For a quote-gated platform the demo call is the price page. Going in with the questions written down changes what you leave with.
Why this matters more than it used to
Of the three most-recommended platforms for a shop this size, one publishes no price at all. Its page names three tiers, lists features, states the model is per-technician, and asks for a demo. The first real number arrives on a call.
That call is therefore not a product walkthrough. It is the pricing page, delivered verbally, by someone whose job is the sale.
Give your numbers once, then ask for theirs
Prepare: technician count, office seat count, monthly invoice volume, monthly card volume, current processing rate, current software spend, and your service-versus-installation revenue split.
Giving these once, up front, saves an hour and signals you will be comparing.
The twelve questions, all of which want an email
1. What is the rate at my headcount, on the tier you are recommending?
2. What exactly is a billable unit — technicians only, or every login?
3. What is the minimum billable count?
4. What does the next seat cost?
5. Can seats be reduced mid-term, and does the bill fall?
6. What is the contract term?
7. What is the renewal rate at the end of it?
8. What is the onboarding or implementation fee, and what does it include?
9. What is the card processing rate, and the ACH rate?
10. How long does your median customer at my size take to go live?
11. What does not migrate from my current system?
12. What can I export if I leave, and in what format?
Ask for all twelve in writing before a second call. What comes back — and what does not — is more informative than the demo.
The comparison to run afterwards
Take the written answers and put them against the published numbers you already have: Jobber at USD 49 to USD 699 monthly with no commitment across its grid, with USD 29 per additional user, Housecall Pro at USD 79 to USD 329 monthly, both with published processing rates. Ask any vendor quoting you an introductory rate what the renewal rate is and when it starts — Jobber publishes both, which is how you can see the step at all.
That is a real comparison built from a vendor page and a vendor email. It is the only kind this site recommends, and it is the only kind it publishes.
Sources
- ServiceTitan — quote gated confirmed, read
- Jobber — primary vendor pricing page, read
- Housecall Pro — primary vendor pricing page, read
Vendor pricing changes without notice. Every figure above carries the date it was read. If a vendor’s current page disagrees with this one, the vendor’s page is right and this one is stale — and that is a bug worth reporting.
