Building Pricing Rules in RuleDox: From Simple to Complex

Pricing rules are where RuleDox saves the most time and prevents the most errors.

Instead of manually multiplying hours by rate, adding customizations, applying discounts, and double-checking numbers, you define the rules once. Then every scope uses those same rules automatically.

This guide shows how to build pricing rules for different business models: hourly, tiered, and add-on based.

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Scenario: You charge $150/hour. Most projects are variations on the same hours.

The rule:

Total Hours = Theme Setup (40h) + Custom Apps ({{num_apps}} × 10h) + QA (8h)
Total Cost = Total Hours × $150

In practice:

Client says "5 custom apps", RuleDox calculates:

• 40 + (5 × 10) + 8 = 58 hours
• 58 × $150 = $8,700

No manual math. No typos. No inconsistency.

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Scenario: You offer 3 service tiers (common in retainer and managed services).

The rule:

IF Tier = "Bronze"
  THEN Base Hours = 20, Base Price = $2,000

IF Tier = "Silver"
  THEN Base Hours = 40, Base Price = $5,000

IF Tier = "Gold"
  THEN Base Hours = 60, Base Price = $10,000

IF Commitment = "6 months"
  THEN Apply 10% discount

IF Commitment = "12 months"
  THEN Apply 15% discount

Total = (Base Price) - (Discount %)

In practice:

Client selects "Gold tier, 12-month commitment"

• Base: $10,000
• Discount: 15% = -$1,500
• Total: $8,500

Every time. No variations. No junior staff miscalculating.

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Scenario: Base service + optional add-ons that clients mix and match.

The rule:

Base Price = $5,000  (SEO retainer)

IF "PPC Audit" selected
  THEN Add $500

IF "Content strategy" selected
  THEN Add $1,500

IF "Competitive analysis" selected
  THEN Add $800

Total = Base + (selected add-ons)

In practice:

Client selects: Base + PPC Audit + Competitive Analysis

• Base: $5,000
• PPC Audit: +$500
• Competitive Analysis: +$800
• Total: $6,300

Each client gets a different total, but it's always calculated from the same rules.

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Scenario: Different project types have different pricing structures.

The rule:

IF Project Type = "Shopify Build"
  THEN Rate = $150/hour

IF Project Type = "Migration"
  THEN Rate = $175/hour (higher complexity)

IF Project Type = "Optimization"
  THEN Rate = $125/hour (lower scope)

Total = (Base Hours) × (Project Type Rate)

In practice:

Project Type: Migration, 50 hours

• Rate: $175/hour (migration premium)
• Total: 50 × $175 = $8,750

Project Type: Build, 50 hours

• Rate: $150/hour
• Total: 50 × $150 = $7,500

Same hours, different project type, different price. Rules enforce it consistently.

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Scenario: You need multiple factors that affect pricing. (Advanced)

This is where manual calculation breaks down. Rules make it automatic.

Example: Shopify Migration with Variables

Base Hours = 40 (theme setup)

Custom Apps: {{num_apps}} × 15 hours
Migration Impact:
  IF complexity = "simple" THEN +10 hours
  IF complexity = "moderate" THEN +20 hours
  IF complexity = "complex" THEN +40 hours

Timeline pressure:
  IF timeline = "4 weeks" THEN multiply hours by 1.3 (rush premium)
  IF timeline = "8 weeks" THEN multiply hours by 1.0 (normal)
  IF timeline = "12+ weeks" THEN multiply hours by 0.85 (early bird discount)

Training:
  IF training_included = "yes" THEN +8 hours

QA and Testing: (Total Hours so far) × 0.15 (15% of total)

Margin Adjustment: +20% (your profit margin)

Total = (All hours calculated above) × $150/hour × 1.20

In practice:

Client: 5 custom apps, moderate migration, 4-week timeline, training included

Let's calculate:

• Base: 40 hours
• Apps: 5 × 15 = 75 hours
• Migration: 20 hours (moderate)
• Timeline: (40 + 75 + 20) × 1.3 = 167 hours
• Training: 8 hours
• QA: 167 × 0.15 = 25 hours
• Total before margin: 240 hours
• With margin: 240 × 1.20 = 288 hours
• Cost: 288 × $150 = $43,200

That's complex. But you wrote the formula once. Now it applies to every scope. Every client gets the same fair pricing.

Without rules? You'd probably guess $40k-45k. Maybe underprice. Maybe forget the complexity adjustment. Rules force accuracy.

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IF project_value < $5,000
  THEN add_percentage = 0%  (baseline)

IF project_value >= $5,000 AND < $15,000
  THEN add_percentage = -5%  (small discount for bigger deals)

IF project_value >= $15,000
  THEN add_percentage = -10%  (bigger discount for bigger deals)

Total = Base × (1 - add_percentage)

Result: Larger deals get smaller margins but higher absolute value.

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IF first_engagement = "yes"
  THEN discount = 0%

IF first_engagement = "no"
  THEN discount = 5%  (5% loyalty discount)

Total = Base × (1 - discount)

Result: Reward repeat customers without changing your base pricing.

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Complexity levels:
  "simple" = 1.0x multiplier
  "moderate" = 1.2x multiplier
  "complex" = 1.5x multiplier

Base Hours × Complexity Multiplier = Adjusted Hours
Adjusted Hours × Rate = Total

Result: More complex projects cost more automatically.

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Timeline:
  "relaxed" (12+ weeks) = 0.9x (discount for time)
  "normal" (8 weeks) = 1.0x (baseline)
  "urgent" (4 weeks) = 1.3x (rush premium)

Hours × Timeline Multiplier = Final Hours

Result: Rush jobs cost more. Early jobs cost less. No negotiation.

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Start here:

1. Write down your current pricing. How much do you charge? Hourly? Per project? Per tier?
2. Identify what changes. Hours? Number of items? Tier selected? Timeline?
3. Build a simple rule. Don't start complex.
4. Test it. Generate 3 scopes. Verify numbers are right.
5. Iterate. Add complexity after #1 works.

Current pricing: $2k (Bronze), $5k (Silver), $10k (Gold)

What changes: Tier selection, add-ons, commitment length

Simple rule:

IF Tier = "Bronze" THEN $2,000
IF Tier = "Silver" THEN $5,000
IF Tier = "Gold" THEN $10,000

IF 12_month_commitment = "yes" THEN apply 15% discount

Total = (Tier Price) × (1 - discount)

Test:

• Silver + 12 month = $5,000 × 0.85 = $4,250 ✓
• Gold + no commitment = $10,000 ✓
• Bronze + add PPC = $2,000 + $500 = $2,500 ✓

Works. Now you can build your template.

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❌ Manual pricing

• One PM quotes Silver at $5k
• Another PM quotes Silver at $4,800 (forgot a part)
• Profit margins vary by 4%

✅ Rules-based

• Silver = $5,000 every time
• 0% variance

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❌ Manual pricing

• Scope says "PPC audit available at +$500"
• Junior PM forgets to add it for Client A
• You lose $500 in revenue

✅ Rules-based

• IF ppc_audit selected THEN add $500
• Can't forget

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❌ Manual pricing

• Client negotiates 10% discount
• You multiply $10,000 × 0.10 = $1,000 discount
• You quote $9,000 (correct)
• But then you accidentally quote another client the same project at $9,500 (forgot to apply discount again)

✅ Rules-based

• IF discount = "10%" THEN Base × 0.90
• Every 10% discount is exactly $1,000 off. No math errors.

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1. Identify your pricing model — Hourly? Tiered? Hybrid?
2. Write the rule in plain English — "If tier = X, then price = Y"
3. Test with 3 real projects — Verify numbers
4. Build your template — Integrate the rule

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• How to Build Your First Scope Template — The full template workflow
• How to Write a Scope of Work — Pricing structure and presentation
• Shopify Agency Proposal Template — Real example of pricing structure