Why we publish our prices on the public site
Most agencies hide pricing behind a discovery call. We do not. Here is what changed when we stopped.
For the first four years of the studio we did the agency-standard thing: a discovery call, then a quote. The quote was usually within 15% of a number we could have given on the call. Almost none of the conversations ended with both sides surprised.
§ 1.0 — What hiding price actually cost us
Mostly time. The studio is four engineers and a lead. Ten discovery calls per month where eight of them were budget-mismatched added up to roughly a week of engineering time spent on the wrong conversations.
§ 2.0 — What changed
We put fixed-fee items (audit, rescue) on the site with a number next to them. We put project work on the site with a from price. We put the retainer on the site with the monthly rate and the notice period.
§ 3.0 — What happened
Discovery calls dropped by half. Conversion of remaining calls to signed engagements doubled. Total revenue ticked up. We do not market this as a clever growth hack. We did it because it was less annoying for everyone.
§ 4.0 — Things to expect when you ask for a quote anyway
- You will get the same range you see on the site, narrowed by maybe 20% after a one-hour scoping call.
- You will get the name and CV of the engineer who would lead the work, before you sign.
- You will get a written engagement letter the same week.
That is more or less the whole sales process.