Write your first pricing rule

A cost recipe in plain language, a grade matrix from a price list, and what “price on request” means until the rule exists.

Poly9 AISeptember 7, 20268 min read

The one rule about pricing

Your AI never computes a price. Your rules do, through one pricing engine, line by line. Ask for something without a rule and the answer is “price on request”, with the quote request drafted for you. Lee Industries prices 3,585 frames in 1,023 graded fabrics this way. Nothing is estimated.

There are three kinds of rule. Most companies need one to start.

A cost recipe, in plain language

A recipe is a bill of materials with your rates. Open a product, choose Pricing, and write it the way you would explain it to a new estimator:

Brass sheet 1.2 mm: 0.9 kg at the current brass rate
Spinning and finishing: 1.5 hours at the workshop rate
Antique finish: per square decimeter
Markup: your standard

The engine parses it and prices a test unit while you watch. Rates live once in your materials library, so when brass moves you change one number and every planter re-prices.

A grade matrix, from the price list you have

If you sell frames in graded fabrics, upload the grade book: frames down, grades across, the COM column too. Each cell is a certified price. Ask for “the 3585-11 in grade F with nailheads” and the engine reads the cell, adds the nailhead rule and shows both lines.

Options, minimums and breaks

Option upcharge: a walnut base adds $170; soft-close adds $28 a door.
Minimum: two rolls of wallcovering, a 2-yard cut, 500 pieces per colorway.
Quantity break: $24.50 to 499 pieces, $22.10 from 500.
Compatibility: no washdown rating without a stainless frame. The AI refuses the pair with the reason.

Each is one line in the product’s pricing. Each shows up on the quote as its own line, with the rule named.

Test it the way a buyer would

Open the assistant and ask for the product in an option you priced. Check the lines against your own math.
Ask for an option you have not priced. You should see “price on request”, not a number.
Ask in the buyer’s currency if you quote abroad. The rate you set in Settings → Pricing is applied and shown.

Capture the rest in one session

Most companies find their pricing is simpler than they feared once it is written down. Two to five working days covers a full price book. If you would rather talk it through, sales books a working session on your own catalog; bring the price list and the exceptions you carry in your head.

Next: send your first certified quote.