Why You’re Losing Jobs at the Quote Stage (And It’s Not Your Price)

Andy
What’s really happening is the customer didn’t understand the value, didn’t feel confident or didn’t see enough difference between you and the next guy. So they default to price. 

Ange
And if your quote looks like everyone else’s, that’s exactly what they’ll do. 

Andy
So in today’s episode, we’re gonna break down why most tradies lose jobs at the quote stage, even when they’re the right fit for the work. 

Ange
And how small shifts in the way you think about quoting can completely change your conversion.

Andy
This is part two of our three part series. You’ve learned how to attract better jobs. Now we’re gonna show you how to actually win them as well. 

Ange
And in the next episode, we’re gonna take it one step further with what we call the profit multiplier. 

Andy
How to turn one good job into two or three without chasing more work.

You are listening to The Tradie Show. This is the podcast for trade business, and contracting bosses like you who wanna lead with confidence, make more profit, and create a better lifestyle. 

Ange
We’re your hosts, Andy and Angela Smith, husband & wife team, and co-founders of Lifestyle Tradie. Are you ready to have some fun? 

Andy
Hell yeah!

If your business is falling apart the moment you step away, that’s not a team problem. That’s a system problem. 

Ange
At Stress Free Tradie, we’re handing you 27 of the exact systems. Andy used to step off the tools and work just a couple of hours a week. 

Andy
Quoting, pricing, job flow, team accountability, it’s all mapped out.

Ange
It’s a free one day event running across Australia this May from the 12th to the 27th. 

Andy
Head to event.lifestyletradie.com.au. And lock in your seat today.

Alright, it’s time to kick things off with some Hell yeah wins from our amazing Lifestyle Tradie members. Hell yeah! These are the legends who’ve been smashing it in their businesses, proving that small changes can lead to massive results. And hopefully these give you some inspo on what you can do in your business. Ange, what do we have this week? 

Ange
Oh, well, we’ve got some great hell yeahs to share today, Andy. First up, a big shout out to Bo, who operates a construction company in north of Brisbane, Queensland, and he shares rebranding our business this week and starting our biggest job ever.

Andy
Yeah, all about rebranding, all about positioning, all about winning these jobs. All about winning those quotes. That is a big hell yeah. What have we got next, Ange? 

Ange
Next up is Aaron who operates a plumbing business in Southeast Queensland and he shares, the first year apprentice got some very good compliments from our plumbing inspector on his work this week.

Andy
Well that is a big hell yeah mate, these apprentices these days I’m hearing a lot of stories, but I know your guy is an absolute gun. And it’s the old saying though, don’t blame them. Train them. And I know you’ve put a hell of a lot of work into this guy. That is a great hell yeah. Last but not least, who’s up next, Ange? 

Ange
So the last one is Amanda who owns a tiling business in Sydney with her husband Dave, and she rights, ticking lots of boxes this week, working closely with our newly appointed bookkeeper, tidying up our accounting system, we’re refining our systems and processes, doing a very thorough audit on our warehouse stock. What an eye opener that was, and creating clarity around the cost of all of our jobs. This all equals knowing your numbers. 

Andy
I absolutely love that. Everyone knows I scream, know your numbers. And these are an amazing couple that I sat down with, did a full, uh, business analysis with and they couldn’t work out where all of their profit was going. Just to name a couple of things there. That is what we’re working on. That is what they’re working on and they are starting to smash it out of the park. That is a huge hell yeah! And that’s what we’re all talking about here, helping tradies just like you take control, make changes, and see the winds roll on in.

So let’s start here. Why do most tradies lose jobs at the quote stage? Because let’s be real, most tradies tell themselves stories about why they lost the job. Like we were too expensive, we got undercut, they just went with the cheaper option. 

Ange
Well, look, sometimes that’s true. There’s always gonna be someone cheaper, right?

Andy
Always. But most of the time it’s not why you lose the job. You don’t always lose the job on price, you lose the job on trust. 

Ange
Or maybe the customer just didn’t feel confident enough to choose you. 

Andy
And when that happens, they fall back to the only thing they can compare with. And what is that? That is, price.

Ange
Well, when you say it like that, it seems pretty obvious, right? Because if everything looks the same and nothing stands out, then price becomes the decision. 

Andy
Now, this is where we need to go a level deeper, because reading the quote isn’t where the decision to work with you started. It started when you were standing in front of the customer.

Ange
Oh, yes, this is so true. By the time you send the quote, they’ve already made a call in their head. It was decided based on a single question, do I trust this person or not? 

Andy
And this is where most tradies don’t realize they’re leaking a lot of work. It’s not in the quote, it’s in how they showed up on site in the first place.

Ange
Let’s give them an example to help everyone understand exactly what we mean. 

Andy
Okay? You walk into the home, the customer’s been waiting for you. If the transaction value is high, they’ve probably had one or two tradies already come through. They’re already a bit unsure. They’re trying to figure out who they’re gonna trust.

Ange
Ooh. So they’re watching everything, not just what you say, but how you say it. Not just what you look like, but how professional you are. 

Andy
And you walk in a bit of small talk. You start looking around and you say something like, yeah, we could probably do something like this. You’ve got no clear direction, you’ve got no clear recommendation, and you’re not instilling confidence at all.

Ange
Yes, and from their side, from the customer, they’re thinking, is this guy confident or guessing? Do they actually know what they’re even talking about? 

Andy
You could be like a veteran, 20 plus years in the trade. You definitely know your stuff. 

Ange
But if you don’t communicate it clearly, they don’t feel it. 

Andy
Now, compare that to someone who walks in and says, alright, based on what I’m seeing here, this is the best way to approach it. They’ve taken control, they’ve got amazing energy, and they’ve got great communication skills with the customer. 

Ange
Well, this is a bit, most tradie is underestimated because you might walk away from that thinking. Yeah, that went all right. But the customer’s experience is completely different. 

Andy
They’re not judging you on effort. They’re judging you on certainty. Do you sound like someone who’s done this a hundred times or someone just figuring out as they go.

Ange
Oh, well, when you stop to think about it, it does make sense. Because from their side, they’re perhaps about to spend thousands and thousands of dollars having trades in their home for weeks or months on end, dealing with noise, mess, disruption.

Andy
So they’re not just asking, can this person do the job? They expect most tradies can. They’re asking, do I feel comfortable trusting this person to control the overall experience. 

Ange
And that, my friends, is a completely different decision. 

Andy
Exactly. And if you don’t take control of that moment, the doubt starts from there.

Ange
By the time they receive the quote, they are really asking themselves this one question, do I see enough value to justify the price? 

Andy
This is the real game. It’s not actually price though, it’s risk. 

Ange
It’s true. They’re asking, how risky is this decision? Is this gonna blow out? Is this gonna drag on? 

Andy
Am I going to regret choosing this person? What happens if something goes wrong? 

Ange
And the bigger the job, the more important each one of those questions becomes. 

Andy
And if it feels a little risky, they hesitate. And you know what they do then? 

Ange
Oh, they make a decision to go with the cheapest because in their mind they’ll say, if this is risky anyway, I may as well pay as little as possible.

Andy
But if it feels safe and they like the person that has that right communication skills, they’re happy to pay more every single time. 

Ange
So let’s talk about how the quote then fits in, because the quote doesn’t create trust, it simply confirms it. 

Andy
Or it completely breaks it. 

Ange
If you’ve built trust properly on site, the quote should feel more like the customer saying to themselves, this is exactly what we talked about.

Andy
It should feel familiar. Clear reassuring. 

Ange
Not introduce new confusion, not raise new questions, and not make the customer second guess the decision that they were already leaning towards. 

Andy
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Ange
Yeah, the quote has a number, a few line items, a short description, and what they’ve done without realizing it has turned themselves into a commodity. 

Andy
Which means the only difference is? Price! 

Ange
Price!  

Andy
Let’s make this real. Imagine two tradies, quote the same aircon job. Tradie One sends a quote that reads supply and in-store split system, $7,500. Tradie Two sends something that actually explains why that system suits the home, how the install will run, what to expect, what happens after, and the price is $7,233. Who feels safer? 

Ange
Well, Tradie Two for sure, every day of the week. Even with the number 7,233, it feels like the tradies spent more time actually analyzing the job to land on the number instead of a flat rate of seven and a half, which feels like no effort was made at all. 

Andy
Exactly, and it feels intentional, it feels considered, and it also feels professional.

Ange
Not to mention all the extra things that the tradie talked about. It’s these simple little things that can make the difference here. 

Andy
Now let’s talk about what happens after you’ve sent the quote, because this is where a lot of jobs quietly just disappear. Most tradies send it and then they sit back and. 

Ange
They hope.

Andy
They hope. They hope. And they hope. And you know what? Hope is not a strategy. 

Ange
But then you’ll say, but if they want it, they’ll call me. Right? 

Andy
Yes. I’ve heard tradies say that many times and how much that upsets me, but they won’t. They’re busy, they’re unsure. They’re comparing you with someone else and you are not making it easy for them.

Ange
Oh, I guess what. If you are not leading the process, then someone else is. 

Andy
And this is where jobs quietly slip away. Not because you weren’t good enough, but because someone else stayed present. 

Ange
Someone else followed up, someone else answered questions, someone else kept the conversation moving. They actually made it easier for the customer to say yes to them.

Andy
Exactly, because when a customer goes quiet, it’s often not a no. It’s uncertain. 

Ange
And if you don’t step in and reduce that uncertainty, they just don’t decide. 

Andy
Or worse they decide with someone else in mind. 

Ange
I guess it’s important to remember that follow up isn’t chasing, it’s actually leadership. 

Andy
It’s actually helping the customer move forward, reducing doubt, reinforcing their decision.

Ange
Yeah, all that. And I think this is where a lot of tradies hesitate because they don’t wanna come across as being pushy. 

Andy
Yeah. They don’t wanna annoy the customer and they don’t wanna be a pest. 

Ange
But from the customer’s side, they’re not annoyed. They’re actually just unsure. 

Andy
Exactly. And silence doesn’t help them decide. It just leaves them stuck. 

Ange
All right. So it’s the smallest of tweaks that can actually make such a huge difference when you know what they are. 

Andy
Yeah, it’s true. ’cause we see with our members of Lifestyle Tradie this all the time, we teach ’em the psychology of the buying decision of their customers and hence change how they show up on site and how they present, and also how they follow up on their quotes.

Ange
And interestingly, all of a sudden more jobs are getting approved. They’ve got less pushback and less ghosting. 

Andy
Pow. Nothing has changed in the price. 

Ange
Well, sometimes they actually are more expensive because we taught them how to add more value. But what is different is the learning on how the customer experienced the process.

Andy
And this is the part where most tradies over complicate it. They listen to something like this and they think, right, I need to completely change how I quote. I need a whole new system and I need to rebuild everything. 

Ange
But the thought of that is so overwhelming. It’s crazy. And then guess what? They don’t do anything at all. 

Andy
Because it feels too big. But this isn’t about a complete overhaul. This is about improving this process 1% at a time. 

Ange
One better conversation on site, one clearer explanation. One better way of presenting your quote. Even one follow up that actually adds value. 

Andy
Small changes, but they stack up. 

Ange
Exactly, because you don’t need to double your conversion overnight.

Andy
But if you do go from winning three outta 10 jobs to four outta 10 jobs, that is a massive shift in your business. 

Ange
Totally same leads, same effort, but better results. 

Andy
And that’s the game. Not working harder, just getting a little bit better at the moments that really matter. 

Ange
Oh, I love that. So if we zoom out, this is what it really comes down to. You don’t win the job at the quote stage. You start winning it when you actually show up. 

Andy
Where you’re talking face to face on site in the conversation. 

Ange
And the quote either confirms that decision or it breaks it. 

Andy
And the whole time, whether you realize it or not, you are doing one thing. You are reducing risk, and if you do this right, the decision to go ahead with you is made.

It’s tradie dilemma time brought to you by Buy4Tradies, the buying group, helping tradies just like you save serious coins on materials, fuel, vehicles, tools, and other services. If you’re not using it, you are probably paying too much. This is our q and a segment where you let us know what you’re having trouble with in your business and we will give you our best advice to sort it out. 

Ange
Okay, so today we have a question from Jeff who owns a plumbing business in Melbourne and he writes, Hey, Andy and Ang love the podcast. So I’ve got a solid team of tradies but have so much work. I’m starting to get desperate to find more team members.

I know you talk about always being ready to take on the right A Grade tradie when they come, but I need people now. Is it okay to drop our standard and hire a B or a C grade tradie to assist with the workload? What do you suggest I do? 

Andy
Yeah, mate. The, the dilemma is real, right? Because you know there’s a P heap of people just listening to that right now thinking, well, it’s not that easy to find an A Grade if you can get a B or a C. I’ll take that every day of the week. But there’s another thing that people say too. A bad hire is worse than no hire at all. So it depends on your business. It depends on the work you’re doing. You could bring in a B, I think a B would probably fit in well, maybe a C, and you just train them really, really hard and get ’em up the standard. You’ve got about three months that you can get rid of them. Fairly easy. Um, after that there’s a few more steps you need to pretty much do. So listen, if I was desperate, I was in your situation and I had a B and a C come past, I’ll definitely be looking at giving them a crack and picking the best of the best and going from there.

Ange
That sounds like great advice. Thanks for writing in with your question, Jeff. And remember, if you want Andy and I to answer your most challenging question, then send it our way to podcast@lifestyletradie.com.au. 

Andy
So if you take one thing out of today’s episode, it is this. You are not losing jobs because of your price. You are losing them in the moments before the quote and how that quote backs it up. 

Ange
And the goal isn’t to go and overhaul everything overnight. It’s to start improving these moments 1% at a time. 

Andy
Show up with more clarity, speak with more confidence. Make your quotes easier to understand and follow up like a professional.

Ange
Because when you reduce risk for the customer, you make it far easier for them to say yes to you. 

Andy
And once you start winning more of the right jobs. 

Ange
That’s where the next opportunity opens up. 

Andy
In the next episode, we are talking about the profit multiplier. How to take one good job and turn it into two or three without chasing more leads.

Ange
That’s when things really start to shift. 

Andy
But you have to win the work first. So listen up. If you’re keen to learn how you can start converting more quotes, then can I suggest you come and meet us at our next free live event called Stress Free Tradie. We are coming to a capital city near you really soon, and we’d love to meet you in the flesh. Check out event.lifestyletradie.com.au to book in today. 

Ange
Can’t wait to meet you. Make sure you bring your partner along and chat to you all soon. 

Andy
Subscribe to The Tradie Show, wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Rate and write us a review or for more information about Lifestyle Tradie, head to lifestyletradie.com.au.