The first thing I try to find out about the client is their primary focus. The theory behind this is that all clients have three needs and only two can be focused on our end. There is Price, Quality, and Time.

So if a client wants a high quality product in the fastest time then the price will be high. If a client wants a cheap and quick website then we have to sacrifice quality of the product. So on the initial communication you need to figure out the client's primary two needs price, quality, or time. Then you can work out your scheduling and how you want to pitch the quote. If they want quality, more time will have to be put into QA and maybe design process. If they want a good price you will have to plan accordingly for your schedule. If they want a quick product you may have to look in to pulling in more resources and workers.

more to come... next will be the differences between client types and how that impacts your product.