[fierarul]

That's why sometimes spending too much time just talking to the customer, outlining and drafting some spec just isn't worth it. Get on the hourly as soon as possible and then take as long as the customer feels it's necessary to have the perfect spec.

Spending some time getting new projects is part of the cost of doing business but producing useful artifacts (be it code, designs or a specification) for free isn't good unless you have a really good relationship with the customer.