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Price increase letter to customers
“Hi Dana, a heads-up so it’s not a surprise on your bill: from January 1, your biweekly clean will be $155 instead of $140. It’s to cover higher supply and fuel costs.” Name both prices, the start date and one true reason, then stop. The rule that matters most is notice: a regular should hear the new price before the visit it applies to, never for the first time on an invoice.
Write the price notice
Send it before the visit the new price applies to, never with the invoice. Give one honest reason and leave the apology out.
Your message
Subject: New price for [job or service] from [start date] Hi [customer name], We wanted to let you know ahead of time that from [start date], the price for [job or service] will go from [current price] to [new price]. The increase covers [the costs that went up]. If you have any questions, give us a call or drop us a line. Thanks for sticking with us. [your name]
How much notice should you give before raising prices?
For recurring customers, at least one full billing cycle, and closer to a month for anyone on a weekly or biweekly schedule. That gives them time to budget, ask a question or line up someone else without feeling ambushed. Open quotes keep the price they were written at until they expire, and new quotes for work after the start date carry the new rate.
If you have a written service agreement with a customer, read its notice clause first, because what it says beats any rule of thumb. January 1 and the start of your busy season are easy dates to pick. The change lines up with something the customer already notices, and you only have the conversation once a year.
Should you give a reason for a price increase?
Yes, in one sentence, and make it true: supplies, fuel, insurance, the wage you now pay a helper. Then stop. A long apology tells the customer the number is up for discussion, and words like “unfortunately” make a normal business decision sound like bad news. Don’t promise it’s the last increase either; you will raise prices again, and they will remember.
What do you say when a customer pushes back?
Thank them for telling you, repeat the new price and what it covers, and be clear about whether there is any give. If there is, make it a change in the work, such as a visit every three weeks instead of two or a shorter list of rooms, rather than the same job for less. If there isn’t, say so kindly and leave the door open.
What usually goes wrong is caving for whoever complains loudest. Your quiet customers then pay the new rate while the loud ones keep the old one, and neighbors do compare. If you make exceptions, set the rule before the notices go out and apply it to everyone who fits.
Frequently asked questions
Should I grandfather long-time customers at the old price?
For a while, not forever. Keeping a customer of many years on the old rate until summer, or raising them by less, costs little and earns real goodwill. Grandfathering with no end date is where it goes wrong: after a few rounds you have regulars paying rates from years ago, and the gap only grows. Put the end date in the message.
Should the letter show the old price as well as the new one?
Yes. Leaving the old price out looks like you hope nobody notices, and they will check their last bill anyway. Old price, new price and start date in one sentence lets the customer see the real difference and react to that, rather than to the word “increase”.
Will I lose customers if I raise my prices?
Maybe a few, so work out how many you could lose and still come out ahead. With 40 regulars at $140 a visit, moving to $155 means you could lose 3 and still earn more per round: 37 × $155 = $5,735, against 40 × $140 = $5,600. Losing 4 would put you behind, at $5,580, though with fewer stops to drive to.