Skip to main content

A better way to do pricing

  • December 19, 2025
  • 5 replies
  • 127 views

Dean Big Family
General Member

I think we should be looking at HVAC, electrical, plumbers who are all a decade ahead of us. Im in a best practices group and they are running trades much more profitable. Here is what I would like to see in Skimmer for pricing a job

Set a Job Install Pump. That is the job. In the job you set time. Two hours. In the system you set your $250/hr for labor. So it knows it needs to charge $500 for labor. Then when you select the job there is  an add product feature and you select the product from your catalog. So say you select a pump and the cost is $1500. you set in the settings all products between $1000-2000 get a 75% margin on them. So if the pump is 1500, and then later when we have heritage linked if the price becomes 1600 you don’t need to do anything, it will stall take the margin you want on the pump and the labor. And maybe you add a second item which is a new electrical whip. Price is $20 and your margins on that may be 150% because you set your margins at 150 for anything between 20-50 etc (just examples, use what margins you want)

 

Then when it is presented to the client is pump installed with all parts and labor included for $3126.89 or whatever the number is based on your labor rate and your margins for products. 

This ensures you hit your margins on each job, makes it so you don’t need to update things, if you update anything it will be just your labor rate or your margins you are adding. The number is presented to the client as one number and not broken down which is how I run my business (you may be different) but this makes things so much easier and guarantees margins.

And then it would be even more better if you could build three options for a good better and best, they click the one they want, sign your iPad for approval and you are on your way to install. 

5 replies

  • New Member
  • December 19, 2025

Thank you for this summary. This is exactly the pricing model we want to implement - presenting a single price to the customer with labor and part elements broken out on the back end for accounting. We are new to Skimmer - is this something you are currently doing with Skimmer or is this a feature suggestion?


Forum|alt.badge.img+3

I think we should be looking at HVAC, electrical, plumbers who are all a decade ahead of us. Im in a best practices group and they are running trades much more profitable. Here is what I would like to see in Skimmer for pricing a job

Set a Job Install Pump. That is the job. In the job you set time. Two hours. In the system you set your $250/hr for labor. So it knows it needs to charge $500 for labor. Then when you select the job there is  an add product feature and you select the product from your catalog. So say you select a pump and the cost is $1500. you set in the settings all products between $1000-2000 get a 75% margin on them. So if the pump is 1500, and then later when we have heritage linked if the price becomes 1600 you don’t need to do anything, it will stall take the margin you want on the pump and the labor. And maybe you add a second item which is a new electrical whip. Price is $20 and your margins on that may be 150% because you set your margins at 150 for anything between 20-50 etc (just examples, use what margins you want)

 

Then when it is presented to the client is pump installed with all parts and labor included for $3126.89 or whatever the number is based on your labor rate and your margins for products. 

This ensures you hit your margins on each job, makes it so you don’t need to update things, if you update anything it will be just your labor rate or your margins you are adding. The number is presented to the client as one number and not broken down which is how I run my business (you may be different) but this makes things so much easier and guarantees margins.

And then it would be even more better if you could build three options for a good better and best, they click the one they want, sign your iPad for approval and you are on your way to install. 

I applaud you for this thinking!!  I am always ranting about pricing in our industry and how too many race to the bottom.  We are a trade and should be priced as such, not giving away service as many do now. 


Dean Big Family
General Member
  • Author
  • General Member
  • December 22, 2025

This is something I am suggesting that they do to improve and help push the industry forward 


Dean Big Family
General Member
  • Author
  • General Member
  • December 22, 2025

I think we should be looking at HVAC, electrical, plumbers who are all a decade ahead of us. Im in a best practices group and they are running trades much more profitable. Here is what I would like to see in Skimmer for pricing a job

Set a Job Install Pump. That is the job. In the job you set time. Two hours. In the system you set your $250/hr for labor. So it knows it needs to charge $500 for labor. Then when you select the job there is  an add product feature and you select the product from your catalog. So say you select a pump and the cost is $1500. you set in the settings all products between $1000-2000 get a 75% margin on them. So if the pump is 1500, and then later when we have heritage linked if the price becomes 1600 you don’t need to do anything, it will stall take the margin you want on the pump and the labor. And maybe you add a second item which is a new electrical whip. Price is $20 and your margins on that may be 150% because you set your margins at 150 for anything between 20-50 etc (just examples, use what margins you want)

 

Then when it is presented to the client is pump installed with all parts and labor included for $3126.89 or whatever the number is based on your labor rate and your margins for products. 

This ensures you hit your margins on each job, makes it so you don’t need to update things, if you update anything it will be just your labor rate or your margins you are adding. The number is presented to the client as one number and not broken down which is how I run my business (you may be different) but this makes things so much easier and guarantees margins.

And then it would be even more better if you could build three options for a good better and best, they click the one they want, sign your iPad for approval and you are on your way to install. 

I applaud you for this thinking!!  I am always ranting about pricing in our industry and how too many race to the bottom.  We are a trade and should be priced as such, not giving away service as many do now. 

 

 

Thanks, we need more people being vocal. I dont really blame the industry, because you dont know what you dont know. There is a great quote by Steve Jobs.  The customer does not know what they really want, until you show them it. 


Forum|alt.badge.img+3

I think we should be looking at HVAC, electrical, plumbers who are all a decade ahead of us. Im in a best practices group and they are running trades much more profitable. Here is what I would like to see in Skimmer for pricing a job

Set a Job Install Pump. That is the job. In the job you set time. Two hours. In the system you set your $250/hr for labor. So it knows it needs to charge $500 for labor. Then when you select the job there is  an add product feature and you select the product from your catalog. So say you select a pump and the cost is $1500. you set in the settings all products between $1000-2000 get a 75% margin on them. So if the pump is 1500, and then later when we have heritage linked if the price becomes 1600 you don’t need to do anything, it will stall take the margin you want on the pump and the labor. And maybe you add a second item which is a new electrical whip. Price is $20 and your margins on that may be 150% because you set your margins at 150 for anything between 20-50 etc (just examples, use what margins you want)

 

Then when it is presented to the client is pump installed with all parts and labor included for $3126.89 or whatever the number is based on your labor rate and your margins for products. 

This ensures you hit your margins on each job, makes it so you don’t need to update things, if you update anything it will be just your labor rate or your margins you are adding. The number is presented to the client as one number and not broken down which is how I run my business (you may be different) but this makes things so much easier and guarantees margins.

And then it would be even more better if you could build three options for a good better and best, they click the one they want, sign your iPad for approval and you are on your way to install. 

I applaud you for this thinking!!  I am always ranting about pricing in our industry and how too many race to the bottom.  We are a trade and should be priced as such, not giving away service as many do now. 

 

 

Thanks, we need more people being vocal. I dont really blame the industry, because you dont know what you dont know. There is a great quote by Steve Jobs.  The customer does not know what they really want, until you show them it. 

I agree that while we need more people to be vocal, we also need more people willing to listen. This industry is currently plagued by a "race to the bottom" mentality. Although it may not be a popular opinion, I see a shift on the horizon.

 

Private equity firms have noticed our industry and are beginning to enter the market, similar to the trends we saw in plumbing or the current consolidation of dental practices. They recognize the opportunity to purchase companies at low rates and then increase service to then increase pricing and margins. The companies participating in the "race to the bottom" will be the first to fail because they lack the resources and knowledge to compete with PE firms.

 

We must be more vocal and united regarding our pricing. We control the market, yet we do very little to actually manage it or support one another.  A few in our area are trying to organize a meeting for local owners to provide education on pricing, margins, and how to properly analyze a P&L statement. I have even considered offering consulting services, as there are currently very limited resources available for these business fundamentals in our industry.