Two similar clients, two very different fees
A plumber with one van and a Xero file came in last month and was quoted by one partner. A decorator with almost the same setup came in this month and was quoted by the other. The fees are noticeably different, and when you ask why, both partners have a sensible answer that does not really explain the gap.
Then the decorator mentions the plumber is a friend of theirs. It is not a comfortable call.
Where the inconsistency comes from
Pricing bookkeeping means estimating future effort from a short conversation. One person asks about transaction volume and VAT; another asks about the number of bank accounts and whether the client keeps receipts. Each question changes the answer, and without a fixed set, quotes follow the conversation rather than the work.
Your pricing sheet, if there is one, often sits in a spreadsheet only one partner edits, with rates that were right two years ago. Nobody checks a new quote against what similar existing clients actually cost you to serve.
What inconsistent quoting costs
Underpriced clients soak up capacity, and overpriced ones walk away or feel cheated when they compare notes. Proposals take longer than they should because each one starts from a blank page or an old document. And when a partner is away, quoting stalls, because nobody else feels able to price.
| Discovery question | Why it moves the price |
|---|---|
| Bank, card and loan accounts | Each needs reconciling every period |
| Bank feed available | Manual statements take far longer |
| Sales channels and payment platforms | Each settlement needs matching |
| VAT registration and frequency | Adds a deadline and review per return |
| Payroll or CIS needed | Separate service lines and deadlines |
| State of the current books | Clean-up work before monthly service |
How we build a consistent quoting tool
- We sit with your partners and turn your pricing approach into explicit rules: the drivers, the rates and the adjustments you already make in your heads.
- The discovery form asks the same questions every time, whether it is filled in on a call or sent to the prospect beforehand.
- The tool calculates a fee from your rules, and shows the breakdown so the person quoting can see what drives it.
- It also looks up existing clients with a similar profile, using activity from your Xero or QuickBooks files, and shows what they pay and how much effort they take.
- Anyone can adjust the final figure, but an adjustment needs a short reason, which is kept for later review.
- The accepted quote generates a proposal and engagement letter from your templates, and the assumptions are stored against the client for future fee reviews.
If you already use a proposal tool, we feed it the calculated fee and assumptions rather than replace it.
Rates change, so the rules live in a settings screen your partners control rather than in code. When you decide to raise the rate for manual statement work or add a charge for a new payment platform, you change it once and every future quote uses it. Old quotes keep the rules they were priced on, so you can always see how a fee was reached.
Pricing that anyone in the firm can do
Quotes come out consistent because the questions and rules are the same. A manager can price a straightforward client without waiting for a partner, and the partner reviews the unusual ones. When a client asks why they pay what they pay, the answer is written down. Later, when volume changes, you have the original assumptions to compare against.
Check your own quoting
- Similar clients pay noticeably different fees.
- Only one or two people feel able to price new work.
- Your pricing sheet has not been updated in years.
- Proposals start from the last proposal someone sent.
- You cannot say what assumptions a client's fee was based on.