A pricing session answers one question: does each kind of job you do make money once every cost is counted? Ali works from your own recent invoices, not industry averages, and by the end you'll know which job types are carrying the company and which are quietly draining it.
Who this session is for
This is the right first session if your techs are busy, your revenue is growing, and yet the bank balance never seems to catch up. It also suits owners who haven't changed their prices in two or more years, or who set them by matching the company down the road.
It's less useful if you're a solo operator who isn't sure yet whether to stay solo. In that case, the hiring and owner-time session usually comes first.
What Ali looks at, with a worked example
The session starts with a real job. Here's the kind of maths Ali walks through, using round numbers you can swap for your own:
| Item on a furnace repair call | Example |
|---|---|
| Price charged | $395 |
| Tech time on site (1.5 h at $55/h loaded wage) | $83 |
| Drive time both ways (1 h) | $55 |
| Truck cost for the call | $30 |
| Parts at cost | $90 |
| Share of overhead (office, insurance, software, rent) | $95 |
| Callback allowance (1 in 10 calls returns, same cost) | $35 |
| What's left | $7 |
On paper the job looked fine: $395 in, $90 in parts. Counted properly, it made $7. Owners are often surprised by two lines in particular: the drive time, which never appears on an invoice, and the callback allowance, which nobody budgets for until it's counted.
Ali repeats the exercise for your main job types: diagnostic calls, repairs, maintenance visits, replacements and installs. The result is a simple table showing what each job type actually earns per hour your techs are out of the shop.
What's included
- a review of a handful of recent invoices for each main job type
- the true-cost table above, built with your figures
- a target price, or price range, for each job type
- a plan for when and how to raise prices: which customers hear first, what the techs say, and what goes in writing
- a short list of numbers to track from now on, so next year's review takes an hour instead of a day
If you'd like a template to prepare with, the guide on the numbers to bring to a session lists every figure Ali will ask for.
Timeline and how results are measured
Preparation takes most owners an evening of pulling invoices. The session itself, plus the written summary afterwards, is scheduled once you've agreed to the written quote.
Results show up in your own books, not in a report from Ali. The two measures that matter are gross margin by job type and net profit per technician. Check both monthly for the first quarter after a price change. Ali will also suggest one early warning sign to watch, usually the share of quotes customers accept, so you know quickly if a price has gone too far.
Mistakes Ali sees most often
- Pricing from the competitor's website. Their costs aren't yours, and their published price may not be what they actually charge.
- Leaving drive time out. In a spread-out service area it can be a third of a tech's day.
- Raising every price by the same percentage. Some job types need a big correction and others none at all.
- Apologising for the increase. A short, plain explanation in writing works better than a discount offered in advance.
- Changing prices and marketing at the same time. Do one, measure it, then do the other, or you won't know which change did what.
Where to go next
A healthier price list often makes a service-agreement program worth building, because you can finally price the plan above cost. If you also want to look at your financial KPIs in more depth, hvac.accountant focuses on financial KPIs and profit coaching for HVAC owners. Otherwise, check how sessions are quoted on the pricing page, then call, text or email Ali with your two most common job types and what you charge for them.
Frequently asked questions
Will Ali tell me what other companies in my city charge?
No. He doesn't share other owners' figures, and copying a competitor's price ignores your own costs. The session builds your price from what your jobs cost you to deliver.
Do I need flat-rate pricing?
Not necessarily. Flat rate makes quoting consistent, but it only works if the rates are built from real labour, drive and callback figures. Ali will help you decide whether it suits your company's size and work mix.
What if my bookkeeping isn't clean?
Bring what you have. Rough numbers are enough to find the job types that are clearly underpriced, and the session will list which figures to start tracking properly.
Is this tax or accounting advice?
No. It's business strategy around pricing. Your accountant should still handle your books, tax and financial statements.