The exact words, questions, and forms for the five moments that decide whether a client turns into a paycheck or a horror story — a full screen in one 10-minute call.
Six plain-English pieces for the five moments before you sign — screen on paper, screen on the call, then choose on purpose.
Twelve warning signs — the budget dodge, the deposit pushback, the "run it past the team," the won't-sign-anything — each with what it predicts and a one-line test to confirm it before you overreact. Plus the rule of three: one flag's a conversation, three is a decline.
Word-for-word questions that surface 90% of bad-client problems — budget, timeline, decision-maker, past freelancers — with the exact follow-up for when an answer smells off.
A copy-paste form to send before any call, so you screen on paper first — and a green-light / red-light scorecard that turns "trust your gut" into a number you can act on.
Five ready-to-send ways to say no without burning the bridge (too cheap, too vague, too controlling, pay-on-delivery, the "I'm booked" soft no) — plus deposit-and-terms opening lines that make a bad client self-select out before they waste your time.
One time, yours to reuse on every client, with free updates. The first nightmare you screen out pays for it a hundred times over.
Get the Screening Pack — $14Screening is the front door — it decides whether to take the client at all. Once you've said yes, the Scope Lock Pack keeps the work you agreed to from creeping: a Statement of Work block, revision-limit and change-control clauses, a one-screen change-order form, and 8 scripts for the moment an extra request lands. Screen first, then lock the scope.
$14 one-time · plain-English templates you own — not legal advice.
Six plain-English pieces you fill in and keep: a 12 Red Flags cheat sheet (each with what it predicts and a one-line test), a 10-minute discovery-call script, an intake questionnaire to send before any call, a green-light/red-light scorecard, five graceful decline emails, and deposit-and-terms opening lines. Delivered to your email automatically after checkout.
No. These are wording and process templates written by a freelancer who has screened (and mis-screened) a lot of clients — not legal or financial advice, and Penloom Studio isn't your lawyer. For contracts, deposits, and terms — and in states with specific freelancer-protection statutes — follow your own agreement and local rules, or have a professional review your paperwork.
This pack works before you sign — it helps you decide whether to take the client at all. The Scope Lock Pack works during the project — it keeps the work you agreed to from ballooning. Screen first, then lock the scope. Many people own both.
No — it's a one-time $14 purchase. The files are yours to keep and reuse on every client, with free updates.
Email penloomstudio@gmail.com within 14 days. If it doesn't deliver or isn't as described, we'll make it right with a replacement or refund.
The Client Red Flags & Screening Pack is a set of plain-English wording and process templates — it is not legal or financial advice, and Penloom Studio is not your lawyer. No script can turn a bad client good; the point is to see them early and choose on purpose. How deposits, terms, and contracts are treated can vary by state or country (for example, California's Freelance Worker Protection Act, SB 988, effective January 1, 2025, requires contracts of $250 or more to be in writing). Confirm your local rules before relying on any template.