FREELANCE GHOST PREVENTION CHECKLIST ====================================== From SoloStack | solostack.madethis.app Free download — no signup required --- PART 1: PRE-PROJECT VETTING CHECKLIST ======================================== Ask these 10 questions BEFORE sending a proposal. Score each prospect before you invest proposal time. □ 1. "What's your budget for this project?" Why: A prospect who can't or won't share budget is either unprepared or testing the waters. Either way, it's a yellow flag. Budget clarity correlates strongly with payment reliability. □ 2. "What's your timeline?" Why: Clients with "ASAP" timelines often haven't planned properly and are likely to rush, change scope, or disappear under pressure. A reasonable timeline signals maturity. □ 3. "Have you worked with a [freelancer in your niche] before?" Why: Experienced buyers understand process, value, and lead time. First-time clients need more education — build it into your onboarding or qualify more carefully. □ 4. "How did you find me / why are you reaching out now?" Why: Referrals from trusted contacts have the lowest ghost rate. Cold inbounds need more scrutiny. "My friend highly recommended you" and "I found you on Google at midnight" require very different vetting. □ 5. "Who else is involved in the decision?" Why: Single decision-makers close faster and ghost less. Multi-stakeholder projects where you're being "evaluated alongside other options" have higher ghost rates. □ 6. "What does a successful outcome look like to you?" Why: Clients who can articulate clear success criteria are invested in the outcome. Vague answers ("I'll know it when I see it") predict difficult feedback cycles and payment delays. □ 7. "What's your typical process for approving work and giving feedback?" Why: You're vetting their communication habits before you commit. Clients with clear approval processes rarely ghost mid-project. □ 8. "Are you ready to sign a contract and provide a deposit before we start?" Why: Their reaction to this is information. A slight hesitation, fine. Active resistance? Major red flag. □ 9. "What happened with your last [freelancer/agency] in this space?" Why: Clients who fired their last three providers for being "too slow" or "not understanding the vision" are not bad-luck clients — they are the common variable. □ 10. "What does your decision timeline look like from here?" Why: "I need to think about it for a few weeks" is fine. "We need to start Monday" after a first conversation is often a ghost waiting to happen — urgency without preparation is a pattern. --- PART 2: 5 RED FLAGS THAT PREDICT GHOSTING =========================================== Score each flag: 0 (not present), 1 (present but minor), 2 (definitely present) Total over 5: walk away or require full upfront payment. RED FLAG 1 — No budget Score: ___ "I'm flexible" and "I'll know the right number when I see it" means one of two things: they haven't thought about it, or they're looking for the lowest number. Neither bodes well for payment. RED FLAG 2 — Vague or shifting scope Score: ___ "We'll figure it out as we go" sounds collaborative but usually means the scope will expand and the budget won't. Vague scope also makes it easy for a client to claim the work wasn't what they wanted when they don't want to pay. RED FLAG 3 — "ASAP" urgency Score: ___ Emergency timeline + undefined budget + first-time client = high ghost probability. Urgency without planning leads to decision-making chaos, which leads to dropped communication. RED FLAG 4 — Won't sign a contract Score: ___ "We work on trust here" is almost always said by someone who doesn't intend to pay the full amount. A client who declines to sign even a simple 1-page agreement is waving a flag. RED FLAG 5 — Price haggles before seeing the proposal Score: ___ A client who says "that sounds expensive" before you've even shared a number has pre-decided on a number that isn't yours. This is less about the haggle itself and more about the dynamic it reveals. Your Red Flag Score: ___/10 0–2: Proceed normally 3–4: Require deposit upfront, shorter contract terms 5+: Require 100% payment upfront or pass on the project --- PART 3: CONTRACT CLAUSE CHECKLIST ==================================== Before starting any project, confirm these clauses are in your contract: □ Response time SLA Client agrees to respond to communications within [X] business days. Freelancer's timeline adjusts proportionally for any delays caused by client non-response. □ Communication method All project communication will occur via [email / project management tool]. Verbal requests not confirmed in writing are not binding. □ Payment schedule Specific due dates, not vague terms ("upon completion" = invitation to delay). Preferred: 50% upfront, 50% on delivery. Or milestone-based. □ Work stoppage right Freelancer reserves the right to pause work if payment is overdue or client is unresponsive for more than [X] business days. □ Kill fee If project is cancelled after work begins, client pays [25–50%] of remaining balance for completed work. □ Late fee clause Invoices unpaid after [X] days accrue interest at 1.5%/month. □ IP withholding All work remains Freelancer's intellectual property until full payment received. □ Revision limits Number of revision rounds included. Additional revisions billed at [hourly rate]. □ Approval deadlines If feedback is not provided within [X] business days, freelancer proceeds with current version. □ Governing law Which state's laws govern the agreement and where disputes are resolved. --- PART 4: DISCOVERY CALL CHECKLIST (8 Qualifying Questions) =========================================================== Run this during every discovery call. Take notes. Before the call: □ Research their company/LinkedIn before you meet □ Have your rate range in mind □ Have your calendar open (book while on the call if possible) During the call — questions to ask: Q1: "Tell me about the project — what are you trying to accomplish?" → Listen for clarity vs. vagueness Q2: "Why now? What's driving the timing?" → Urgency signals and decision-making context Q3: "What does success look like in 90 days?" → Tests specificity and investment in outcomes Q4: "Who's involved in approving the work?" → Single decision-maker vs. committee (affects timeline and ghost risk) Q5: "What's the budget range you're working with?" → Non-negotiable qualification question Q6: "Have you worked with a [type of freelancer] before?" → Assess buyer sophistication Q7: "What happened with previous attempts at this project?" → History reveals patterns Q8: "Assuming this feels like a fit, what does moving forward look like from your end?" → Tests their decision readiness After the call: □ Send a recap email within 24 hours (builds paper trail, tests responsiveness) □ Score them against your Red Flag checklist □ Send proposal only if they clear your criteria --- PART 5: PROPOSAL FOLLOW-UP SCHEDULE TEMPLATE ============================================== Set these up as calendar reminders the moment you send a proposal. DAY 0: Send proposal → Same-day email: "Proposal for [Project Name] — [Your Name]" → Include clear deadline for the quote (optional: "Quote valid for 14 days") DAY 3: Touch 1 — Value Bump → Don't just nudge; send something useful → Idea: a relevant article, a brief thought about their project, one additional idea → Subject: "One thing I thought of re: [Project Name]" DAY 7: Touch 2 — Direct Ask → "Have you had a chance to review the proposal? Any questions I can answer?" → Offer a 15-minute call for questions DAY 14: Touch 3 — Soft Close → "I'll be closing out this proposal quote by end of week — let me know if you'd like to move forward or if timing has changed." → Set a real close deadline; vagueness breeds ghosting DAY 14+: Silence = move on → Don't send more than 3 follow-ups on an unaccepted proposal → Move the prospect to a "future follow-up" list, not active pipeline Notes on subject lines that get opened after silence: - "Quick question about [Project Name]" — curiosity-driven - "One thing I forgot to mention" — creates urgency to read - "Closing out [Project Name] — [Your Name]" — creates FOMO - "Still interested in [specific outcome they mentioned]?" — personalizes to their goal --- PART 6: CLIENT COMMUNICATION AGREEMENT TEMPLATE ================================================= (Use this as an addendum to your contract, or include it in your onboarding packet) CLIENT COMMUNICATION AGREEMENT Between: [Freelancer Name] and [Client Name] Effective Date: [Date] This document confirms how we communicate during our working relationship. 1. PRIMARY COMMUNICATION CHANNEL All project communication will take place via: [email / Slack / project tool] Requests made outside this channel will be acknowledged, but acted on only once confirmed in writing. 2. RESPONSE TIME EXPECTATION Freelancer will respond to all communications within: 1 business day Client agrees to respond to all project-related requests within: 2 business days If Client is unable to respond within this window, Freelancer will be notified in advance to prevent timeline impact. 3. FEEDBACK AND APPROVAL WINDOWS Client will provide feedback on deliverables within: [X] business days of delivery If no feedback is received within this window, Freelancer will follow up once. If unresponsive for [X] additional business days, work proceeds with current version unless otherwise agreed. 4. ESCALATION PROTOCOL If either party is unreachable for more than [5] business days without prior notice, the following steps apply: - Freelancer sends written notice of unresponsiveness - Work is paused; project timeline is adjusted - If unresponsive for [10] business days, Freelancer issues invoice for work completed to date 5. END-OF-PROJECT COMMUNICATION Upon project completion, Client has [X] business days to request final revisions. Final payment is due upon delivery of final files per the project agreement. Signed: Freelancer: ______________________ Date: __________ Client: __________________________ Date: __________ --- Need all this pre-written and ready to send? SoloStack members get done-for-you contract templates with all prevention clauses, proposal follow-up scripts, discovery call scripts, and 50+ other freelance tools — $19/month. Visit: solostack.madethis.app