Have you ever gotten an email from a prospect who asks question after question, only to decide they’re not interested?

Freelancers have limited time to sort out which projects to take on and which to dismiss. In an ideal world, you’d be able to tell a hot prospect from a dud. Unfortunately, things are rarely so simple. But whenever I’m approached for help by prospective clients, there are usually a few warning signs that tell me who’s seriously looking for help and who’s just looking around without really knowing what they want or who prioritize the wrong things.

Here are three strategies freelancers can use in order to manage those conversations efficiently, identify core clients, and minimize contact with everyone else.

If someone takes up a lot of your time during initial discussions (writing long emails, asking lots of questions), chances are, things won’t get better after you’ve signed them on–and that’s if they decide to go with you. A prospect might ask repeatedly for advice without talking about the terms of a project.

A prospect might ask repeatedly for advice without talking about the terms of a project.

Sometimes it might feel like providing enough value to the other person will encourage them to actually work with you. But I’ve found that this often isn’t the case. Ultimately, your advice and expertise aren’t free. Even if you don’t execute a certain job, you can charge for the consultation. After all, if someone’s getting all the help and advice they need, where’s the incentive to sign on as a client?

Give just enough attention and advice to a prospect to show how knowledgable you are and reassure them that they’ll be in good hands if they strike a deal with you. But if you spend a lot of energy helping someone over and over–even in ways that seem small–they’ll be conditioned to expect it while getting your attention and expertise for free.

So try limiting the exchange to a few emails before progressing to a bigger commitment, like a phone call, meeting, or smaller project that contributes towards the potential client’s larger goal. That forces your prospect to think more seriously about whether to work together.