When bidding on a project, how much should you share? In addition to "how much should I charge", the ideas you share with prospective clients not only have a major impact on your getting the project, but do a lot to show your overall expertise and ability to help their business grow.

I recently bid on a project for a client I had never worked with before. They had approached me about doing a simple redo of a brochure, nothing more. During our initial conversation my contact shared his concerns of accomplishing his marketing objectives and his frustrations reaching his target market.

In addition to redoing the brochure, I saw the opportunity to do several, simple things to grow their business in a big way and shared those ideas in my proposal. I put several hours and tons of energy into presenting several different packages with a variety of price points and options.

They decided not to hire me and I was bummed – but it happens, that's life. It wasn't the first time and it certainly won't be the last.

However, my contact approached me a few weeks later asking me to finish something they had started. They had taken all my ideas and tried to write it themselves. They wanted to pay me a small fraction of what I had proposed to "clean up and finish" what they had written.

I was shocked that they had "stolen" my ideas – ideas they never would have thought to do on their own. I was glad I had "upsold" them in my packaging, disappointed they hadn't hired me to write it, and angry they decided to take my (I must say great ideas) and kick me out of the loop and do it themselves.

I try very hard to be a positive person and let things go. To not hold grudges and continually focus on losses and failures. This one is stuck in my graw.

I thought this was a great topic for discussion – where do you draw the line? You want the business and your best shot is to present your best ideas to prospects. But when you do this you take the risk of prospects using your ideas and going with someone else, possibly someone less expensive, or doing it in-house.

Should you not worry about that, the negative possibilities, and always give it your all? Or should you hold back a little bit and save your best options for once you've got the business? Up sell them AFTER you've won the business?