A photographer gets an Instagram DM: “How much for a shoot?” Instead of sending a long price list or asking five questions at once, the first reply could be:
“Happy to help. What kind of shoot are you planning: portraits, products, or an event? Once I know, I’ll send the relevant starting package and what it includes.”
That one question does more work than “Can you share more details?” The person can answer it quickly, and the photographer can respond with information that fits what they actually need. A portrait inquiry and an event inquiry may both say “shoot,” but the useful next message looks different for each.
The small workflow is: acknowledge the request, ask for the one detail that determines which information to send, then say what the person will receive next. Keep the first reply easy to answer; save timing and other specifics for the exchange after you know which kind of shoot they mean.
For your business, what single detail would make a vague “How much?” DM easier to answer well?