I was approached few days ago by a woman who claimed she represents a Real Estate Agency. The thing that sent some signals was the fact she used a yahoo.com email address. In the end I might understand this since, if they need me to design the site, it means they don’t have it, so no chances for a site related email address.

The message I got looked something like this: “Hello, I represent a Real Estate agency. I would like to know how much a web site would cost”.

Here are some of my reasons to not disclose pricing to a prospective client on the phone or on email BEFORE meeting in person:

1. Some might be competitors who’d like to adjust prices .. we all know that on the internet or on the phone we can be whoever we want. I wouldn’t disclose my pricing without discussing face to face.
2. Some just look at the price tag .. these are not the clients I want. I don’t have huge prices, I don’t have them too small. Some might work for less, others work for way more. The clients who just look at the pricing would be those to cling on anything that might get them less money and more job from you. I don’t like to haggle. I just give a price. Leave it or take it.
3. How can we offer a price without knowing what the site is about? My client might be interested in a simple presentation site, in a forum or a shopping cart. They are all different as working time and technologies are concerned: how can I offer a price tag for my services if I don’t know what’s expected from me?

These are my 3 main reasons for not discussing pricing with unknown people on the phone or through the email system. Did you have similar experiences? What did you do?