27 September 2026 · 6 min read · Oscar Markham
How to raise your prices without losing customers
Almost every owner-run business we work with is charging less than it should, usually because the price was set years ago when they were starting and has crept up with inflation rather than with skill. Here is how to fix that without a painful month.
Raise it for new customers first
You do not have to tell anybody. Quote the new price on the next enquiry and see what happens.
Most businesses discover the conversion rate barely moves, which tells them the old price was never the reason people were saying yes. That is the cheapest possible test and it takes a fortnight.
Existing customers are a separate decision
Recurring customers deserve notice — a month is normal and decent — and an explanation that is honest rather than apologetic. Costs have risen, the service has improved, this is the new rate.
Expect to lose a few. The ones you lose are almost always the ones who took the most time and complained most, and the maths usually improves immediately even with fewer customers.
Raise the floor, not everything
If a full increase feels too much, start with a minimum call-out or minimum job value. It removes the small jobs that consume a day and earn nothing, without touching your rate for real work.
That single change is frequently worth more than a percentage increase across the board.
- Quote the new price to new enquiries only, first
- Set or raise a minimum job value
- Give recurring customers a month's notice
- Stop discounting to close — it trains people to ask
- Re-quote anything that has been sitting more than six weeks
What to do when someone pushes back
Have a number you will not go below and know it before the conversation. Saying 'that is the price' calmly, once, works more often than people expect.
If you discount because somebody asked, you have taught them and everybody they talk to that your price is negotiable, and you will be doing it forever.
The test that settles it
If you are busy and turning work away, you are underpriced. If you are quoting constantly and winning most of it, you are underpriced.
Winning roughly half your quotes at a price you are happy with is about right. Winning nearly all of them means the price is too low, not that you are good at selling.
Written by Oscar Markham, founder of Dublin Growth Digital. We run lead generation for Irish estate agents and trades, reported every Friday in enquiries and booked work.