partners
(512) 653-7498

I love this approach!  Great suggestions @Basil Malik.

------------------------------
Doug Higgs
Midwest Commerce Solutions, Inc
(312) 315-0960
Chauffeur, Chef, and Personal Assistant to Sprinkles
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 07-20-2025 08:26
From: Basil Malik
Subject: How Would You respond to This Email?

Hi Doug,

I 100% agree about the liability comment. Two things:

1. He's given you an "out" of having to use someone else's work or assuming liability for someone else's work in the last sentence of his email. Use it! (I absolutely would.)
2. Reiterate your preferred relationship/pricing model and tell the customer that:
   1. Your conversation from 6+ months ago still stands - in fact, it's now a requirement of all your customers. You're moving away from hourly support and moving towards fixed-fee projects with an underlying subscription (or whatever your preferred path is). Whatever the case, make the subscription a requirement and at least a x-year commitment (where "x" is the number of years you need them to commit (this could still be 1)). 
   2. You are happy to take the project on as a fixed fee above and beyond the subscription.
   3. There is a hard requirement to "start over" - and be candid with the "why" behind that requirement.

There's a very easy way to make this a very human conversation where you feel that you, as their partner, get what you need AND the customer gets the level of support they need.

------------------------------
Best Regards,

Basil Malik
President/CEO
e: basil@malik-inc.com


Original Message:
Sent: 07-20-2025 07:45
From: Doug Higgs
Subject: How Would You respond to This Email?

Thanks for your comments @Jerry Norman  You have a lot of great suggestions.  To clarify, this is a customer that I have, for many years, billed hourly for tech support, and billed a fixed price for projects such as upgrades, scripts etc.  Last fall I had an in person meeting with the owner to discuss a Sage 100 upgrade and move to a new server.  At that time, I presented him with my monthly service agreement and explained I was moving off hourly billing.  The service agreement has different prices depending on the service level.  He wanted to know if there were other options and I mentioned the other option was to get a fixed price pay in advance on any service requests.  He asked that I quote him on the Sage 100 upgrade / server move and I gave him a proposal with three different service options / prices on this project.

I have been a mas90 / Sage 100 consultant for 35 years.  I don't remember a customer trying to do an upgrade themselves.  However, I have seen many IT people install the workstation client.  As we all know it rarely ends well when IT tries to install Sage 100 anything.

I don't want the liability of trying to fix something now that someone else did, and then have my fingerprints on something I didn't do from start to finish... Once I touch it I can become liable for other issues.  I am leaning to sending over my original proposal for the upgrade that I gave them last fall.  This proposal will include uninstalling everything they have now and starting over.  If they don't want to do that then I walk away, and they can go somewhere else.  This is the rare example of a customer that I don't want to work with if they don't want to agree to working on my terms. 

------------------------------
Doug Higgs
Midwest Commerce Solutions, Inc
(312) 315-0960
Chauffeur, Chef, and Personal Assistant to Sprinkles


Original Message:
Sent: 07-20-2025 00:42
From: Jerry Norman
Subject: How Would You respond to This Email?

This is a tough one. I think you're basically cooked unless you promise cheap.

That said, some thoughts:

• Do NOT respond directly. You must talk to this tech about the situation and context. Not renewing the agreement was not this guy's decision, and much of the rest is not either. They decided to try to do it cheap. Still, get this guy to tell you as much as he can about what he's heard and what he thinks is possible. email is NOT your friend here. Too many emotions.
• We talk about our approach as "value pricing" but it's really "pricing on purpose." In other words, what do you WANT the the customer to do. Do you realisitically WANT this firm as a customer, or would rather they take their business and demeaning attitude elsewhere? If after talking you think you could prove your larger point to the decision maker and they'll pay your agreement, then you take one route. If you don't care, then you'll just price them to fix the problem, make a pile of money because they're jammed with little recourse and have them learn you're far better than the alternatives.
• The tech tries to minimize the likely problems but YOU have no confidence that's the case. It could be a complete FUBAR. You don't know. There is no reason for you take that risk.
• You definitely should come up with 3 options to choose from. One option could be "hourly work, $300/hr, with $5000 retainer." (You're the ER doc, right?) "When we've used up 15 hours, you must add $2k to the retainer to continue. If we don't use it, I keep it until you eventually use it - or not." This their cockup not yours. 
• If you want them long term, they must pay for your highest level for a year. customize what's in that level so they (not the tech, the Controller or CFO) get value they think they need. 
• Then a fixed fee price to assess how much shit they're in. You're not going to fix it, just closely define it. From there you can propose 3 ways to fix the problem, good/better/best. You can't say now what those are or even ball park the price. But you've already communicated you want them long term so they know you aren't going to screw them. 
• I think that framework could work. BUT you gotta talk to the MAN first. If you can't convince him your services beyond break/fix, those involved with helping him move to a more productive plane, then he is not a customer for you. He will not be an ally.

IMO only 20% of Sage 100 customers are really interested in moving beyond the way they've used Sage 100 for the last 15 years. The 80% will simply pay as little as they can to keep doing what they've been doing and then retiring. 

------------------------------
Jerry Norman
Smartbridge Partners
(512) 653-7498

A couple more ideas:

• add an upgrade credit to the annual. Low credit for the "good" level, higher for the "best."  Now he feels he won't "waste" his money on the agreement.
• Stop billing support calls by the hour. Publish a flat fee for support calls. If it's simple, then the problem is solved during it. also publish a list of solution types with "starts at" fees to solve. Data fixes, integration failures, reconciliation coaching, etc. Review your past 18 months of calls with him to not only get a sense of what will resonate, but also his past cost. "I am no longer tracking my time internally. So the best I can do is per incident with you. Here is our schedule. BTW with our agreement, the calls are all free, along with the solutions not on our list. For the ones on the list, we include x number in our lowest agreement level and all of them in our highest." This might help him see the KTA as insurance, not a price increase on what he's already paying.
• Make sure your annual agreement specifies response times. Our guarantees response of under 1 hour at the "best" level, but only 4-8 hours in the "good." Also be clear that non-agreement customers get Y hours response (where Y is not even close to immediate.
• Consider including some "freebees" into the top tier agreement. Ones that might sound attractive to him but you think is either unlikely he'll follow through OR something you've been after him to do but he won't. 
• Remember that renewals are FAR easier than the initial sale.
  
  

------------------------------
Jerry Norman
Smartbridge Partners
(512) 653-7498
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 07-20-2025 08:44
From: Doug Higgs
Subject: How Would You respond to This Email?

I love this approach!  Great suggestions @Basil Malik.

------------------------------
Doug Higgs
Midwest Commerce Solutions, Inc
(312) 315-0960
Chauffeur, Chef, and Personal Assistant to Sprinkles


Original Message:
Sent: 07-20-2025 08:26
From: Basil Malik
Subject: How Would You respond to This Email?

Hi Doug,

I 100% agree about the liability comment. Two things:

1. He's given you an "out" of having to use someone else's work or assuming liability for someone else's work in the last sentence of his email. Use it! (I absolutely would.)
2. Reiterate your preferred relationship/pricing model and tell the customer that:
   1. Your conversation from 6+ months ago still stands - in fact, it's now a requirement of all your customers. You're moving away from hourly support and moving towards fixed-fee projects with an underlying subscription (or whatever your preferred path is). Whatever the case, make the subscription a requirement and at least a x-year commitment (where "x" is the number of years you need them to commit (this could still be 1)). 
   2. You are happy to take the project on as a fixed fee above and beyond the subscription.
   3. There is a hard requirement to "start over" - and be candid with the "why" behind that requirement.

There's a very easy way to make this a very human conversation where you feel that you, as their partner, get what you need AND the customer gets the level of support they need.

------------------------------
Best Regards,

Basil Malik
President/CEO
e: basil@malik-inc.com


Original Message:
Sent: 07-20-2025 07:45
From: Doug Higgs
Subject: How Would You respond to This Email?

Thanks for your comments @Jerry Norman  You have a lot of great suggestions.  To clarify, this is a customer that I have, for many years, billed hourly for tech support, and billed a fixed price for projects such as upgrades, scripts etc.  Last fall I had an in person meeting with the owner to discuss a Sage 100 upgrade and move to a new server.  At that time, I presented him with my monthly service agreement and explained I was moving off hourly billing.  The service agreement has different prices depending on the service level.  He wanted to know if there were other options and I mentioned the other option was to get a fixed price pay in advance on any service requests.  He asked that I quote him on the Sage 100 upgrade / server move and I gave him a proposal with three different service options / prices on this project.

I have been a mas90 / Sage 100 consultant for 35 years.  I don't remember a customer trying to do an upgrade themselves.  However, I have seen many IT people install the workstation client.  As we all know it rarely ends well when IT tries to install Sage 100 anything.

I don't want the liability of trying to fix something now that someone else did, and then have my fingerprints on something I didn't do from start to finish... Once I touch it I can become liable for other issues.  I am leaning to sending over my original proposal for the upgrade that I gave them last fall.  This proposal will include uninstalling everything they have now and starting over.  If they don't want to do that then I walk away, and they can go somewhere else.  This is the rare example of a customer that I don't want to work with if they don't want to agree to working on my terms. 

------------------------------
Doug Higgs
Midwest Commerce Solutions, Inc
(312) 315-0960
Chauffeur, Chef, and Personal Assistant to Sprinkles


Original Message:
Sent: 07-20-2025 00:42
From: Jerry Norman
Subject: How Would You respond to This Email?

This is a tough one. I think you're basically cooked unless you promise cheap.

That said, some thoughts:

• Do NOT respond directly. You must talk to this tech about the situation and context. Not renewing the agreement was not this guy's decision, and much of the rest is not either. They decided to try to do it cheap. Still, get this guy to tell you as much as he can about what he's heard and what he thinks is possible. email is NOT your friend here. Too many emotions.
• We talk about our approach as "value pricing" but it's really "pricing on purpose." In other words, what do you WANT the the customer to do. Do you realisitically WANT this firm as a customer, or would rather they take their business and demeaning attitude elsewhere? If after talking you think you could prove your larger point to the decision maker and they'll pay your agreement, then you take one route. If you don't care, then you'll just price them to fix the problem, make a pile of money because they're jammed with little recourse and have them learn you're far better than the alternatives.
• The tech tries to minimize the likely problems but YOU have no confidence that's the case. It could be a complete FUBAR. You don't know. There is no reason for you take that risk.
• You definitely should come up with 3 options to choose from. One option could be "hourly work, $300/hr, with $5000 retainer." (You're the ER doc, right?) "When we've used up 15 hours, you must add $2k to the retainer to continue. If we don't use it, I keep it until you eventually use it - or not." This their cockup not yours. 
• If you want them long term, they must pay for your highest level for a year. customize what's in that level so they (not the tech, the Controller or CFO) get value they think they need. 
• Then a fixed fee price to assess how much shit they're in. You're not going to fix it, just closely define it. From there you can propose 3 ways to fix the problem, good/better/best. You can't say now what those are or even ball park the price. But you've already communicated you want them long term so they know you aren't going to screw them. 
• I think that framework could work. BUT you gotta talk to the MAN first. If you can't convince him your services beyond break/fix, those involved with helping him move to a more productive plane, then he is not a customer for you. He will not be an ally.

IMO only 20% of Sage 100 customers are really interested in moving beyond the way they've used Sage 100 for the last 15 years. The 80% will simply pay as little as they can to keep doing what they've been doing and then retiring. 

------------------------------
Jerry Norman
Smartbridge Partners
(512) 653-7498

When you refer to "Subscription Plan" I'm interpreting that as you have come up with your own support plan that likely involves assisting with at least one upgrade. If I'm misinterpreting and you are asking how to get the customer back onto a Sage subscription licensing plan and you are not being paid for that assistance then 800-854-3415 or offer them a fixed prepaid fee to assist.

First, it sounds like they aren't so much a customer or client as an ROR.  At best you are their ROR. Let's start there.
Second, they refused (or your quote expired) ongoing assistance or declined your upgrade project and did the work themselves.
Third - they're still not interested in (paying for) whatever your subscription plan offer was - thus the inquiry "Are you still quoting projects?".  Let me translate that to you -- "would you take on this upgrade without me joining your subscription plan?" and I'll bet another question they will ask if they can get you on the phone is "what would it be hourly?"

Here is where you need to decide.

- Do you do this type of work without being on a plan? 

-- Or don't you? 

- Do you bill hourly? 

-- Or don't you? 

Customers smell fear and indecisiveness. Pick a strategy and stick to it.

Since you asked how I would respond - I'd give them a quote that was 50% higher than what my prior quote was. That quote would expire in 7 days.  And there would be a link so they could pre-pay by credit card. And that would be the last communication I'd have with the until I received a notification that their funds hit my bank .

BTW, based on Jerry's response I think your original post may have been edited. Just for continuity, this is the post that I'm responding to: 

I am looking for suggestions on how reply to this email I received last night from a customer.  I discussed with them last fall and presented options to them for a monthly Sage 100 subscription plan.  I thought it was a good time to present the subscription plan because the were getting a new server and also wanted to upgrade Sage 100.  I haven't had any communication from them in six months until last night.  Below is the email I received. This is Premium.  They have StarShip, Alerts & Workflows, Scripting etc.  Quite astonishing they thought they could do this in house.

Sorry I haven't been in touch since the new pricing model.  It wasn't something I could take on in a month-month cost. 

Are you still quoting projects?  I still need help with moving Sage to our new server is now up and running. 

We have successfully installed Sage 2024 on the new server and migrated the test company ZZZ over to it.  In my testing I'm getting the create folder script failing, even after editing it to the new folder path.  This is causing me to question what else I might be missing through this process. 

I don't know if what we have migrated is a minor script issue since it's on Win Server 2025 now.

I'd like you to look at where we are help get us over the finish line with the live company migrated.  Or we can still start over if needed. 

When you refer to "Subscription Plan" I'm interpreting that as you have come up with your own support plan that likely involves assisting with at least one upgrade. If I'm misinterpreting and you are asking how to get the customer back onto a Sage subscription licensing plan and you are not being paid for that assistance then 800-854-3415 or offer them a fixed prepaid fee to assist.

First, it sounds like they aren't so much a customer or client as an ROR.  At best you are their ROR. Let's start there.
Second, they refused (or your quote expired) ongoing assistance or declined your upgrade project and did the work themselves.
Third - they're still not interested in (paying for) whatever your subscription plan offer was - thus the inquiry "Are you still quoting projects?".  Let me translate that to you -- "would you take on this upgrade without me joining your subscription plan?" and I'll bet another question they will ask if they can get you on the phone is "what would it be hourly?"

Here is where you need to decide.

- Do you do this type of work without being on a plan? 

-- Or don't you? 

- Do you bill hourly? 

-- Or don't you? 

Customers smell fear and indecisiveness. Pick a strategy and stick to it.

Since you asked how I would respond - I'd give them a quote that was 50% higher than what my prior quote was. That quote would expire in 7 days.  And there would be a link so they could pre-pay by credit card. And that would be the last communication I'd have with the until I received a notification that their funds hit my bank .

BTW, based on Jerry's response I think your original post may have been edited. Just for continuity, this is the post that I'm responding to: 

I am looking for suggestions on how reply to this email I received last night from a customer.  I discussed with them last fall and presented options to them for a monthly Sage 100 subscription plan.  I thought it was a good time to present the subscription plan because the were getting a new server and also wanted to upgrade Sage 100.  I haven't had any communication from them in six months until last night.  Below is the email I received. This is Premium.  They have StarShip, Alerts & Workflows, Scripting etc.  Quite astonishing they thought they could do this in house.

Sorry I haven't been in touch since the new pricing model.  It wasn't something I could take on in a month-month cost. 

Are you still quoting projects?  I still need help with moving Sage to our new server is now up and running. 

We have successfully installed Sage 2024 on the new server and migrated the test company ZZZ over to it.  In my testing I'm getting the create folder script failing, even after editing it to the new folder path.  This is causing me to question what else I might be missing through this process. 

I don't know if what we have migrated is a minor script issue since it's on Win Server 2025 now.

I'd like you to look at where we are help get us over the finish line with the live company migrated.  Or we can still start over if needed. 

I see @Doug Higgs you got some really good advice here.  I'm working with a new client moving from an old version.  They bad mouth Sage Software since they have been unsuccessful in upgrading themselves for many years.  (Hence, why they are on such an old version).  Now, after failing with the v2021, v2022 and v2023 version upgrades on their own they want us to upgrade them.  It is a fixed fee engagement.  I required them to uninstall everything related to Sage on the New Server they will be using.  I have already completed the Installation and Pilot Data Migration (without any issues to be honest).  Next steps are 'what's new training', their testing and Go Live Dates.  

We are moving into a "subscription" for Services. We no longer call it Support for "tax purposes".  We offer up to three levels of the plan.  And if they do not choose any of the options, they they default to our highest hourly rate.  Our goal is to eliminate even that highest hourly rate.  

I would be interested in the outcome, and how you actually handle them.  

Madeline 

Thanks to everyone that took the time to reply. Your advice paid off!

I sent the email below to the owner of the company at 8:30am today.  About an hour ago I received a signed 3-year Enhanced level service agreement.  I am pleasantly surprised.  They must have tried everything to get the upgrade working correctly before they contacted me.  They now know what the value is in value pricing. :-)

I am sure I can help if we can agree on the terms of the business relationship.  I am happy to take the project on as a fixed fee above and beyond a service agreement.

There is a tremendous risk and liability for using someone else's work, therefore, there is a hard requirement to "start over".  There are many areas mistakes can be made when performing a Sage 100 upgrade. Some errors are obvious because an error message appears.  Other mistakes may not be noticeable for weeks.  I have been educated and certified by Sage for implementing Sage 100 and have many years of experience implementing Sage 100 systems.  There are specific methods I use that are important to a successful implementation.

The conversation we had in our meeting last fall at your office still stands, in fact, a service agreement with my company is now a requirement of all my customers.  I have moved away from hourly support and moved towards fixed-fee projects with an underlying service plan subscription.  I am no longer tracking time internally. The service plan is a requirement with at least a 2-year commitment.   All service plans have a Sage 100 upgrade included, however, only the Premium plan includes a migration of Sage 100 to a new server.  However, if you agree to any of the service plans, I will include the server migration as a "freebee." 

Below are two options for how we can get started on your Sage 100 upgrade and server migration:

Option 1.
Agree to one of the six service plan options.  The monthly prices for these options are listed on page 5 of the Service_Plan_Options file that is attached to this email.  Any service not included in one of the service plans can be purchased for a fixed price, that is agreed upon in advance.  The "starting at" prices for services not included in a service plan are listed in the Services Menu and Payment Policy document that is attached to this email.

Please review the service plan options.  When you decide on one of the plans, circle one of the six plans on page 5 and then sign and date on page 1 and page 5.  Scan all the pages and email them to me.  Our Premium option includes most everything except custom programming and moving Sage 100 to a new server.

Option 2. 
You do not agree to any of the service plan options.  Instead of a service plan, you agree to pay a fixed price for all services, to be agreed upon in advance, for any service requested.  The "starting at" prices for services not included in a service plan are listed in the Services Menu and Payment Policy document that is attached to this email.

Also, you agree to one of the three Sage 100 upgrade options as specified on page 4 of the Sage 100 Premium Version 2019 to Version 2024 Upgrade document that is attached to this email.  If you would like to proceed with one of the fixed price upgrade options, please check the box next to the service level, then sign and date the document on page 4.  Please scan and email all the pages to me.  When the signed documents and payment is received, we will begin the project.

I hope one of the options outlined above works for you.  It would be great to get Sage 100 upgraded on the new server soon so your company can benefit from the investment it has made.

------------------------------
Doug Higgs
Midwest Commerce Solutions, Inc
(312) 315-0960
Chauffeur, Chef, and Personal Assistant to Sprinkles
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 07-21-2025 11:59
From: Madeline Stefanou
Subject: How Would You respond to This Email?

I see @Doug Higgs you got some really good advice here.  I'm working with a new client moving from an old version.  They bad mouth Sage Software since they have been unsuccessful in upgrading themselves for many years.  (Hence, why they are on such an old version).  Now, after failing with the v2021, v2022 and v2023 version upgrades on their own they want us to upgrade them.  It is a fixed fee engagement.  I required them to uninstall everything related to Sage on the New Server they will be using.  I have already completed the Installation and Pilot Data Migration (without any issues to be honest).  Next steps are 'what's new training', their testing and Go Live Dates.  

We are moving into a "subscription" for Services. We no longer call it Support for "tax purposes".  We offer up to three levels of the plan.  And if they do not choose any of the options, they they default to our highest hourly rate.  Our goal is to eliminate even that highest hourly rate.  

I would be interested in the outcome, and how you actually handle them.  

Madeline 

------------------------------
Madeline Stefanou
RKL eSolutions, LLC

Well done, @Doug Higgs!  That email sounds a lot like your "red rope policy" that can you use to apply to all the other customers you want to get on board with the way you want to provide service to your customers.

------------------------------
Brian Kelly
Accounting Systems, Inc. (ASI)
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 07-21-2025 13:02
From: Doug Higgs
Subject: How Would You respond to This Email?

Thanks to everyone that took the time to reply. Your advice paid off!

I sent the email below to the owner of the company at 8:30am today.  About an hour ago I received a signed 3-year Enhanced level service agreement.  I am pleasantly surprised.  They must have tried everything to get the upgrade working correctly before they contacted me.  They now know what the value is in value pricing. :-)

I am sure I can help if we can agree on the terms of the business relationship.  I am happy to take the project on as a fixed fee above and beyond a service agreement.

There is a tremendous risk and liability for using someone else's work, therefore, there is a hard requirement to "start over".  There are many areas mistakes can be made when performing a Sage 100 upgrade. Some errors are obvious because an error message appears.  Other mistakes may not be noticeable for weeks.  I have been educated and certified by Sage for implementing Sage 100 and have many years of experience implementing Sage 100 systems.  There are specific methods I use that are important to a successful implementation.

The conversation we had in our meeting last fall at your office still stands, in fact, a service agreement with my company is now a requirement of all my customers.  I have moved away from hourly support and moved towards fixed-fee projects with an underlying service plan subscription.  I am no longer tracking time internally. The service plan is a requirement with at least a 2-year commitment.   All service plans have a Sage 100 upgrade included, however, only the Premium plan includes a migration of Sage 100 to a new server.  However, if you agree to any of the service plans, I will include the server migration as a "freebee." 

Below are two options for how we can get started on your Sage 100 upgrade and server migration:

Option 1.
Agree to one of the six service plan options.  The monthly prices for these options are listed on page 5 of the Service_Plan_Options file that is attached to this email.  Any service not included in one of the service plans can be purchased for a fixed price, that is agreed upon in advance.  The "starting at" prices for services not included in a service plan are listed in the Services Menu and Payment Policy document that is attached to this email.

Please review the service plan options.  When you decide on one of the plans, circle one of the six plans on page 5 and then sign and date on page 1 and page 5.  Scan all the pages and email them to me.  Our Premium option includes most everything except custom programming and moving Sage 100 to a new server.

Option 2. 
You do not agree to any of the service plan options.  Instead of a service plan, you agree to pay a fixed price for all services, to be agreed upon in advance, for any service requested.  The "starting at" prices for services not included in a service plan are listed in the Services Menu and Payment Policy document that is attached to this email.

Also, you agree to one of the three Sage 100 upgrade options as specified on page 4 of the Sage 100 Premium Version 2019 to Version 2024 Upgrade document that is attached to this email.  If you would like to proceed with one of the fixed price upgrade options, please check the box next to the service level, then sign and date the document on page 4.  Please scan and email all the pages to me.  When the signed documents and payment is received, we will begin the project.

I hope one of the options outlined above works for you.  It would be great to get Sage 100 upgraded on the new server soon so your company can benefit from the investment it has made.

------------------------------
Doug Higgs
Midwest Commerce Solutions, Inc
(312) 315-0960
Chauffeur, Chef, and Personal Assistant to Sprinkles


Original Message:
Sent: 07-21-2025 11:59
From: Madeline Stefanou
Subject: How Would You respond to This Email?

I see @Doug Higgs you got some really good advice here.  I'm working with a new client moving from an old version.  They bad mouth Sage Software since they have been unsuccessful in upgrading themselves for many years.  (Hence, why they are on such an old version).  Now, after failing with the v2021, v2022 and v2023 version upgrades on their own they want us to upgrade them.  It is a fixed fee engagement.  I required them to uninstall everything related to Sage on the New Server they will be using.  I have already completed the Installation and Pilot Data Migration (without any issues to be honest).  Next steps are 'what's new training', their testing and Go Live Dates.  

We are moving into a "subscription" for Services. We no longer call it Support for "tax purposes".  We offer up to three levels of the plan.  And if they do not choose any of the options, they they default to our highest hourly rate.  Our goal is to eliminate even that highest hourly rate.  

I would be interested in the outcome, and how you actually handle them.  

Madeline 

------------------------------
Madeline Stefanou
RKL eSolutions, LLC