>The problem is that you should have had a contract to perform the design services for the proposal to which the client would scream that he won't pay money for an estimate.

Hi Ken and Roxanne,

Well, I wish I could charge for the actual proposals. However, I don't have enough of a client base at this point to chance losing clients over it. I currently view my proposals as my primary sales pitch, where I show my analytical capabilities and design skills. Once I become more successful and have more referrals, I may in fact begin charging consulting fees for proposal creation.

What I will probably do in the immediate future, is require a deposit prior to creating the contract and scheduling development time. This way, I will know that the client is likely committed to following through.

Dave