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- 🧨 Edition #001 — “€16,830 and 200 Hours”
🧨 Edition #001 — “€16,830 and 200 Hours”
Underbidding is a race to the bottom. When you compete on price, you compromise on value.
Odoo says:
A 49-person company can be fully implemented — all modules, minus licenses — for €16,830 and in 200 hours.
(That’s with the 15% new customer discount. See it yourself 👉 Odoo's Estimator)
The claim:
👉 80% of projects with this scope are in production within 200 hours.
The reaction from the field?
Let’s just say… it got spicy.
“200 hours means you must go live within a month... no room available for error.
To be honest, too good to be true.”
💬 The Real Talk
📊 Out of 145 Odoo partners we polled:
39% charge between $5K–$10K per implementation
36% go from $10K–$25K
Only 10% charge over $50K
That pricing reality matches the estimator’s ballpark.
But does it match actual delivery effort?
The answer, based on 30+ comments from veteran implementers?
Rarely.
200 hours assumes:
Crystal-clear requirements from Day 1
Zero scope creep
Instant decision-making
No messy data
No user resistance
And a client who responds… on time… every time
How often does that happen?
⚠️ Why this matters
When expectations are set at €16K and 200 hours:
🧯 Scope creep becomes a silent fire
🤐 Teams feel pressure to rush, underdeliver, or burn out
🤯 Clients get frustrated when the promised glide turns into a grind
💸 You absorb the overrun — or risk reputational damage
😤 "Odoo doesn't work" becomes the punchline
This is how false promises become failed projects.
And it’s not just a sales problem. It’s a positioning problem.
Because if your deal starts with a benchmark you can’t stand behind, you’re negotiating against yourself from Day 1.
💸 The Price Sensitivity Problem
A major factor driving low implementation prices? Most leads Odoo sends are from very small companies — often fewer than 5 employees. These clients are understandably price sensitive, which explains why nearly 40% of partners operate in the $5K–$10K range. But here’s the rub: Odoo isn’t a plug-and-play tool. It needs guidance, especially for first-time ERP users. So delivering quality at that price point isn’t just tough — it’s often unsustainable.
🔄 Smart framing beats hard discounting.
Most low-budget leads don’t need less — they need phased clarity. So stop overselling and start guiding. The real strategy? Scope like a partner, not a vendor.
✅ How to Price with Confidence
Here’s how to avoid the low-cost trap:
1. 💵 Reframe $5,000 as a starter kit — not the whole journey
Say: “$5K can get you live with the basics — but not with tailored workflows, training, or automation.” This helps set expectations early and positions your offer as phase-driven. It also gives smaller clients a way in, without committing you to deliver enterprise-grade outcomes on a shoestring.
2. 📐 Reframe “200 hours” as a minimal viable implementation
Use it as a starting point — not a guarantee.
Say: “That’s for a base rollout. If we want adoption, integration, and clean processes, we’ll need to scope realistically.”
3. 📊 Anchor to outcomes, not hours
Clients don’t buy hours — they buy results.
Translate deliverables into value. Talk in business terms.
👉 “This will help your sales team close faster” is more powerful than “we’ll configure CRM.”
4. 🧾 Quote in phases, not promises
Phase 1 = Core Go-Live.
Phase 2 = Automation & Optimization.
Phase 3 = Integrations, BI, etc.
Break the big promise into winnable parts — and price them accordingly.
5. 🛑 Say no to bad-fit deals
If a client insists on champagne outcomes on a beer budget, walk.
Every underbid deal costs more than it makes — in cash and capacity.
🎯 One-Liner to Steal This Week
“Underbidding is a race to the bottom. When you compete on price, you compromise on value.”
Drop it in your next prospect call and watch it land.
🔍 Ask Yourself
Where do your proposals still underplay the real effort?
What would change if you priced for clarity and confidence, instead of just conversion?
You’re not alone. More voices are calling it out:
🧠 “The cheapest offer often costs the most.”
💬 “You need to squeeze all phases — go-live within a month? No room for error? Unrealistic.”
Let’s unlock better deals. Together.
See you next Monday,
— Fred & Cath, Just Doers
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