If I had a dollar for every time this happens, I’d have a couple of million since I started work in this line.

One way to tackle this would be to reduce the rates by half – that would ensure that I get the business – don’t lose a client. But then that would also terribly scar my own design studio’s brand value. It’s a no brainer really – although not when you really need the money.

I’m still looking for a pattern by which to recognize such clients – something in the way they write their e-mails or in the way they speak – but haven’t come up with anything common yet.