A new enquiry arrives. The project sounds interesting. Your imagination is already choosing fonts, naming folders and deciding which café will host the first meeting. There are just a few useful questions to ask before imagination books the whole week.
A good first conversation is not an interrogation. You are helping each other find out whether the work, timing and way of working fit.
What needs to be different when this is finished?
Start with the outcome rather than only the requested item. A client asking for a new website might need easier bookings, a clearer explanation of their services or something that no longer requires their help to update.
Ask who the work is for, what currently gets in the way and how they will decide whether the result is useful. You are not promising a business outcome you cannot control. You are learning what the deliverable needs to support.
What is included, and what already exists?
Find out whether copy, images, data, access and existing files are ready. A supplied paragraph and ‘we need help deciding what to say’ are different starting points. Ask about formats, quantities, review rounds and handover requirements.
If the brief contains several unknowns, explain which ones affect the quote. A short discovery stage or a clearly described assumption can be more useful than pretending a vague request already has a precise price.
Who gives feedback, and who gives the final yes?
Ask who will use the work, who gathers feedback and who can approve scope and price changes. Those may be different people. It helps to know whether feedback will come as one agreed response or five separate messages.
‘We will know it when we see it’ can be a starting point for a conversation about examples and decision criteria. A first-time client may simply need help understanding the process. Reserve judgement while making the process clear.
What can the budget and timeline support?
Ask about the budget range, required date and the reason behind it. A launch tied to an event has different flexibility from an aspirational date. Check your own availability before promising a delivery schedule.
A small budget is not a character flaw. You may be able to offer a smaller scope or suggest a different approach. If the constraints cannot fit the work, saying so early is kinder than accepting an impossible combination and disappointing each other later.
How does the practical handover work?
Confirm the contracting and billing entity, accounts contact, purchase-order requirements and proposed payment terms. Ask about any onboarding process. A great working relationship can still have a slow approval system; knowing that helps you plan.
Then send a short written recap: the outcome, scope, responsibilities, schedule, price and next decision. Only commit after the important assumptions are agreed. A useful brief gives the creative work more room, because fewer basic questions are left floating around it.