If price does not have to be a factor, by all means ignore it. There are taxidermists who do sound quality work at the bottom of the price scale and there are taxidermist at the top of the price scale who do shady work. These are the exceptions but they do exist.
Dont' just turn to the yellow pages and pick a taxidermist. Check all the taxidermists in your area. Ask for references, check local sporting goods stores and visit their shops. Check out their work. Find out were you can see some of their work, it may be in a show room at their shop, a sporting goods store or a customer's home. Make sure you find out how recent the work was completed. More recently done work(1 to 2 years) can be a better indicator of what to expect than work done 3 or more years ago.
Find out if the taxidermist attends local, state or national conventions or subscribes to the various trade magazines. If a taxidermist attends conventions or read the trade magazines, they are keeping up with the latest methods and technological advances the industry has to offer. This will also show in their work.
Ask the taxidermist what his reference library is like. A good taxidermist has a staggering amount of reference photos and books on wildlife. The information available in a reference library can make the difference between a mount and a piece of wildlife art. Reference material can be anything from magazines such as "Outdoor Life", books that describe the biology, anatomy and habitat of a specific animal to photo's of inner mouth, notrils, eyes and ears of live specimens from squirrels to bears.
If money is a factor and it is going to prevent you from going to the taxidermist of your choice, give some thought to this alternative(this only applies to mammals). Take the cape or skin to the taxidermist of your choice to only be tanned. The cost of tanning a deer cape runs about $50 to $100, depending on the taxidermist, region of the country and tannery used by the taxidermist. Once the cape or skin is tanned, it can be stored until you can afford to have the mount completed. Some taxidermists(myself included) will deduct the tanning costs from the price of the mount when the cape is already tanned. Check with the taxidermist first before going this route. The skin should be commercially dry tanned and stored in a freezer. While a tanned skin should last indefinitely, the elasticty of the skin will be reduced over time if not frozen. Good elasticty of a skin makes for easier mounting. For more information on this option, feel free to contact me.
Be prepared to leave a deposit. There are up front costs associated with preparing a specimen for mounting. Ask your taxidermist about a required deposit before you show up at his door.