[walter biscardi] “This story is so similar to the “See if you just help me out on this one project, I’ll have a LOT of work for you coming up” kind of potential client.”
The best way to test this common statement is to say, “The first project will be full price, if that leads to ongoing work, we’ll talk about a volume discount on the other projects.”
If that first project never happens, you’ve just saved yourself a bunch of time and money.