Residential cleaning
How many clients can you lose after a raise?
Here is the math for residential cleaning. It shows how many clients could go before you make less.
| You raise | This many of every 100 clients can leave |
|---|---|
| 3% | 2.9 |
| 5% | 4.7 |
| 7% | 6.5 |
| 10% | 9 |
| 15% | 13 |
Lose that many and you still bring in what you do now. Lose fewer and you come out ahead.
An example
Say you have 100 clients at $75 a clean. Raise 5% and a clean is $78.75. Then 4 clients could leave and you would still bring in more than you do now. Everyone who stays pays more for the same work.
Why a few can go
A raise brings in more from every client who stays. So a few can go before you are behind.
The table counts only what clients pay you. Fewer cleans also means less time and less money spent on the work. Count that too, and you are even further ahead.
When to raise
The new year is when clients expect prices to change. A raise lands best just before it. Give clients 30 to 60 days of warning, so send your note in November. source
The math
Raise prices by r, and up to r ÷ (1 + r) of your clients can leave. For 5% that is 0.05 ÷ 1.05. That comes to 4.7 of every 100, rounded down.
Abacus does this math on your own Jobber book before you raise. How to raise prices in Jobber · What to say to clients · Every trade