It was the perfect client meeting, until...

With the 2013 deadline fast approaching the debate around fees, or Customer Agreed Remuneration, has moved on. The occasional rant about commission-is-king or 'clients won't pay fees' aside, even the diehards now realise they need to start a fees conversation with clients. The results aren't always pretty, however. I've been fee-charging since the late 1990s and my earliest attempts were pitiful. Early on, when I did persuade someone to pay a fee it was because I significantly undercut the commission. It was an awful business model. But through perseverance and practice I developed...