Warning: A client's offhand comment made me rethink my whole pricing model

I was finishing a furnace install for a lady in a suburb here, and she asked for the total. When I told her, she just nodded and said, 'That's fair, my last guy charged the same but took three hours longer.' It happened right there in her basement. That one line made me realize I was pricing myself like the slow, inefficient shops I left. I've been charging by the job, not the hour, but I was still basing it on their old, bloated time estimates. Has anyone else had a moment that made you completely change how you set your rates?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_oscar20d ago

Pricing like the slow shops" is exactly what happened to my buddy too.

the_lucas20d ago

Doubt it's that big of a deal. Most places just adjust prices like normal. Your buddy probably just hit a bad day.

jessica_robinson2315d ago

My local coffee shop tried that slow pricing thing last month. I watched a latte go up thirty cents while I stood there deciding if I wanted a muffin. Felt like I was being punished for being indecisive. The whole thing just makes a simple errand feel weirdly stressful. I get what @the_oscar's buddy went through, it's a real mood killer. Makes you just want to grab the stuff and get out before the price changes again.