Positive profit and the desired percentage margin are different tests. The margin denominator is revenue.
Try this with your own numbersFormula and worked example
Maximum discount = (1 − cost / ((1 − margin) × current price)) × 100
| Input | Example |
|---|---|
| Current price | 1,000 |
| All assigned cost | 650 |
| Minimum retained margin | 20 % |
| Calculated result | 18.75 % |
Choose reliable inputs
Account for delivery time, review work and when you expect to be paid for each engagement. For this real estate agency calculation, use time sheets, engagement scopes and invoice ageing and a consistent definition of one completed sale.
- Marketing: include the portion belonging to this completed sale or reporting period, and record where the value came from.
- Agent time: include the portion belonging to this completed sale or reporting period, and record where the value came from.
- Transaction support: include the portion belonging to this completed sale or reporting period, and record where the value came from.
Use the same currency for every money input. Do not mix weekly costs with monthly revenue, or count the same expense in both an itemised cost and allocated overhead.
Can a profitable job still fail my margin target?
Positive profit and the desired percentage margin are different tests. The margin denominator is revenue.
A negative answer means the current price already fails the target margin.
What if this input changes?
If current price rises by 10%, this example changes by 7.3864 %. This shows the effect of one change; it does not predict what will happen.
Open the calculator, save your baseline, then change the input supported by the least reliable estimate in your records. Compare both scenarios before committing to a price or capacity promise.