Q: I am about to work with my first client, a high-tech company specializing in WiFi. The client has sent me my first projects: a 20-slide PowerPoint presentation and a three-page white paper that both need revision. I’m not developing any content from scratch. I’m working on an estimate right now for this but I am not sure what to charge her. I’m not exactly sure what she wants, so I can’t really estimate how long it will take. I feel like there are some unanswered questions that need clarification before I can proceed and accurately estimate my time.
A: You, in essence, answered your own question… 
I’m trying to get you to think independently here, and by that I mean, if something’s not clear, you need to ask questions of the client until it IS clear. Think about it. There’s no way I could tell you what to charge her, because I don’t have the answers to the questions either. If you have an idea of what you THINK she wants, ask her if you’re right in your assumptions, and keep asking until you get agreement on a direction. If you proceed, and you’re still unclear, there’s a very good chance that you’ll turn in something that doesn’t hit the mark. It’s only by nailing them down on what they’re looking to have done that you can reasonably ensure that they can’t come back and say, “This isn’t what I wanted.” NOT a fun thing to hear after you’ve spent a lot of time at it. If you’re still unclear after you’ve asked a bunch of questions, a good strategy is to do one small section, and get her OK that you’re on track. Hope that helps.