>anybody for whom the solution set includes "Or we could get this done cheaply abroad" is likely to be a terrible customer.

Most, if not all customers are in the software business somehow and don't know the first thing about managing software as you said.

I have a recent customer wanting me to babysit a developer in house for him. I told him I don't run daycares and he's free to setup a full development team in-house which I'll completely help with transitioning and then relieve myself.

He didn't write back.