I need _______. Can you do it?

I have seen that approach many times and honestly, whenever I see it, I cringe. It is far too often like a horror film where you don’t know what is waiting for you on the other side.

Most recently, I countered such a question with a few questions of my own. I asked what their budget was and what timeline they had in mind for the project. Not surprising, I received no answer. It left me scratching my head a little in that I wondered if they even had the answers.