Raising prices is one of the most stressful conversations in distribution. Done wrong, you lose accounts. Done right, you keep them — and in many cases, you earn more respect. Here is the operational playbook for getting it right.
The Notice Window
30 days is appropriate for commodity items and smaller accounts. 60 days for mid-tier accounts ordering $2,000–$10,000/month. 90 days for your top 10% of accounts by revenue — and these get a phone call first, then a letter. Never announce a price increase with less than 14 days' notice. It signals desperation and breeds resentment.
What to Say — and What Not to Say
Do say: "Our costs have increased significantly and we have absorbed what we can." Do not say: "We have no choice" (you always have a choice — you're making a business decision). Do not say: "Everyone is doing this" (irrelevant to your client's P&L). Do not apologize profusely — apologetic framing invites negotiation from weakness.
Price Increase Letter Template
Subject: Pricing Update — Effective [Date]
Hi [First Name], I want to give you advance notice of a pricing adjustment that will take effect on [Date]. Over the past [timeframe], our input costs have increased substantially. We have absorbed a significant portion. The adjustments below reflect what we can no longer hold. Affected items and new pricing are attached. All other items remain unchanged. Available at [phone] if you have questions. Thank you, [Your Name]
Attach a clean CSV with SKU, current price, new price, and effective date. No surprises at invoice time.
Using Your Ordering Portal
If you're running a client ordering portal, update prices on the effective date — not before, not after. Use a banner notification to flag the change when clients log in. Portals let you set different pricing tiers by account, so if you negotiated a partial offset for a key account, their portal reflects their actual rate without affecting your standard pricing table.