Stop Competing on Price: How to Be the Only Choice

Why Being 'The Cheapest' is a Losing Game

I’ve sat down with hundreds of business owners across Brisbane—from electricians in Coorparoo to boutique gym owners in Newstead. There is one frustration I hear more than any other: "I’m sick of losing jobs to some bloke with a ute who quotes half my price."

If you feel like you’re constantly fighting a price war, you don’t have a sales problem. You have a positioning problem.

In plain English, "positioning" is just the spot you take up in your customer’s mind. It’s the reason why someone drives past three cheap coffee shops to pay $6 for a specific brew at their favourite cafe. It’s why people wait three weeks for a specific tiler when five others are available tomorrow.

Most small businesses in Queensland make the mistake of trying to be "everything to everyone." They say things like, "We do quality work at the best price!"

Here’s the truth: You can’t be the best and the cheapest. If you try, you’ll end up broke, stressed, and working for the worst kind of customers. This guide is about how to fix that so you can charge what you’re worth and have people happy to pay it.

Step 1: Pick a Lane (And Stay In It)

You might be worried that if you specialise, you’ll miss out on work. It’s actually the opposite. When you try to appeal to everyone, you appeal to no one.

Think about it. If you need heart surgery, do you go to a general GP or a heart surgeon? You go to the specialist, and you expect to pay more for them.

I recently worked with a landscaping business near Chermside. They were doing everything: mowing, weeding, paving, and big retaining walls. They were run off their feet but making no money. We changed their focus. Instead of "Landscaping," they became "The Acreage Drainage Experts."

Suddenly, they weren't competing with the teenager with a mower. They were the only people to call when a big property had flooding issues. They did fewer jobs, made more profit, and their segmentation strategies meant they only dealt with high-value clients.

Ask yourself: What is the one job we do better than anyone else? What is the one problem our customers are most desperate to solve? Which jobs actually make us the most profit?

Go and look at your competitors' websites right now. I bet 90% of them say the exact same things: "Family owned and operated" "Over 20 years experience" "Free quotes" "Quality guaranteed"

If everyone says it, it means nothing. It’s white noise. To stand out, you need to talk about the result the customer gets, not just the tools you use.

How do you become the expert? Education: Give away your knowledge for free. Write a quick guide on "5 Things to Check Before Buying a Home in Brisbane" or "How to Tell if Your Switchboard is a Fire Hazard." Proof: Show, don't just tell. Instead of saying you do good work, show a gallery of a messy job site you turned into a masterpiece. Professionalism: This sounds simple, but showing up on time, wearing a clean uniform, and sending a professional digital quote puts you ahead of 80% of businesses in QLD. Sounding like a pro is often the difference between winning the job and being ghosted.

Step 4: Price is a Signal

I’m going to be blunt: If you are the cheapest in town, you are telling the world that your work isn't worth much.

Low prices attract "tyre-kickers"—the kind of customers who will complain about a $50 charge and take up hours of your time. High prices attract customers who value their time and want the job done right the first time.

I’m not saying you should double your prices tomorrow without reason. But if you have a solid reputation, great reviews, and you provide a premium service, your price should reflect that. If you’re worried about losing customers by raising rates, remember that it’s better to do 5 jobs at $1,000 profit than 10 jobs at $400 profit. You save on fuel, wear and tear, and stress.

The Real Cost and Timeline

Positioning isn't a "set and forget" thing like a Facebook ad. It’s a shift in how you run your business.

The Cost: Mostly your time. You need to sit down and really think about who your best customers are. You might need to spend a few thousand dollars updating your website or getting professional photos taken so you don't look like a "budget" option. The Timeline: You’ll see a change in the quality of enquiries almost immediately once you change your messaging. However, it usually takes 3 to 6 months for your new "expert" reputation to really take hold in your local area.

What Should You Do First?

Don't try to overhaul everything at once. Start here:

1. Identify your "Gold Mine" job: Look at your books from the last year. Which job was the most profitable and the least headache? That’s what you should be known for. 2. Fix your "First Impression": Look at your website on your phone. Does it look like a premium business or a $10 template? If you want to charge premium prices, you have to look the part. 3. Change your "Pitch": Next time someone asks what you do, don't just give your job title. Say: "I help [Type of Client] get [Result] without [Common Pain Point]." Example: "I help Northside families get their weekends back by installing low-maintenance, drought-proof gardens."

You don't need more people; you need the right* people.

At Local Marketing Group, we don't care about fancy marketing terms. We care about whether your phone is ringing with customers who are ready to pay your full rate. We've helped tradies, medical professionals, and local shops across Brisbane stop chasing every lead and start attracting the ones that actually grow their bank account.

If you’re tired of the price-war grind and want to build a business that people respect (and pay for), let’s have a chat. We’ll look at what you’re doing now and show you exactly where you’re leaving money on the table.

Ready to grow? Contact Local Marketing Group today.