By Carl Williams · from “Monetizing Your Micro-Skills”
Your first inquiry is sitting in your inbox and you're frozen. What do I charge? Do I undercut to win them? Do I tell them I'm new? Here's the thing: what you send in this email becomes the rate every future client expects.
The clean quote has four parts and zero apologies. The rate, stated flat. The turnaround. Three to five concrete deliverables. And what happens next. No "starter rate" hedge, no free revisions to seem worth it, no over-explanation.
Sarah's first-ever quote: "Thanks for reaching out about the resume rewrite. Based on what you've described, the project would be $35, with a 48-hour turnaround." Accepted within the hour — and the precedent set at full rate.
The five inquiry types — clear ask, vague ask, lowball, friend-asking, and "can we hop on a call" — each need a different reply. All five scripts are in The First-Client Pack.
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