Hi Everyone,I am one of follower of this forum and I would like to take advice / views for my situation.I am currently working in IBM GBS as Application Architect. I have 8+ years of experience. Recently I have been offered by Maersk Line as SOA SME for their London Office. [b]IBM Maersk Line[/b]Salary Same SameBreakfast + Lunch No YesTravel Huge travel to work No with different customers Career Growth Huge (?) Not much?Innovation Huge Not much?Training Huge No Can anyone advise how to take decision between Consulting Company vs End Customer Company?

Are they proposing to increase your salary, reduce your working hours or give you a much more pleasant working environment? If the answer to each is "no", then common sense would suggest that you reject the offer.IBM's a good brand giving you numerous exit options, whereas at Maersk you could end up pigeonholed in the shipping industry.

Also, tell the S.O.B.s that if they want you as an S.M.E. in S.O.A. then because you're ex-I.B.M. then they gotta P.A.Y.L.O.L.

Are they proposing to increase your salary, No Salary increasereduce your working hours Same working hours officially but actual are much different in IBM.or give you a much more pleasant working environment? Not sure about Maersk Line but IBM has very good work / career environment. Only reason, I am started looking out was due to recent Layoffs, huge travel and less demand of my work.Both companies giving same salary.

It sounds like you're looking to leave IBM rather than join Maersk Line... which says it all.Stay put for the time-being and leave when you find a job you'd prefer. Not "which one will I hate less."

tom's advice is bang on the money

Is part of the comparison/consideration, which firm provides breakfast?!I'm not entirely sure that's the sign of a career focused decision...

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day .... of course it's a career focused decision ;)

If they give you breakfast, what time do they expect you in the office.Also, are we talking a real breakfast or one of those dodgy continental ones (toast)?

All this breakfast chat is making me hungry...Coolio - for a mere 20% cut of your dayrate I will ensure you are provided with some caviar and champagne each morning for breakfast.Deal?

I've had clients try and get me to reduce my day rate by 20% on the grounds that working with them has major benefits such as the prospect of an even bigger project in the future (yeah, right!)

20% of my day rate is a bottle of Dom P and a tray of beluga. Be a great start to the day, but can imagine my day rate drifting south with the alcoholism...BEP - I used to get that too. My standard response was to sign the clients up to a master framework agreement, where each subsequent piece of work got them reductions in rates. One client I structured so that I gave them a cumulative discount on the basis they continued to use us. After three years they finally ran out of RFp's for us to win, so in the fourth year they had to pay 250k for nothing, or else they would have had to pay back all the previous discounts. 250k of pure profit! Was an interesting way to make my bonus...Remember, when is a square not a square? When it's a rectangle!

Friday is bacon day in my office, so I do my best to ensure that my travel is arranged to fit with this most important event of the week.BEP - I had a client just this morning asking if we could run a couple of workshops for free with the prospect of a big chunk of work later this year. I said no.

Very well done Charlie - after all, if we start giving away our time for free, then what have we left to sell??Also, interesting one Mr Cool - I have literally just done something similar with another client. I offered them 50 days of time at a discounted rate on the basis that they use 50 days. I gave them a rate card which gave different rates depending on how much time they commit to using. It turned out that they only used 15 days as it happens, which meant they ended up having to pay somewhat more in their final invoice to make up for the "day rate bulk discount" that they were no longer entitled to have (yeah I know 50 days isn't much but it was in this instance). It really is a great way of doing business... seems fair to those clients who wish to get a discount on the basis of the "huge" amount of work they commission, and is fair to us consultants when the client invariably pulls the plug midway through or turns out to have been dangling a carrot and we then get to have charged the proper rate.Any other tips for pricing strategies?

BEP - we have 1 or 2 clients where we give rebates if revenues exceed a certain target, e.g. any revenue > €1 million in any given year attracts a 5% rebate which is given at the end of the year. This isn't a standard pricing policy and I will only do this if I feel it will seal the deal. One of the clients even forgot about the rebate but that is another story.