Try telling that to the Big4 and other bodyshops. Even MBBB have gleefully picked up the trick gleefully in recent years.I even worked on a project last year where resourcing was sold on a BOGOF basis, but done in such a way to artificially prolong the project - buy one month of consultant's time, get another month's free. However, you can't have both months simultaneously, and you can't take use it towards two separate one-month engagements. The offer is only valid sequentially.Obviously there are dependencies within the project, so delaying one piece of work by a month in order to get it "free" has a knock-on effect on resources in other workstreams who have to be kept on too, working below capacity but being paid at full day rates. It's like the free gift worth 20p, on the front of the £4 magazine - the client goes for it, although it makes no economic sense, just so that they can tell their superiors they "negotiated a great deal". Turning down that "free time" feels like turning down cash itself, even though it has no inherent value. It all helps to make the client as reliant on you to get their work done as they are on their supermarket to get their farming done. Totally irresponsible consulting, but who gives a f*ck, it helps sell the long-term outsourcing (whether real or effective) contracts.
