Why Price History Matters in Billboard Quotations

You just closed a 13-week campaign with a major retail client. They loved the results. Three months later, they call you back: "We want to renew at the same rate."

You pull up your system. The rate has changed. You increased it by 8% in January. Now you have a problem.

Did you quote them $2,800 or $3,000? Was there a discount applied? What were the production costs at the time?

If you can't answer these questions instantly, you're about to have an uncomfortable conversation with an angry client.

The Problem with "Current Pricing"

Most systems store only the current price of a billboard. When you generate a quotation, they pull the latest rate from your inventory database. This creates three critical problems:

1. Historical Accuracy is Lost

If you change your rates (and you should, quarterly at minimum), you lose visibility into what you actually charged in the past. A client who was quoted $2,500 in March will see $2,700 when they look back at their records in June.

2. Audit Trails Disappear

When finance asks "Why did we give Client X a 15% discount?" you need to show that the discount was based on a bulk purchase at specific rates. If those rates no longer exist in your system, you have no proof.

3. Renewals Become Guesswork

Clients expect consistency. If they booked 20 boards last year at certain rates, they want to renew at similar rates (with reasonable inflation adjustments). Without price history, you can't honor that.

How AdGrid Solves This: Financial Snapshots

AdGrid doesn't just reference your current inventory pricing. When you generate a quotation, it takes a financial snapshot:

• Billboard rental rate (4-week, 6-week, 13-week rates at that moment)
• Production cost per square foot
• Installation costs
• Tax rates
• Discount percentages
• Payment terms

This snapshot is frozen in time. Even if you update your billboard rates next month, the quotation preserves the exact pricing that was valid when it was created.

Real-World Example

March 2024: You quote Client ABC for Billboard #145 at $2,800 for 4 weeks. June 2024: You raise the rate to $3,000 due to increased demand. September 2024: Client ABC wants to renew.

With AdGrid, you can:

1. Pull up the original quotation and see the $2,800 rate
2. Show the client that the current rate is $3,000
3. Offer a renewal at $2,900 (splitting the difference)
4. Document the rate change with clear before/after data

Without price history? You're operating on memory and spreadsheets.

Multi-Tier Rate Tracking

AdGrid also tracks multiple rate tiers for each billboard:

• 4-week rate: Short-term, premium pricing
• 6-week rate: Mid-term discount
• 13-week rate: Long-term commitment discount

When rates change, the system preserves the historical tier structure. This allows you to analyze pricing strategies over time:

• Which billboards have the highest rate volatility?
• Are your 13-week discounts too aggressive?
• How do seasonal rate adjustments impact renewals?

Protecting Your Revenue

Price history isn't just about client relationships; it's about revenue protection. Consider this scenario:

A sales rep accidentally quotes a $5,000 board at $3,500. The client accepts. Two months later, you realize the error. Without price history, you might eat the loss. With AdGrid, you can:

• Identify the discrepancy immediately in your financial reports
• Trace it back to the specific quotation
• Contact the client with documentation showing the error
• Negotiate a fair resolution based on transparent data

The Renewal Advantage

Clients who renew are 5x more profitable than new clients. They don't need a pitch. They don't need education. They just need confidence that you're treating them fairly.

Price history gives you that confidence. When a client calls for a renewal, you can instantly pull up their previous rates, show them what's changed, and explain why. Transparency builds trust. Trust builds renewals.

Implementation Best Practice

In AdGrid, when you create a quotation:

1. Select billboards from your inventory
2. The system automatically captures the current rates
3. You can override rates if needed (e.g., for VIP clients)
4. The quotation locks in all financial details
5. Future rate changes don't affect existing quotations

This means your finance team, sales team, and clients are always looking at the same numbers. No confusion. No disputes.

Conclusion

Billboard advertising is a relationship business. Clients remember what they paid. If your system doesn't, you're starting every renewal negotiation at a disadvantage.

Price history isn't a "nice-to-have" feature. It's the foundation of trust, transparency, and predictable revenue growth.