The danger in having a conversation with each client is that you can expend a great deal of time and effort with someone who cannot become your client because of their resources. They may also be very cognizant of this time investment and their time is valuable as well.

A great way to set expectations about price in the world of custom work, so that you only have conversations with qualified prospects, is to have a priced portfolio.

People can see examples of different styles of work, ie show them a basic flat animation that runs for 5 minutes.. what did you charge that client? Then show the more complex production and the price for this. Prospects can then see and appreciate the different levels of investment required based on the quality of the product. This can help unqualified prospects de-select themselves and save you time.

I recently did research for a client planning an entertainment business. I was frustrated by suppliers not wanting to create any pricing expectations. I kept hearing, 'we can't share a price until we have plans and drawings.' I had no data to work with for planning and budgeting.

One new supplier I asked, 'how much do these cost?' said simply, 'They start at $140,000 and can go to $165,000 with extra bells and whistles.. that includes on-site installation anywhere in North America.'

This is the company that was chosen because they helped set expectations from the beginning and reduced the initial time investment for me as a purchaser.

Hope this helps.