Exactly. There's a reason it's called a ballpark and that's because people are expecting it to be unreliable.

The question that a ballpark answers is simply this: can I afford to work with these people?

When I finally took a sales class the most insightful thing that I picked up was to ask the question "is that a lot or a little" because it truly reflects what ballpark estimates are about. There are some people who will be totally at their limit with $1,000 budget and others who won't take you seriously if you say $50,000 because it will be too low.

That's what a ballpark does and it's beneficial for both sides because it essentially allows you both to fail fast and not waste each others time. If you say $10,000 and a client balks at the cost, no amount of invested sales time is going to win you that client and it's not going to be worth it to you anyway. They either can't afford what they want or they need an off the shelf solution.

If you say $10,000-$20,000 and the conversation continues then you're good to continue.