By Artem Korsakov ·
The article was prompted by a routine case: Artem from trike_dev noticed that the property management company had raised its fees. We will not judge their expenses or work quality, but it is useful to ask the same question about your own proposal: "What am I now paying more for?"
Why New Amounts Meet Resistance
A buyer compares the new price with the result they have become accustomed to receiving. If the executor's responsibilities are not visible, a price increase is perceived as a change in amount with unchanged content. Even an objective reason remains unclear until it is linked to a specific service.
Try looking at your notification through the client's eyes. Can it be understood from it what will change in the work? Where is the previous volume? Which expenses are now billed separately? If these questions require a personal answer to each client, the explanation should be consolidated in one place.
What to Include in Justifying a Price Increase
Distinguish three situations: the previous volume became more expensive, new tasks were added, or the level of service changed. Their consequences for the client are different. More visits for a new price and previous visits at a new rate sound very differently to the client.
In the change card, specify:
- previous and new versions of terms;
- calculation unit: month, object, request, or stage;
- specific changes in scope;
- grounds that can be explained and confirmed if necessary;
- start date and procedure for discussing terms.
Do not embellish reasons. If a company revises its price without expanding work, it is more honest to say so directly, describing available options. There is no need to invent improvements that the client will not see.
How to Show Comparison Without a Complex Estimate
Working example: maintenance included four scheduled visits for 40,000 RUB per month. The new option costs 48,000 RUB and includes six visits. Comparison shows both the total amount and the change in volume. The numbers are hypothetical and do not reflect market prices.
Подпись: Working example. The amount increased by 20%, and the number of visits by 50%. The comparison is honest only if there are no other services in the package or they are also shown.
However, dividing the amount by visits and declaring a benefit is premature: the package might include consultations and standby support. These must also be named. A good table preserves identical rows in both versions and explicitly highlights added services.
Clients care about the total burden. If a new base price is lower, but mandatory operations are billed separately, the comparison must include them in the total calculation. Otherwise, a neatly formatted document creates a false impression.
Where Digital Proposals Help
Instead of sending multiple files, provide a page with the current offer and history of changes. The client expands the necessary item, sees included work, limitations, and questions still under discussion. The manager understands which version the interlocutor is referring to.
For a first version, a list of services, two saved options, comments, and an approval mark are sufficient. Automatic billing, accounting, and legally significant signing require separate design. The presence of an "Accept" button does not create them on its own.
What Can Be Entrusted to AI
AI can prepare a draft explanation from approved changes, highlight differences between versions, and suggest clearer wording. However, prices, grounds, and obligations must come from a verified source.
It is most dangerous to entrust the assistant with explaining why prices have increased on its own: it might write a convincing reason that does not actually exist. The practical order is as follows: the responsible person confirms changes, the system inserts amounts, AI helps formulate the meaning, and a manager checks the ready text.
How to Check if Clients Understand Better
Take several real questions regarding the last offer and check if there are answers directly on the page. Separately record requests to explain prices, errors in versions, and cases where approved scope did not match the invoice. Fewer questions is a good sign, but it does not yet mean that everyone accepts the new price.
View the transparent proposal prototype. Its task is to give the client the ability to compare scope and ask a question about a specific item. To discuss your own solution, prepare two versions of the offer and an example of a change that was difficult to explain for a long time.
Related reading: Business Transparency: Why Disclose Clients, Connections, and Terms; Contractor Work Quality: Why It Is Difficult to Prove Before a Deal.
Частые вопросы ### Is it necessary to disclose the full cost price to the client?
No. You can explain the scope of services, boundaries, and changes in terms without disclosing internal economics. The level of detail is determined by agreements and the nature of work. It is important that the explanation does not create a false impression about included services.
Can consent be guaranteed after such an explanation?
No. Transparency helps make an informed decision, including refusal or choosing a smaller volume. If the offer does not fit the budget, an understandable page cannot replace negotiations and scope review.