2. Managing expectations and budget from the start

Clients often start with high expectations — five stars and the best of everything — then find the price too high. Reading the brief well at the outset is therefore critical: understand the expected hotel level and the kind of touring (a private tour costs far more than a shared or group tour), and read between the lines.
A very useful tool is hotel alternatives: set a good 4-star as the base and add higher alternatives (a superior 4-star, a 5-star) that appear in the proposal as supplements. This keeps the base price competitive while letting a client with budget to spare step up to a higher level.
This applies even when the client does not explicitly ask for the higher level. If they ask for a very simple 4-star and the budget looks low, don't offer only that — give two or three alternatives. It protects against later disputes: if the client complains the hotel was inadequate, the alternatives were there, and they chose the cheapest — which is also the simplest — option.