Heard a customer say something that made me rethink my pricing

Last Friday this guy in an old F-150 comes in with a rough idle. I quoted him 4 hours diag time at $110 an hour. He just nodded and said 'that's less than my shrink charges in 45 minutes.' Stuck with me. I've been undercharging for years out of fear people would balk. Any other mechanics out there dealing with imposter syndrome on rates?

3 comments

3 Comments

marywilson26d ago

Hold on, is this really that deep? You heard one guy compare your shop rate to his therapist. OK. That doesn't mean you've been wrong. Some people pay a lot for therapy, some people think $400 for an oil change is a deal. One dude's comment doesn't rewrite your whole business plan. I'd be more worried about the guy who says nothing and just walks out. That tells you something. This just tells you he likes his shrink.

hollyl2526d ago

Wait, @marywilson, don't you think that kind of comparison actually matters more to customers than we give it credit for? A guy bringing up his therapist isn't just random, he's trying to understand what he's paying for by matching it to another big expense in his life. Dismissing that misses the chance to see how your shop fits into their bigger picture of value.

robin62826d ago

Man, I gotta disagree a little here. The guy who walks out quietly might not be mad, he could just not care enough to argue. But the one who brings up his therapist is actually engaging with you, even if it feels weird. He's trying to make sense of the price in his own head, and that's worth paying attention to because it shows how your rate compares to other things he values. Ignoring that feedback could mean missing a clue about what your customers are really thinking.