NDAs for me are a good predictor for a bad client or client relationship.

Doesn't work so well for larger cos, and it's not unusual for them to require one anyway.

I charge a fairly high flat fee for signing one. The people who won't pay probably don't need the NDA anyway and were going to be problematic.

100% agreed

That is a good idea. We tend to just suck it up, but they are a royal PITA.

If they pay and the NDA looks reasonable (i.e. it's two way, limited by time, excludes anything you already know and comes into public domain and liability is limited) then I sign. Pocket the cash.

If it's not reasonable/they won't budge, the money pays for a few hours of legal to get it sorted and a few bottles of wine for the headache it causes haha.