4. Pricing and Catalog
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5 minute read
Pricing is hard. Your time is valuable. You need to be compensated fairly for your skills and expertise. Put simply, this needs to be “worth your time”. When it comes to “skilled labor”, the customer isn’t paying for raw human output, like in coal mining or farm labor. They’re paying for your knowledge, experience, and ability to solve problems efficiently. You should price accordingly.
Let’s set some baseline pricing for your services. You can adjust these up or down based on your market, experience, and the value you provide. These are just (AI-assisted) guidelines to get you started. In your municpality or region, you may be able to charge more or less.
Business Hours - Hourly (Break/Fix)
This is the idea of charging by the hour for specific tasks or projects. This is common for one-off jobs or emergency support. You should probably round up to the nearest 15 minutes for billing purposes.
- $120–$160/hr
Standard Business Hours are defined as Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 6 PM, excluding public holidays.
After Hours - Hourly (Break/Fix)
This is for support outside of normal business hours, such as evenings, weekends, or holidays. This is typically charged at a premium rate due to the inconvenience and urgency.
- $180–$250/hr
After Hours are defined as any time outside of Standard Business Hours.
Managed Devices
When establishing a proposal and contract for the client, you should enumerate the number of devices you will be managing. This typically includes desktops, laptops, tablets, and possibly mobile devices. Servers and NAS devices are usually billed separately.
These prices represent a monthly fee per device which means the client gets up to specified number of hours of support for that device each month. Any additional support beyond that is billed at your hourly rate. In the examples below, we’ll assume 4 hours of support per device per month is included.
Workstations/PCs/Laptops/Tablets
This is a monthly fee per device that covers ongoing maintenance, updates, monitoring, and support. You can tier your offerings based on the level of service provided.
- Essentials: $50–$75/device/month
- Standard: $90–$125/device/month
- Premium: $150–$225/device/month
As for what Essentials, Standard, and Premium include, that’s up to you. But generally:
| Tier | Inclusions |
|---|---|
| Essentials | Basic monitoring, updates, antivirus (up to 4 hours) |
| Standard | Essentials + regular maintenance, helpdesk (up to 8 hours) |
| Premium | Standard + priority support, advanced security (up to 12 hours) |
And in the proposal/contract, this should include a certain number of support hours per month, with additional hours billed at your hourly rate.
Servers/NAS
Servers and NAS devices typically require more specialized knowledge and maintenance. You should charge a higher rate for these devices.
- $150–$300/server/month
Network Devices
This includes routers, switches, firewalls, and access points. These devices are critical for network performance and security. Managed platforms like Unifi are deeply complex and requires keeping up with specialized knowledge.
- $50–$150/device/month
Projects
For larger projects that require significant time and resources, you should provide a project-based quote. This could include things like network redesigns, new PC setups, backup implementations, etc. Here are some ballpark figures:
| Project Type | Price Range | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Network Cleanup | $399–$899 | Cleaning up a messy network setup, removing old devices, optimizing configurations |
| New PC Setup | $199–$299 per system | Setting up new computers with OS, software, and configurations |
| Wi-Fi Redesign | $699+ | Designing and implementing a new Wi-Fi network for better coverage and performance |
| Backup Implementation | $499–$1299 | Setting up a comprehensive backup solution for data protection |
Putting It All Together
When creating a proposal for a client, you can mix and match these pricing models based on their needs. For example, you might charge a monthly fee for managed devices, plus an hourly rate for any break/fix support outside of that scope.
Don’t Change Your Price
Do not underprice - you’re not Geek Squad. Don’t let a customer negotiate you down to a rate that doesn’t respect your time and expertise. If they balk at your pricing, it’s a sign that they may not be the right client for you.
Focus on the value you provide, not just the time you spend. Your expertise and ability to solve problems efficiently are what clients are paying for.
If they want a lower price, your response should be to reduce the scope of work, not the price itself. For example, you could offer to manage fewer devices or provide a lower level of service.
“What you manage” and “what you charge” are the only two variables. Your customer is going to want you to reduce what you charge, but you should counter by reducing what you manage.
Be Clear About What’s Included and Excluded
Make sure everyone is clear on what services are included in your pricing and what will incur additional charges. This helps avoid misunderstandings and ensures a smooth working relationship.
Example Proposal
Again, just as a starting point, here’s an example of how you might structure a proposal for a small business:
- 4-hour response time guarantee
- Up to 8 hours of service included
- Additional hours at $125/hour
- Remote monitoring and alerts
- Monthly system health reports
- Email and phone support
- No diagnostic fees
- Rollover up to 4 hours per quarter
- Managed Devices:
- 10 Workstations at $100/device/month = $1,000/month
- 1 Server at $250/server/month = $250/month
- 2 Network Devices at $100/device/month = $200/month
- Total Monthly Fee: $1,450/month
- Break/Fix Support Outside of Scope: $150/hour
The example above assumes the “Standard” plan which includes up to 8 hours of support per device per month. Adjust the numbers based on your pricing and the client’s needs. Think in terms of: Windows Updates, fixing broken backups, eliminating malware, fixing slow computers, etc.