Decide whether to take on a prospective client
A go or no-go assessment of a new inquiry covering fit, budget, red flags, and the questions to ask before writing a proposal.
The prompt
Help me decide whether to pursue a new client inquiry before I spend time on a proposal.
What they've asked for: [THE REQUEST, in their words if possible]
What I know about them: [company, size, who contacted me, how they found me]
Budget and timeline mentioned: [DETAILS, or "not discussed"]
My ideal client: [the work I want more of, typical budget range, industries]
My current capacity: [how full I am over the next 3 months]
Anything that felt off: [e.g. urgency, vague scope, comments about past consultants]
Give me:
1. A fit score (1-5) on each of: strategic fit with my services, budget fit, capacity, likelihood they'll value the work, and learning or portfolio value. Explain each in one line.
2. Red flags to check, such as unclear decision-maker, "we just need a quick...", past provider blame, unpaid trial requests, or an unrealistic timeline. Say which ones apply here.
3. Five questions to ask on the next call that would settle the decision.
4. My recommendation: pursue, pursue with conditions (state them), or decline.
5. A short, gracious reply for whichever path you recommend, including a polite decline that leaves the door open or refers them elsewhere.
Base the assessment only on what I've shared and mark assumptions clearly.
Highlighted [brackets] are blanks to replace with your own details.
Fill in the blanks and use this promptMore Sales prompts
What to fill in
- THE REQUEST, in their words if possible
- company, size, who contacted me, how they found me
- DETAILS, or "not discussed"
- the work I want more of, typical budget range, industries
- how full I am over the next 3 months
- e.g. urgency, vague scope, comments about past consultants
How this prompt is built
This prompt follows the RTF structure (Role, Task, Format). RTF tells the model who to be, what to do and what shape the answer should take. It is the quickest structure that still gives noticeably better results than a bare request.
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