Signal · Pricing

Rate dispersion

The same service line delivered at very different unit rates across clients — where a consistent price policy could raise the floor.

Pricing

What the signal measures

The same service line delivered at very different unit rates across clients — where a consistent price policy could raise the floor.

Why it matters

When the same service line is being sold at very different unit rates to different clients, some clients are being under-served and some are being over-charged, and neither pattern is stable. Dispersion is often historical — a client onboarded at your rate three years ago, another onboarded last month. The signal identifies which service lines have the widest spread so you can normalise.

How to act on it

For clients materially below the median rate, the drafted action is a rate-alignment conversation — the price-inelastic-clients signal tells you which of those clients are safest to lift first. For clients materially above, no change needed — they are already paying you what you'd like.

Worked example — fixture consultancy

On the fixture, day rates range from £400 (Dovetail) to £1000 (Brightwave, Foundry) across the consulting-income line. Compass surfaces the dispersion, not as an accusation, but as a fact that has drifted over the life of the book and is now a candidate for deliberate alignment.