This is the first episode of 2013 for The Business of Freelancing Podcast, and inside I cover everything you need to know about dealing with those pesky clients who want to know “How much is it gonna cost me?” We explore how to qualify new leads, offer an initial consult, and how to make it known that we’re consultants — not just guns for hire.

Here’s the letter that John wrote me that prompted this episode:

Biggest fear with new client? Pricing, definitely. What’s their budget, when it’s near impossible to drag it out of them? Will a standard quote, without knowing their details, turn them away without discussion or negotiation, before budgets or even depth of project is really known. It’s amazing how many times an initial contact requires blind quotes before required info can be determined. If I’ve at all described the situation, besides abandoning such clients, what to do?