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.How to price a job that is outside your normal working area?
I have made myself a set price list for work within the 35KM where I like to work, but often get calls outside that area. I have been going and doing the work at the same price I quote for calls within my area and wonder if that is hurting me? The idea was to have people discuss what price I gave them with family and friends in different locations and recommend me, but at what point does that price become unprofitable? Should I raise all my prices so customers feel I am not adding a travel surcharge? Should I be upfront and let them know my location and if they want me to come, I will have to add a travel charge? Should I refuse work outside my area? Refuse is such a bad word right!How can I create an invoice for the deposit?
When doing certain commercial work the client will ask us to send them an invoice for the deposit. This isn't typically how Jobber works as the invoice isn't created until the job is closed usually. What is the best way to send a customer an invoice before having the quote signed, deposit paid, or the job completed? Hope that makes sense. Thanks in advance!
💡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!!In house financing. Jobber Payment Schedule.
I love that Jobber has implemented a payment schedule. I was just curious if anyone has considered using this feature to offer in house financing? Could you do batch invoicing for payments that are due? What do you think the pros and cons of that would be. Look forward to hearing some thoughts on this. Ps. We currently use Wisetack for customer financing.Crypto as a form of payment?
I am not huge into crypto currency; however, I like the idea of diversifying my approach to my business and preparing myself for what could come. Are any of you accepting crypto as a form of payment? If so, then how do you go about that? Also what are your overall thoughts on it?Why Every Service Contractor Needs to Understand Material Markup (Not Just Job Markup)
Some home service contractors love to mark up the entire job, and that’s fine until you realize you’re not really making money on your materials. For me, personally I love to know ow everything is divided in my margins... Because It covers all the costs that get overlooked: Warranty replacements that eat into profits Time to grab, stock, or return parts Fuel and vehicle wear from sourcing Credit card fees and supply chain risk When you don’t separate material markup, you lose visibility. If you’re inefficient in your labor or your jobs start dragging, you won’t know where the leak is. Understanding markup on material is one of the most vital fundamentals for any service provider. It’s what separates a day to day contractor from a profitable one. That’s why we built this quick resource for you: It breaks down: ✅ How to calculate markup by cost range ✅ What markup really covers (overhead, risk, and time) ✅ Why materials should always be treated as a profit center, not just a pass-through expense Download the worksheet, walk through it with your team, and start identifying where your leaks are. Let me know what you think.
