I went to a seminar where Marc Lizer was the speaker. The question of giving customers the information on estimates came up. Of course, eveyone said "no way", but Marc had a different idea on the subject. He gives the info freely, saying that if a customer is going to price shop, he wants them comparing apples to apples. I could work with a customer, show them a gold frame, gold fillet, an off-white mat, etc. and they could move on to the next framer. Without specifics, all the customers knows is, the frame was gold, the mats were off-white, and there was a gold thing in the mats. If specifics are given, the next framer cannot show a Decor frame instead of LaMarche, a paper mat instead of fabric, UV glass instead of regular, a 2" mat instead of 4", and so on to make the job substantially cheaper, and make the first framer's prices seem out of line. I have given alot of thought to this, and although I haven't put it to use yet (will be soon), I have worked up a quote sheet with enough information where, if the customer moves on, the next framer will have to try to use the same materials in order to give a comparible quote. Example: 3" wide gold La Marche frame; 4" wide double rag mat; gold Roma fillet; UV non-glare; museum mount with wheat paste, rice paper hinges; museum fit w/sealing tape and buffered paper. I have also included why we do certain proceedures in comparison to others, such as why UV glass rather than regular, why buffered paper instead of kraft. I figure this is another way of educating the customer as to the quality of the work produced at my shop vs others in the area.