part of the pre-qualification is shutting down pre-sales when the client is just sucking you dry for no benefit. The key is getting from talking to action. Lik

part of the pre-qualification is shutting down pre-sales when the client is just sucking you dry for no benefit. The key is getting from talking to action. Like I said, that can be pretty damn fast once you get some practice at it and learn which key words to look for and how to direct the conversation to decisions. Developers many (maybe most) times get to wrapped up in the details of the project and forget to close the deal first, leading the clients to "take advantage" of you. We have all done it and still do it from time to time. It is smart to use a pre-qualification interview of a few questions. You don't do it in the "interview" style, but you get some qualifying questions in so you can frame the project to see if it is even a decent match before you put too much time into it. Budget and timeframe are the two critical keys to get out in the open early, which generally prevents a huge portion of wasted time on both sides. Not only that, it has let me refer leads to other shops/developers that might be a better fit and then I will get a referral fee. Likewise, I happily pay referral fees to others who send clients my way.