How Much Should You Really Be Charging?
The number one question I receive is tied directly to the fact, most contractors are still guessing when it comes to pricing. Overhead. Profit. Labor rate. Trip fees. They think just because they throw a number they hear their competitors use, thats all that they need. It may work, but how and what do you divide these funds is just as important for your business health. If you don’t know how to do the math, you’re not building a business. You’re surviving check to check and think you need more work, when you do not. So here’s the plan: This Tuesday & Thursday on IG, I’m walking you through our Contractor Price Builder Worksheet FREE on instagram live. We will cover: - How to calculate your real hourly rate - The difference between markup and margin - Why profit is a non-negotiable - And how to price with confidence Join the session. Bring your numbers.
Sharing Processing Fees
I love Jobber. It has helped transform the front-end of our business by streamlining the calls - requests - estimate - job conversion - invoicing process. Our receivable time has reduced drastically due to the ease of Jobber payments (credit/debit/ACH) and financing options. The record keeping of client communications is very helpful and all of the data reports are helpful with job costing and showing us where and how we can become more efficient. I have been holding my breath, hoping that Jobber will soon have an easy option in the payment areas to either apply the full or split by percentage, the processing fee. It is reasonable at the current rate, but it certainly adds up at the end of each month and year. Just like inputting a percentage of required deposit, I would love to see a percentage I could apply towards the fee for the customer that is customizable and transparent for them. This may change their ultimate decision on the method they seek to use, but it would also allow me to reinvest the savings elsewhere. I have tried adding a line item in the quote for the processing fee, but it can add a lot of manual effort to reconfigure if there are certain change orders or adjustments throughout the job. I'd like to hear other people's experience with it, if possible. Any ideas are helpful, insight, or plans for the future regarding Jobber payments. Thank you!Pricing Advice & Client Management Tips for New Landscaper
Hi everyone, I’m fairly new to landscaping and trying to get a better handle on pricing my work and managing clients. Right now, I mostly check local prices and try to go a bit cheaper, but I’m still confused about charging per hour versus per job. For example, sometimes a job might be tougher but I get it done faster because of experience or efficiency. If I charge hourly, I worry I might be punishing myself by charging less for harder work done quickly. So I usually price per job and just guesstimate a fair rate. I’d love advice on how you set prices fairly and consistently. Also, what tools or software do you use to manage your clients and jobs? Are there any good free or low-cost options for someone just starting out? Any tips regarding profit, couting in gas, time, etc I'd love to hear thanks so much! I’m based in Lima, OH, if that matters for local pricing tips. Thanks so much in advance!Pricing, Profits, and Financing What Works for You?”
Running a business isn’t just about doing the work — it’s about knowing your numbers. I’ve been working on refining my pricing strategies, making sure my profit margins are healthy, and figuring out when it’s time to hire a financial expert to help. How do you guys manage your finances? Do you have someone helping with taxes or strategy, or are you handling it all yourself?”*
Home Services Assessment Fee
Hi everyone, I'm looking for advice on how to clearly and professionally communicate to potential clients that I charge an onsite assessment fee before moving forward with an assessment scheduling. For those of you who charge a similar fee, how do you usually bring it up in conversation? Do you include it in your Jobber quote or send it separately? Are there any tips on wording or timing that can help set the right expectations without scaring off potential leads? I appreciate any insights; thank you in advance!
Plumbing Bids
I just started a plumbing business and I get the concept of bidding but somehow always end up under estimating. I even doubled my last bid and still somehow ended up an impactful amount of hours over. I don't know if I visualize my objective wrong or I'm really that much slower than I anticipate (If that makes sense). The materials I buy are marked price + 30% and hourly is pretty straightforward, I charge from the moment I leave the office to the moment I return. Change orders are a weak point for me and I know the consequences of doing free labor. Is there any special courses to perfect bidding?
💡FEATURE REQUEST: Price Increases in Products & Services List
Do you increase prices for ongoing customers? Do you know how long it takes me to increase my prices for 700 ongoing clients in my cleaning business? Whether you increase your prices on an annual basis or just as needed in these unpredictable times, it would be easier to make these changes en masse in the Products and Services tab! How would it work? When editing a product or service line item in the Products & Services List, there should be an option to carry that modification over to any existing Jobs that have that line item on it. Currently, this would only update for new jobs created, but I'd love to see a little pop-up that says, "Would you like to change the price for existing Jobs with this line item? Yes/No" Use Case Example: Because I am in the cleaning industry, it will be my primary use case. Let's say you have a minimum price that every client's rate will be at or above. When you create a new job for a recurring customer, you add a line item titled "Minimum Rate + current year," like for 2020: "Minimum Rate 2020," which is $150. You also add another line item based on how your pricing model is set up - in this case, I will use a simple one: "Small House" for $10 "Medium House" for $30 "Large House" for $50 When it's time for your prices to increase, consider the following options: you could decide to raise prices only for people with large houses and keep your minimum rate the same, or you may want to increase the cost for clients who have been with you for more than 5 years. Instead of making this change one client at a time and trying to sort through who the change applies to, I could go to the Products and Services List and find the specific line item I want to modify. Then, I could edit the price in there! Ta Da! You've raised your prices! Why should Jobber care? This would be huge for any business industry that has recurring clients. ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro, and other competitors already have this feature. I have found other threads that mention something like this or frustrations with how to go about raising prices. This would allow businesses that only see customers once or twice a year to set up their customers as recurring with one Job, saving them a lot of time and effort as well. You'd have at least one very loyal customer in me! I've spoken to two support agents who thought this was a simple but fantastic idea! My next price increase is in June, and I'd love you guys if you saved me weeks worth of work in a single click 🤞🙏 QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, FEEDBACK, AND MORE USE CASES WELCOME!!
