Capability template for finance and accounting

Price change review

Before prices change, the owner or finance lead gets one review: the margin on each product or service from the sales and cost exports, how costs have moved, what each proposed price does to sales and gross profit across a stated range of customer responses, and dated competitor prices. It recommends no price.

The outcome

The price decision is made with the numbers in front of you instead of a feeling that costs have gone up. Every product or service shows what it earns on each sale at today's cost, and how many points of margin the cost rises since the start of the period have taken away.

Each proposed price is worked through at the customer responses you choose to test, from no change in units to the fall you are worried about. For every item the review shows how far units could drop before the new price leaves you with less gross profit than today. Competitors' public prices sit beside the proposal, each with the date and place it was seen, so a price from last spring cannot pass for this week's.

The review recommends no price. You read it and decide. Nothing on the price list, the website or the till changes until a person changes it.

Who starts the work, and when

The owner, the finance lead or the bookkeeper runs it when costs have moved and a price rise is on the table, ahead of an annual price review, or before a new price list goes to customers. It runs again whenever the owner wants to try a different proposal or a different range of customer responses.

The owner, or whoever sets prices, reads the review and makes the call.

What they supply

  • A sales export for a stated period, usually the last twelve months: units sold and net sales for each product or service, after discounts and refunds.
  • A cost export: each item's unit cost on dated rows, ideally one from the start of the period and one from today. For a service, count the hours each unit takes at a rate you set, your own hours included.
  • The proposed changes: each item's current list price and the price being considered.
  • The range to test: the changes in units sold you want worked through, such as no change, 5% fewer and 10% fewer.
  • Competitors' public prices, each with the date and place it was seen. Optional.
  • Earlier price changes, with units sold before and after. Optional.
  • Prices agreed with customers that hold until a set date. Optional.

It works from the files you supply. No connection to your accounting system, shop platform or till is needed, and it never asks for a password.

What comes out

One review in a fixed order:

  1. The picture. Today's sales and gross profit at today's costs, and the totals at each customer response you chose.
  2. Margin by item. Units, net sales, the price customers actually paid against the list price, today's unit cost, the margin and the gross profit, with any item under your margin floor marked.
  3. How costs have moved. Each item's cost at the start and today, and the points of margin lost at the price customers are paying.
  4. The proposed changes. For each item, the new price and margin, then units, sales and gross profit at each response, and the fall in units at which gross profit drops back to today's.
  5. Competitors' public prices, dated, with old ones set aside, and where each proposed price sits against the in-date ones.
  6. Earlier price changes, shown as single observations.
  7. Price commitments, data notes and questions for the owner.

Good looks like this: every figure traces to a row in an export, every competitor price carries a date, and nowhere does the review say what the price should be.

An invented example

Illustrative example with invented data. The business, the competitors, the people and every figure below are invented. Tallowmere Soap Works is an invented eight-person maker of soap, candles and hand cream that sells online and to gift shops. Its supplier costs rose through the year, and the owner is weighing a new price list. The bookkeeper runs the review for the owner. Competitors are called Competitor A, B and C, and people are referred to by role.

The inputs come first, in full, so the template can be run on them. The review follows.

The inputs

1. Settings

Business: Tallowmere Soap Works
Review date: Tuesday 10 November 2026
For: the owner, who sets prices
Prepared by: the bookkeeper
Currency: US dollars
Response range to test: units unchanged, 5% fewer, 10% fewer
Competitor prices older than 90 days: set aside as old
Margin floor: 50%

2. Sales export, 1 November 2025 to 31 October 2026 (net of discounts and refunds)

Item,Units,Net sales
Bar soap,9600,72960.00
Candle 200 g,3200,73600.00
Hand cream 75 ml,2500,34375.00
Gift set,900,38700.00

3. Cost export

Item,Date,Unit cost
Bar soap,2025-11-01,2.95
Bar soap,2026-10-31,3.40
Candle 200 g,2025-11-01,9.80
Candle 200 g,2026-10-31,11.60
Hand cream 75 ml,2026-10-31,5.45
Gift set,2025-11-01,19.60
Gift set,2026-10-31,22.30

4. Proposed changes

Item,Current price,Proposed price
Bar soap,8.00,8.40
Candle 200 g,24.00,26.40
Hand cream 75 ml,14.00,14.00
Gift set,45.00,49.50

5. Competitors' public prices (collected by the owner)

Competitor,Item compared,Their price,Date seen,Where seen
Competitor A,Candle 200 g,25.00,2026-11-03,Competitor A website product page
Competitor B,Candle 200 g,28.00,2026-10-29,Competitor B website product page
Competitor A,Bar soap,7.50,2026-11-03,Competitor A website product page
Competitor C,Bar soap,9.00,2026-06-14,Competitor C stall at a craft market
Competitor B,Gift set,52.00,2026-10-29,Competitor B website product page

6. Earlier price changes

Item,Date of change,Old price,New price,Units before,Units after,Weeks in each window
Candle 200 g,2025-03-01,21.00,24.00,780,735,13

7. Price commitments (the owner's note)

Gift set: two gift shops that stock it have this year's price agreed
until 31 December 2026.

The review

PRICE CHANGE REVIEW: Tallowmere Soap Works, prepared 10 November 2026

  • For: the owner. Prepared by the bookkeeper on 10 November 2026, for the owner's decision.
  • Sources: sales export, 1 November 2025 to 31 October 2026, 4 items; cost export, costs dated 1 November 2025 to 31 October 2026; proposed changes, 4 items; competitor prices, 5; earlier price changes, 1; price commitments, 1.
  • Settings used: currency US dollars; response range: units unchanged, 5% fewer, 10% fewer; competitor prices older than 90 days marked OLD; margin floor 50%. Defaults used: none.

The picture

  • Items reviewed: 4. With a proposed change: 3. Left out: none.
  • Figures are for a period as long as the sales export (12 months), at today's unit costs.
  • Today: net sales $219,635, gross profit $116,180, margin 52.9%.
  • With the proposed changes (3 items), the range applied to them and the other items held as today:
    • Units unchanged: net sales $234,513 (+$14,878), gross profit $131,058 (+$14,878), margin 55.9%.
    • Units 5% fewer: net sales $224,507 (+$4,872), gross profit $125,543 (+$9,363), margin 55.9%.
    • Units 10% fewer: net sales $214,499 (−$5,136), gross profit $120,027 (+$3,847), margin 56.0%.

Margin by item, at today's cost

  • Bar soap: 9,600 units, net sales $72,960. Price received $7.60 (list $8.00, 5.0% below list). Unit cost today $3.40. Margin $4.20 a unit, 55.3%. Gross profit $40,320.
  • Candle 200 g: 3,200 units, net sales $73,600. Price received $23.00 (list $24.00, 4.2% below list). Unit cost today $11.60. Margin $11.40 a unit, 49.6%. Gross profit $36,480. BELOW FLOOR.
  • Hand cream 75 ml: 2,500 units, net sales $34,375. Price received $13.75 (list $14.00, 1.8% below list). Unit cost today $5.45. Margin $8.30 a unit, 60.4%. Gross profit $20,750.
  • Gift set: 900 units, net sales $38,700. Price received $43.00 (list $45.00, 4.4% below list). Unit cost today $22.30. Margin $20.70 a unit, 48.1%. Gross profit $18,630. BELOW FLOOR.

How costs have moved

  • Bar soap: unit cost $2.95 on 1 November 2025, $3.40 on 31 October 2026: +$0.45 (+15.3%). At today's price received, margin 61.2% at the earlier cost, 55.3% today: 5.9 points lost.
  • Candle 200 g: unit cost $9.80 on 1 November 2025, $11.60 on 31 October 2026: +$1.80 (+18.4%). At today's price received, margin 57.4% at the earlier cost, 49.6% today: 7.8 points lost.
  • Hand cream 75 ml: one cost supplied ($5.45 on 31 October 2026); movement not shown.
  • Gift set: unit cost $19.60 on 1 November 2025, $22.30 on 31 October 2026: +$2.70 (+13.8%). At today's price received, margin 54.4% at the earlier cost, 48.1% today: 6.3 points lost.

Proposed changes, across the range

  • Bar soap: list price $8.00 to $8.40 (+5.0%). Price received $7.60 to $7.98. Margin $4.20 a unit (55.3%) to $4.58 (57.4%).
    • Units unchanged: 9,600 units, net sales $76,608 (+$3,648), gross profit $43,968 (+$3,648).
    • Units 5% fewer: 9,120 units, net sales $72,778 (−$182), gross profit $41,770 (+$1,450).
    • Units 10% fewer: 8,640 units, net sales $68,947 (−$4,013), gross profit $39,571 (−$749).
    • Break-even: gross profit stays at or above today's $40,320 down to 8.3% fewer units.
  • Candle 200 g: list price $24.00 to $26.40 (+10.0%). Price received $23.00 to $25.30. Margin $11.40 a unit (49.6%) to $13.70 (54.2%).
    • Units unchanged: 3,200 units, net sales $80,960 (+$7,360), gross profit $43,840 (+$7,360).
    • Units 5% fewer: 3,040 units, net sales $76,912 (+$3,312), gross profit $41,648 (+$5,168).
    • Units 10% fewer: 2,880 units, net sales $72,864 (−$736), gross profit $39,456 (+$2,976).
    • Break-even: gross profit stays at or above today's $36,480 down to 16.8% fewer units.
  • Gift set: list price $45.00 to $49.50 (+10.0%). Price received $43.00 to $47.30. Margin $20.70 a unit (48.1%) to $25.00 (52.9%).
    • Units unchanged: 900 units, net sales $42,570 (+$3,870), gross profit $22,500 (+$3,870).
    • Units 5% fewer: 855 units, net sales $40,442 (+$1,742), gross profit $21,375 (+$2,745).
    • Units 10% fewer: 810 units, net sales $38,313 (−$387), gross profit $20,250 (+$1,620).
    • Break-even: gross profit stays at or above today's $18,630 down to 17.2% fewer units.
  • No change proposed: Hand cream 75 ml.

Competitors' public prices

  • Bar soap: Competitor A $7.50, seen 3 November 2026 at Competitor A website product page. Competitor C $9.00, seen 14 June 2026 at Competitor C stall at a craft market, OLD: 149 days.
    • Proposed $8.40 sits above every in-date price seen ($7.50).
  • Candle 200 g: Competitor A $25.00, seen 3 November 2026 at Competitor A website product page. Competitor B $28.00, seen 29 October 2026 at Competitor B website product page.
    • Proposed $26.40 sits within the range of in-date prices seen ($25.00 to $28.00).
  • Gift set: Competitor B $52.00, seen 29 October 2026 at Competitor B website product page.
    • Proposed $49.50 sits below every in-date price seen ($52.00).
  • Items with no competitor price: Hand cream 75 ml.

Earlier price changes

  • Candle 200 g: $21.00 to $24.00 (+14.3%) on 1 March 2025. Units 780 in the 13 weeks before, 735 in the 13 weeks after (−5.8%). One observation; other things also changed between the two windows. Not used in any figure above.

Price commitments

  • Gift set: two gift shops that stock it have this year's price agreed until 31 December 2026 (the owner's note). The figures above apply the change to every unit.

Data notes

  • Hand cream 75 ml: one cost supplied; movement not shown.
  • Gift set: commitment not reflected; the figures apply the proposed price to all 900 units.
  • Assumption: the price received moves by the same percentage as the list price, so the gap between them stays as it is for all 4 items worked.
  • Assumption: every figure uses today's unit cost; no further cost change is assumed.

Questions for the owner

  1. Hand cream 75 ml: one unit cost was supplied ($5.45 on 31 October 2026). What did it cost on or near 1 November 2025?
  2. Bar soap: Competitor C's $9.00 was seen on 14 June 2026, 149 days before this review, and Competitor C has no in-date price for bar soap. Has a newer Competitor C price been seen?
  3. Gift set: two gift shops have this year's price agreed until 31 December 2026. How many of the 900 gift sets sold in the period went to those two shops?

Prepared for the owner's decision. It recommends no price. No price, price list or record has been changed, and nothing has been sent or published.

Where it fits

  • Finance and accounting, which owns the cost figures and the margin.
  • Sales, which keeps the price list and hears first how customers respond.
  • Ecommerce and retail, where supplier costs move several times a year and a shelf of products needs repricing at once.
  • Manufacturing, where materials and energy costs feed straight into the price of every product.
  • Hospitality, where food, drink and wage costs rise ahead of the menu.
  • Professional services, where hourly and fixed-fee rates lag behind the cost of the people delivering them.
  • Established businesses, where prices have stood for years and nobody remembers the margin they were set to earn.
  • Growth & scaling, where a growing range makes it easy for a few items to slip below cost without anyone noticing.

What has to change for your company

  • Your exports. The column names your accounting system, shop platform or till produces, so the template reads them as they come.
  • Your period. Twelve months is the default; use a shorter one if prices or the range changed recently.
  • Your range. The customer responses worth testing for your trade, and whether some items deserve a run of their own.
  • Your cost. What counts in a unit cost for you: materials, packaging, freight in, direct time.
  • Your limits. Your margin floor, and how old a competitor's price can be before it is set aside.
  • Your platform. It runs in ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot or Gemini. Decide which files the assistant may read and where the review is kept.

What has been checked

Fully Powered AI wrote this capability template. It was editorially reviewed on 10 November 2026. It was tried on its invented example on 10 November 2026; the record is published with it, and lists the small edits made afterward that have not been run again. It has not yet been tested in a client environment. It has not yet been tested as a packaged version in ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot or Gemini.

Testing in your environment means running it on a past price change your owner remembers well, with hard cases written in advance: an export whose headers do not match, an item with a cost of zero, a competitor price with no date, a proposed price below today's cost. The person who keeps the books checks every figure against the exports before anyone relies on the review. Pilot acceptance-test preparation sets those cases up, and what we test before we call an AI workflow ready describes the record we keep.

The full capability template

Everything above is the outline. The complete capability template is the working version: the roles, the inputs, the procedure, the exceptions and stop conditions, the output format, the reviewer checklist, the acceptance tests, the instructions for an AI assistant and what to customize for your company. It comes with a download and the link to its folder in Fully Powered’s public repository.

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Next step

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Talk with us Discuss adapting this

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