Are cheap competitors actually your fault?
This is probably going to rub some people the wrong way, but I think it’s worth talking about. A lot of service business owners complain about cheap competitors. I get it. There is always someone ...
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Anthony, you hit the nail right on the head with this one.
This doesn't rub me the wrong way at all—it’s the absolute truth. In the exterior cleaning and pressure washing space, we see the "cheap competitor" problem every single day. There’s always someone with a DIY rig from a big-box store willing to wash a whole house for a price that wouldn't even cover my fuel, chemical costs, and commercial insurance, let alone turn a profit.
If all the homeowner sees is "guy sprays water on my house," they’re going to pick the $150 guy every single time. And honestly? Can you blame them? If we don't educate them, it's on us.
Like you said, it’s all about changing the narrative from the raw task to the actual value and security you bring to their property. For my business, I had to stop selling "pressure washing" and start selling property protection and professional reliability.
When a premium client hires us, they aren't just paying for clean siding. They’re paying for:
Risk Mitigation: Knowing we understand surfactant chemistry, soft-washing, and pressure dynamics so we don't blow out their window seals, strip their paint, or kill their expensive landscaping.
Bulletproof Systems: Automated on-the-way texts, professional digital invoicing, and instant quote approvals so the process is completely friction-free.
Property Security: Verifying gates are shut and locked before we leave the property so their dogs or kids don't escape.
The "Done Right" Guarantee: Showing up in a marked rig, dressed professionally, and leaving the property looking pristine without them having to babysit the operator.
The low-ballers will always exist, and they can have the customers who only care about the bottom dollar. Those aren't the clients who help a business grow anyway. But if a premium homeowner or a commercial property manager is hesitating on my price, it means I haven't done my job showing them the massive risk they take by letting an uninsured guy with a rented machine near their investment.
Your marketing and your upfront communication have to do the heavy lifting before you ever pull up to the curb. Appreciate you dropping this reminder today—definitely a conversation every service business owner needs to have with themselves!