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Hi Gene,
I had this problem when I moved into new studio space and wanted to try out several ideas for drawing people from life in my available natural light. Many of my friends offered to sit for me... once (nobody has offered to do it after the first time). (By the way, the deal was that I kept the resulting drawing or painting. I gave them a nice photo of the original and lunch.)
You have to impress people with your professionalism, so you should give them a card and possibly a small sample of your work, as in a flyer. Tell them your fee right away and you could even hand them a copy of your model agreement if you think you need to do that.
Michele has a good idea about meeting in a public place. I would add that you tell the person you want a portrait session and describe briefly the kind of clothing you'd like her to wear. This will keep her from wondering whether this is a request to be a nude model; when you say "artist model" this seems to be what jumps to some people's minds.
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