One job. Two endings.

A £60,000 job, quoted at 30% margin. Same team, same client, same work. The only difference is Penny.

What happened, and how Penny helped

Week 1

Quote sent. £60,000 at a 30% target margin.

Without Penny: profit £18,000

Quote looks good: 30% margin, £18,000 profit. Fingers crossed!

With Penny: profit £18,000

Week 2

5% discount to win the job.

Without Penny: −£3,000 (profit now £15,000)

Happy to help you win this one. The 5% takes margin to 26%. Trading half of it for a bigger deposit keeps most of the profit.

With Penny: −£1,500 (profit now £16,500)

Week 3

Contract signed. Quote agreed. Everyone celebrates.

Without Penny: profit £15,000

Congratulations! I’ll keep an eye on this one for you.

With Penny: profit £16,500

Week 4

Small extra added early, as goodwill.

Without Penny: −£800 (profit now £14,200)

Lovely gesture. I’ve noted £800 of goodwill so you’ve got the full picture later.

With Penny: −£800 (profit now £15,700)

Week 6

Delay on site.

Without Penny: −£1,200 (profit now £13,000)

Quick heads up: 3 days behind with 35 to go. Moving the fitters to Thursday gets it back on plan.

With Penny: −£600 (profit now £15,100)

Week 7

Supplier puts prices up.

Without Penny: −£1,500 (profit now £11,500)

Good news in the small print: your terms let you pass on the 6% supplier rise. Worth raising with the client this week?

With Penny: −£500 (profit now £14,600)

Week 8

Ordering mistake.

Without Penny: −£900 (profit now £10,600)

Just double checking: this order is different from the quoted spec. Worth a look before it ships?

With Penny: −£200 (profit now £14,400)

Week 9

Realised something was missing from the quote.

Without Penny: −£1,200 (profit now £9,400)

Spotted it early: the upstands are in the spec but not on the quote. Are you planning a variation for the client? Happy to send you the figures for it.

With Penny: −£600 (profit now £13,800)

Week 10

Client asks for a small extra. Given free to make up for the delays.

Without Penny: −£700 (profit now £8,700)

Totally your call. You’ve already given £800 of goodwill here, so quoting this one at cost would still feel generous.

With Penny: nothing lost (profit £13,800)

Week 11

Client asks for a £2,400 extra. Fitted, but accounts never hear about it.

Without Penny: −£1,400 (profit now £7,300)

Before I forget: the £2,400 extra was fitted Tuesday. I’ve sent Jo the details so it’s on this week’s invoices.

With Penny: +£1,000 (profit now £14,800)

An example job to show how small fixes add up. Your figures will differ.