When someone tells you they need a new website, the first question you should ask them is “Why?”. Chances are they don't know the answer to this question and they want to meet with you over coffee or lunch to help them figure it out. Sound familiar?

It is a waste of your time to let someone pick your brain for an hour and a half for free. It's super valuable to them and therefore, you should be paid accordingly.

Get comfortable asking these types of difficult questions instead:

Why do you need a new website?

What is it that you're hoping to achieve in your business?

What role do you think the website will play in your business?

Will the website replace staff members (sales or admin)?

Will the website help you sell your business?

You need to know the answers to these questions to understand what you're getting yourself into. Building a website to help a business owner exit his company is very different from building a website to generate new sales. It is only through asking better quality questions, that you will get to the core of the problem or the goal they are trying to achieve. If you identify the problem first, you can prescribe solutions. And if you can prescribe solutions, you'll get paid higher fees.

In order to qualify new leads, you need a website worksheet. A website worksheet can be a word document or a contact form on your website. The worksheet should ask your client a series of questions before you agree to meet with them.

Here is an example of my website worksheet in action: http://troydean.com.au/websites

You can even print this out as a PDF and use it as the basis for a paid discovery session. Your client will thank you for this worksheet because it will force them to think about their business and give honest answers.