Painting
Painting Average Ticket Calculator
Works average ticket, where the lever is scope rather than price.
Result
Raising the average ticket costs nothing in extra marketing, which is what makes it the cheapest growth available. It is also the easiest number to damage by selling work people did not need, and that is a short road.
Get a Free Business AuditHow the calculation works
Revenue divided by jobs completed, with the components shown. The useful reading in painting is that average ticket moves on scope far more easily than on price: a customer having one room painted who also has the hallway, the trim and the ceiling done is a much larger job at the same hourly rate, and the setup is already paid for.
What moves the number
- Scope per job, which is the main lever.
- Interior against exterior mix, which differ in value substantially.
- Whether trim, ceilings and doors are sold alongside walls.
- Minimum charge, which sets the floor.
Where this one goes wrong
Raising average ticket by raising prices meets the competitive pressure in this trade head on, while raising it by scope does not: suggesting the ceiling, the trim or the adjacent room while already on site is a larger job the customer often wants, at a price they find reasonable because the mobilisation is shared. That is the easiest margin available in painting and it is routinely left on the table because nobody asked. The minimum charge protects the other end, since a job below it loses money on setup however willing the customer.
Before you quote
- Raise ticket through scope rather than price.
- Suggest adjacent surfaces and rooms while on site.
- Hold a minimum charge that covers setup and cleanup.
Questions
About this calculator
How do I increase average ticket in painting?
Through scope rather than price. Suggesting the ceiling, the trim or the adjacent room while already on site produces a larger job at a price the customer finds reasonable, because the setup and protection are already paid for. It is the easiest margin in the trade.
Why not just raise prices?
Because the competitive pressure in painting is intense and raising prices meets it directly. Raising the scope of each job does not, since the customer is comparing the additional work against doing it separately later rather than against another painter's quote.
Should I take jobs below my minimum?
Not routinely, because setup, protection and cleanup cost similar time whatever the job size, so a small job below the minimum loses money. Batching several small jobs into one visit is the way to serve those customers without absorbing the mobilisation each time.
The formula
average ticket = revenue / jobs completed
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How to use this calculator
- Revenue for the period ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $40,000.
- Jobs completed. Enter your own figure; the page starts at 14.
- Increase you want to test ($). Enter your own figure; the page starts at $60.
The result updates as you type, so you can try a figure, see what it does to average ticket, and change it back. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere or saved.
A worked example
These are the figures the calculator opens with. Every number in the results column below is produced by the same calculation the page runs, so you can follow it through before putting your own figures in.
What goes in
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Revenue for the period | $40,000 |
| Jobs completed | 14 |
| Increase you want to test | $60 |
What comes out
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Average ticket main result | $2,857 |
| With the increase | $2,917 |
| Extra per month | $840 |
| Extra per year | $10,080 |
Your average ticket is $2,857. Adding $60 to it is worth $10,080 a year on the same number of jobs.
How sensitive the answer is
Holding everything else steady and changing only revenue for the period, this is what happens to average ticket. It is worth knowing which of your inputs the answer actually hinges on, and which barely move it.
| Revenue for the period ($) | Average ticket |
|---|---|
| $20,000 | $1,429 |
| $30,000 | $2,143 |
| $40,000 example above | $2,857 |
| $60,000 | $4,286 |
| $80,000 | $5,714 |
Every other input is held at the example value while this one changes, which is not how a real job behaves. Treat it as a guide to which number matters most, not as five separate quotes.
What each figure means
- Revenue for the period ($)
- A money amount, starting at $40,000.
- Jobs completed
- A number, between 0 and 20000, starting at 14.
- Increase you want to test ($)
- A money amount, starting at $60.
What the results tell you
| Result | What it is |
|---|---|
| Average ticket | The headline result. A money figure. |
| With the increase | A money figure. |
| Extra per month | A money figure. |
| Extra per year | A money figure. |
Estimating is the easy part
The jobs you never hear about cost more than the ones you mis-measure. BDEVY builds the marketing, systems and automation that bring them in.