Freelancer friends, help settle this: when is 'shopping around' vs. 'wasting my time'?

I had this client in Austin last month who asked for three revisions on a logo before even signing a contract, and I couldn't tell if they were serious or just fishing for free ideas. Then another designer told me they always bill a discovery call fee to filter out tire-kickers. So what's your take, do you let clients explore before committing or is a signed agreement your hard line?

3 comments

3 Comments

garcia.miles21h ago

I think the discovery call fee thing is a bit off, honestly. Charging someone to just chat about what they need can scare off good clients who haven't worked with freelancers before. I had a client once who wanted to talk about their project for 20 minutes, and I was about to ask for a fee, but then they ended up being my best repeat customer. That said, asking for three logo revisions before any contract is way past normal shopping around, that's just them taking advantage. Maybe have a cap on free calls, like one short chat to feel them out, but don't make it a hard rule until you know they're serious.

taylor_moore21h agoMost Upvoted

Agree. Free short call first, then talk fees.

josephf1020h ago

@garcia.miles you hit it with the three revisions thing being way past normal. Another angle I haven't seen here is how the shopping around itself can tell you something about the client. Someone who asks for three logo tweaks before a contract isn't shopping, they're testing how much free labor they can get. That's a red flag that saves you headaches later. @taylor_moore is right about a short free call, but I'd add that the way they ask for free work tells you more than the fact they ask.