What Jim said. This is done all the time in professional circles. You turn potential losers into a win-win for you by greatly inflating the fee listed in the proposal. Win for you if they decide "no thanks" (less headaches and B.S. to deal with when you can be putting your efforts into more productive clients) and win for you if they say yes ('cause you're making the phat bank).
It usually works better in good times though...
