Price Book

A price book is a structured catalog of products and services with preset prices, margins, and applicable discounts. Businesses use price books to ensure every quote is built from the same consistent pricing foundation - regardless of who on the team creates it.

How a Price Book Works in Practice

When a salesperson or account manager starts a new quote, they pull products directly from the price book rather than entering prices manually. Each line item carries a unit price, a cost price, and any margin or markup rules set by the business. The result is that a quote for a construction contractor's day-rate labour, a promotional merchandise distributor's branded apparel, or a lighting installer's standard components can all be generated in minutes - with no risk that two people on the same team quote the same item at different prices.

Price books also make it straightforward to apply customer-specific pricing. A business might maintain a standard price book alongside a trade or wholesale version, with different margin rules or discount tiers applied for each customer segment. When a new customer account is set up, it is linked to the appropriate price book, and every quote they receive will reflect those agreed prices automatically.

Multiple Price Books and When to Use Them

Many businesses maintain more than one price book. Common examples include a standard retail price book, a trade price book for regular contractors or resellers, and a framework price book locked to the rates agreed under a specific contract.

In the promotional merchandise sector, it is common to have client-specific price books where agreed rates for a branded apparel range or a company store programme are saved once and applied consistently to every order. In construction and trade, framework rates with a main contractor or housing developer may be stored separately from the standard list. The advantage is that the pricing conversation happens once at account setup, and every quote and order that follows is accurate from the start.

Price books are distinct from rate cards, though the two terms are sometimes used interchangeably. A rate card typically covers labour, day rates, or service fees. A price book more often covers products, components, and finished goods. Some businesses maintain both.

In Zigaflow, products and services are configured with their costs and sell prices and pulled directly into quotes, ensuring consistent pricing across every order your team creates.