

Ask HN: How much are your clients worth? - Stronico

Hello all<p>One feature of my new web app is the evaluation of clients.  At the moment I have the following criteria:
1.  Size of billing
2.  Payment speed
3.  Amount learned on their projects
4.  Fun had on their projects
5.  Effective rate on their projects<p>Am I missing anything?  Does anyone have any thoughts on how these criteria should be ranked?
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brudgers
The amount learned is not something which I would use to evaluate clients -
some of the most valuable lessons are learned the hard way from really bad
clients. A more meaningful related concept is how does a particular client
lead you to additional projects.

The element which is missing is cash flow - it is touched on by several of the
other elements but given that your business will fold if it runs out of cash
it is really the most important metric of customer value. What matters most is
how fast does the client put cash in your hand - if you can cover your needs
for two months by working 150 hours in two weeks, then you have a lot of time
to chase other work even if your effective rate is low and the size of the
billing unimpressive. On the other hand, a huge project with a high rate of
pay can kill you with lots of delays and slow payment if you wind up with no
other work during a downtime.

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jaz
What about "number of clients referred" or "potential to generate new
business"?

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jacobwyke
Lifetime spend of the client.

