Field notes
Pricing the install day you keep undercharging
Studio and trade businesses often price the product and gift the install — how to see the real contribution before the next quote goes out.
In margin reviews we often find a handsome product margin hiding a thin or negative install day. Travel, parking, remakes, and the second trip to “just tweak” the fit rarely appear in the quote template.
A practical fix is to price install as its own line with a minimum call-out, then decide consciously when to discount it for strategic clients. Gifted install should be a choice, not a reflex. Track two months of actual install hours against quotes; the spreadsheet usually ends the argument faster than a debate in the van.
If you already sense which jobs leave you tired and poor, bring those invoices to a Profit Margin Review — we will stress-test them against labour you actually paid.