[znq]

We're currently at around 53k€ for someone who works full-time, which is slightly above average for Germany and very high for Southern Europe, where most of our people are from.

We also have a few from Latin America, Eastern Europe and Mauritius, where this is also a very good salary.

We weren't looking specifically in those countries nor are we limiting ourselves, but it simply happened that we found people through contacts in our personal networks.

[pc86]

Have you had any resistance on that from folks in the US? I live in a very average/slightly below average cost of living area of the US and that's probably 8-10% below what most places around here are offering a developer with 3-5 or 5-7 years of experience.

I also noticed that you bonus folks based on pro-activity and other measures, which presumably plays a pretty big role in the decision-making process?

[znq]

We've only spoken with people in SF and NYC, because that is where our US network reaches into. However, developers there are too expensive for us (at the moment), so it doesn't make much sense.

That said, we've noticed that many people care much more about the freedom and flexibility we over, rather than having a huge salary, as long as the base salary is fair.

With the bonus we want to encourage everyone to think and act like a co-founder. Take responsibility and action where needed instead of just ignoring problems until the shit hits the fan.

[zerr]

And what/how do you charge your clients? Is it hourly based or project based? Could you provide specific details (numbers) for your pricing? Thanks!

[znq]

There's no general number. It depends on the clients. We have huge companies that pay very well, but we also like to work with startups on interesting projects. If we're really interested in a project we usually try to figure out a way to make it work for everyone.

[zerr]

Interesting. Another thing is, how do you determine market price for the project? I mean, your prospective clients might also ask quotes to competing agencies. So how do you know your price is competitive enough?

[znq]

You never really know. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose ;-) But I think in the end people work with us because of our honesty, transparency and the flexibility to adapt to their needs: http://mobilejazz.com/philosophy

We also had cases where potential clients decided to go with a cheaper option and then came back to us to "rescue" the project.

In the end the price itself doesn't say too much. More important is the value you get for that price and that is different for every agency. There are things like quality, being pro-activity and recommending the right things to do (not those that make the agency the most money), experience beyond pure design & development (e.g. marketing apps, getting featured, high App Store ratings and reviews, etc.)