I'm not in any of your position, but it makes me wonder how you guys deal with "tire kickers". It obviously takes work to get to know a potential client, go through their wants, needs, and details, to come up with a prelim design. That costs time and work. Theoretically you should be paid for that work, but on the other hand it might be like fishing for Crappies. Set the hook too hard, and you'll lose them for sure. But again, I wonder how you keep people from wasting your time. On the other hand, the less they know about the trade, the more they are going to try to competitive quote, which is what I'd try to do. I don't envy your position on this, but an interesting discussion.
