Watched a dev negotiate a contract at a coffee shop in Portland that changed how I handle kill fees

I was at Deadstock Coffee last Tuesday and overheard this guy tell a client he'd charge 50% kill fee upfront no exceptions. They actually agreed right there. Now I'm wondering if asking for 25% kill fee on my last three design contracts was way too low.

2 comments

2 Comments

jesse_smith106h ago

Think the key here is whether that dev could actually walk away from the deal if they said no. Were you ever in a position where you'd have been fine losing the whole project if they pushed back on the kill fee? That changes everything about what you can ask for.

ray6133h ago

Flip it around and ask what happens if you push back too hard and the dev says yes but phones it in. A kill fee that's too small means they take the payout and deliver crap work since they know you're stuck. Maybe it's just me but I'd rather have a slightly higher fee that keeps them motivated to finish strong.