The price list has one line. The invoices have three hundred prices.

Most firms can tell you their list price and their average discount. The distance between those two facts is where a surprising amount of margin quietly lives.

By Steve 5 min read
Abstract bridge artwork for The price list has one line. The invoices have three hundred prices.

Ask a management team what they charge and you will usually get a clean answer: a list price, a standard discount, maybe a tiered structure for larger accounts. Ask instead what each customer actually pays, net of everything, and the clean answer dissolves. In most businesses that have been trading for more than a few years, the realised price for the same product or service varies far more widely across the customer base than anyone at the top believes, and the variation rarely maps onto anything strategic. This is not…

Keep reading for free

Create an account to read the rest.

The whole library is free. No card, no subscription, no trial that quietly ends. An account simply lets us know who we are writing for, and opens every article from here on.

  • Every article, in full, at no cost
  • New articles published every weekday
  • Takes about twenty seconds
Create a free account I already have one

Free means free. We will not charge you for the library, and you can read as much of it as you like.

Important: General information only. Rialto Bridge articles describe patterns and considerations that may apply to a business; they are not financial, legal, tax or accounting advice, and they take no account of your particular circumstances. Consider your own situation and seek advice from a qualified professional before acting.

More on Pricing

Scroll to Top