Never Free Meetings
Never, ever, give freebies. I usually charge by the day or half day partly to overcome this problem. Time spent on-site, time spent understanding the brief, time spent defining anything (other than the initial contract and terms) is chargeable.
If you think about it; Your time is your most valuable asset - your most high-value commodity.
If I didn't charge for meeting time I would be earning half what I earn now. I even include this in my contracts and invoices:
"Including Staff liaison, acquiring a knowledge of the services, client???s business processes, ... "
If you don't charge for these things your customer is taking you for a ride.
