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Should I take this client?

Ten yes-or-no questions about how the client has behaved so far. Answer from what you've actually seen.

Read the guide: How to Decide Whether to Take a Client: 10 Signals

Can the client name a specific reason for their deadline (a launch, an event, a compliance date) — not just "we need it soon"?

Real deadlines have a cause. If the reason evaporates under one follow-up question, the urgency was manufactured.

Did the client name a number (even a wide range) when asked for their budget?

"It depends on the proposal," repeated, isn't an open mind — it's a stall.

Are you talking directly to the person who signs off on the budget?

"I'll need to check with my partner" more than once means uncosted approval cycles.

Does the brief describe an outcome, not just a task list?

"Reduce cart abandonment" beats "build me a checkout flow."

Does their last freelancer's ending have a specific, ownable reason (about the client, not just the freelancer)?

"We changed direction mid-project" is ownable. "They stopped responding" isn't.

Do they accept that added scope costs more, when you've tested it by mentioning one plausible addition?

"That'd be a change order" is a green light. "I assumed that was included" is a preview of the whole project.

Does the brief still make sense on a second read?

Still vague on a second pass means the client hasn't thought it through either.

Has communication so far included written exchanges, not just calls?

Freelancers Union data: disputes with no written record take an average of 98 days to resolve.

Did they avoid naming a rate they "normally pay" before seeing your quote?

Anchoring before any quote predicts an adversarial relationship on price.

When you gently pushed back on scope or timeline, did they engage rather than disengage?

A client who can't tolerate a boundary before signing won't tolerate one after.

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Every question comes from the full ten-signal checklist.

Frequently asked questions

How is this different from the full checklist?

Same ten signals, same thresholds — this version tallies your yes/no answers and computes the verdict for you instead of you scoring it by hand. Read the full explanation behind each signal on the blog post if you want the reasoning, not just the result.

What counts as a red signal?

A "No" answer to any of the ten questions. Zero to two red signals: Take — every client has some friction. Three or four: Proceed carefully, with a deposit and a tighter written scope. Five or more, or no budget number plus no access to the decision-maker: High risk.

Can I use this before a discovery call?

About half the questions, yes — brief clarity, outcome-vs-task framing, whether a number was named, how the previous freelancer's ending is described. The rest (does pushback get a reaction, do they anchor on rate before seeing your quote) need one exchange or call.

Is this the same as the four risk vectors on the Pre-Sales OS site?

Related but not identical. The four risk vectors — scope clarity, budget alignment, timeline pressure, stakeholder position — are scoring dimensions for a deeper written analysis. This quiz is the fast, binary version, mapped onto the same underlying vectors.

Is my email or my answers stored anywhere?

The verdict shows without an email. If you choose to email yourself a copy, your email and the result also go to our team in a one-time notification so we can follow up, and your answers aren't stored or added to any list beyond that.

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