I am a web developer, just starting out as a freelancer.
I have had a few people contact me through my website asking for a quote on how much a project will cost. In order to achieve a cost, I must spend time and effort gathering as much information as possible: drawing out workflows, developing initial sitemaps, etc. I don't know how long a project will take until I have done this, and all of this takes time.
The problem is, I work full time -- so the only time I have is evenings and weekend. By that point, the client has lost interest, and all my efforts go unpaid.
My question is: How am I supposed to put a quote together on such little information without spending so much time researching, gathering data and working everything out?
The client wants a quote within 5 hours, but I need 10 hours to work on it.