Pricing & Rates

Defensible Price One-Pager

Companion to "Your Defensible Price & Going Deeper."


Four lines, one page. A defensible price has to survive being simple.

The four lines

My floor (rounded billable-hour minimum from the Cost Floor Worksheet)$ / billable hour
My local range (low and high of the five quotes)$ to $
My position (the number chosen, above the middle of the range, on purpose)$, reason:
My defense (the two sentences, ready to say out loud)Rehearsed ☐, read-aloud test passed ☐

The two-sentence defense

It's $X for the work you described. That's mid-range for what solid operators in this area charge, it includes [inclusions], and it covers insurance and scheduling so nothing surprises you later.

Floor in your pocket, market in the sentence, inclusions in the open. If you flinch reading it aloud: either re-read where the number came from, or step down one notch and set the raise date now. That is a launch ramp with a schedule.

The first three quotes (a price is a hypothesis until real clients answer)

DateLeadJobPrice quotedOutcome (accepted / declined / ghosted / haggled)
$☐ Accepted ☐ Declined ☐ Ghosted ☐ Haggled
$☐ Accepted ☐ Declined ☐ Ghosted ☐ Haggled
$☐ Accepted ☐ Declined ☐ Ghosted ☐ Haggled

The read: all three accept instantly, you are probably below your market, raise the number before you get established at it. All three vanish: check the delivery first (itemized inclusions, anchored first, options presented, leads fit the surveyed market); delivery fails look identical to price fails but have opposite cures. The number itself moves only when delivery is clean, the floor is confirmed, and the survey says you sit above the top of the range.

Maintenance calendar

Recompute the floor when costs move (insurance, fuel, supplies, software)Next:
Re-run the five-competitor survey about once a year, or when new competitors stack upNext:
Review raise triggers every season (booked out weeks ahead / costs moved / got better / dreading specific clients / a year passed)Next:

Final checks

My floor is computed, current, and written down
My five quotes are real, local, and recent, with inclusions recorded
My position sits above the middle of the range, on purpose, in one sentence
My two-sentence defense survives being said out loud
My next three quotes are logged with outcomes
My raise trigger and date are chosen in advance
My discounts have names, reasons, and end dates, or they do not exist