Signal · Pricing

Price-inelastic clients

Long-tenure, clean-paying, no-credit-note clients — the shortlist most likely to absorb a rate rise without pushback.

Pricing

What the signal measures

Long-tenure, clean-paying, no-credit-note clients — the shortlist most likely to absorb a rate rise without pushback.

Why it matters

Long-tenure clean payers with no history of credit notes have already told you, with their behaviour, that they are not price-sensitive. They are the shortlist most likely to absorb a modest rate rise without pushback — which is why they are the shortlist you should test a rate rise on first, rather than blanket-emailing every client with a 10% increase.

How to act on it

The drafted action is a personalised rate-review email framed as a heads-up, not a negotiation — "as we roll into the new year, our day rate for existing engagements moves to £X from [date]". Test on the top three inelastic clients before considering a broader rate move.

Worked example — fixture consultancy

On the fixture, Acme Consulting (0 credit notes across 17 months, payLag 12 days) and Harbor Group (clean history, payLag 16 days) are prime inelastic candidates. Compass ranks by combination of tenure, clean-pay history, and lack of credit-note noise — the top of the list is where a rate rise is most likely to land smoothly.