Lost a $12k job because I didn't ask one question about their budget
I bid a full website rebuild for a dental office in Boise and assumed their budget was around $15k since they had 4 locations. Spent 3 weeks on the proposal, mockups, the whole thing. Turns out their actual number was $2k and they were just being polite by not stopping me earlier. Now I ask about money in the first 5 minutes, before I even open a design tool. Does anyone have a script for that first budget talk that doesn't feel awkward?
Tbh the polite thing wasn't the problem, you just never gave them a chance to say their real number because you jumped straight into work. Asking budget in the first 5 min is right, but you also have to flat out ask "is $15k in your range" instead of guessing from their office count.