You'll get significantly better returns on both your time and your money if you approach a developer with a conversation instead of directions. In other words,

You'll get significantly better returns on both your time and your money if you approach a developer with a conversation instead of directions. In other words, ask questions while you're trying to figure out the best way to do things. The nice thing about most developers is that they have experience in a lot of different problem domains, and they may have solutions available that you hadn't previously considered.