Brian: You can't price your services accurately unless you KNOW how long it takes to do a given operation. I originally purchased the rate guide that Newton Hunt assembled. Then, I started doing time studies on everything I did in the shop, comparing my times against the rate guide's. Your biggest asset in doing this would be a sport watch with a stopwatch feature, i.e. a Timex Ironman watch. It takes a little discipline to remember to use it but is well worth the effort. I found that I did some jobs faster than the guide, some slower but overall it was an accurate predictor of how long you should take on a job. List the jobs you do, time study them and then create your price schedule based on what you need in the way of an hourly rate to be satisfied with your earnings. Don't forget to put a "Murphy" into the time allowances for when things go badly. Also, always mark up the parts you use. Your profit on the parts will pay for any warranty repairs (if necessary) and provide an additional pad if you make a mistake & have to do something over again. Once I quote the customer a price, I hate to have to increase it; the time padding and parts profit make that very unlikely. Plus, if you do come out ahead on hours on the job, the customer will be delighted that the bill is lower than your quote, even if it's only $100 on a $10,000.00 rebuild. I have a retail price schedule that I use with the public. If a dealer or technician has a job for me, I have a set discount for their work. (20% for the trade as a whole, with an additional 5% off for PTG members.) Never quote the public your discounted rates. Sooner or later you'll be giving a quote to someone that has been dealing with a technician you know and you'll "take" the job away from them. You are not likely to get business from them in the future if that happens. Hope this helps. Walter Connell Dallas, TX
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