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Plumbing service: Price a retainer or subscription

Compare the work you have promised with the recurring revenue it will bring.

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Plumbing service / service visit economics
Price a retainer or subscription

Compare the work you have promised with the recurring revenue it will bring. Start with a completed job sheet, supplier quotes and a crew schedule. Each example below uses hypothetical values you can replace.

Step 01

Retainer Delivery Hours Available

Set a delivery-hour envelope for a recurring client agreement.

Available hours = (retainer × (1 − margin) − other delivery costs) / hourly cost

Show example inputs and result
Monthly retainer fee3,000
Non-labour monthly delivery cost300
Target contribution margin40 %
Loaded delivery hourly cost45

Result: 33.3333 hours per month.

A negative answer means other costs already exceed the chosen cost envelope. Fixed overhead is not included unless entered.

Open retainer delivery hours available

Worked example · Input checks

Step 02

Service Plan Contribution

Check contribution from a recurring service package.

Annual contribution = plan fee − visits × visit cost − admin cost

Show example inputs and result
Annual plan price360
Included visits per year2
Variable cost per included visit90
Annual member admin cost20

Result: 160 per member per year.

Treat uncertain upsells separately. First test whether the committed included service covers its own costs.

Open service plan contribution

Worked example · Input checks

Step 03

Annual Plan Discount Ceiling

Check how much annual prepayment discount the delivery economics can support.

Maximum discount = (1 − annual cost / ((1 − margin) × monthly price × 12)) × 100

Show example inputs and result
Monthly customer price100
Annual delivery and support cost600
Required annual margin30 %

Result: 28.5714 %.

This margin test excludes the value of earlier collection. A negative ceiling means the undiscounted price misses the target.

Open annual plan discount ceiling

Worked example · Input checks

Step 04

Renewal Revenue Scenario

Model renewal revenue from an eligible customer cohort.

Renewal revenue = eligible customers × renewal rate × fee

Show example inputs and result
Customers eligible for renewal200
Renewal rate80 %
Renewal fee per customer300

Result: 48,000 .

Use only customers actually eligible in the selected period, and keep new sales separate from renewals.

Open renewal revenue scenario

Worked example · Input checks

Step 05

Contribution Lifetime Value

Estimate steady-state contribution lifetime value under constant churn.

Approximate LTV = monthly revenue × contribution margin / monthly churn rate

Show example inputs and result
Monthly revenue per active customer120
Contribution margin50 %
Monthly customer churn5 %

Result: 1,200 per customer.

Small or changing cohorts, zero churn, changing spend, and seasonal retention can make the constant-rate estimate unreliable.

Open contribution lifetime value

Worked example · Input checks

Step 06

Churn Reduction Value

Estimate one-period contribution associated with lower churn.

Additional contribution = starting customers × (old churn − new churn) × contribution

Show example inputs and result
Starting customer cohort500
Current period churn8 %
Scenario period churn5 %
Next-period contribution per retained customer100

Result: 1,500 .

No. This tool uses one-period contribution. Future retained spending should be modeled over its own timing.

Open churn reduction value

Worked example · Input checks

Use the results in your plan

For a plumbing service business, review fittings, access time, and travel across the complete workflow. Use one consistent period and delivery unit: a service visit. Compare the assumptions with recorded outcomes after delivery, then update the estimate.

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