I'm starting to get into a new area of work, running cable for homes and office spaces (mostly ethernet).

Up to now (in computer support work), I've been pricing my services on an hourly basis and judging my pricing by what some of my competitors charge and what my market is able to pay. But this kind of work doesn't really fit that model. Most companies charge by the drop, depending on what wiring is being pulled. I'm not too worried about the value of my time at the moment, as I'm in the early stages and I'll figure out for myself how to become more efficient and what I'll need to charge for additional employees. But I'm not sure how to best price myself so that I'm both competitive but also getting the most I can. I recently got a proposal accepted (yay!) but the client hinted that they went with me because I was drastically less expensive (um...yay?).

What would you folks do? Or what have you done in the past? I'm tempted to call up a random company in a similar market on the other side of the country and asking for tips. But that seems weird...