Winning Work in a Competitive Market

I’ve worked in sales for 23 years. Sales has been at the heart of everything I do. It’s been an incredibly rewarding career, and I’d encourage anyone who’s on the fence about sales to give it a go. You don’t need qualifications, what you need is sheer determination to win.

Here’s the thing: all markets are sales markets. Even those at the top end who claim they’re “not in sales” are kidding themselves. We’re all in sales. Every transaction where money changes hands is sales. Even turning up to a job interview in your best suit, you’re selling yourself.

So what do you do when your market is saturated with people selling the exact same thing?

The Brutality of Competition

I didn’t really feel competition until I became an on-the-road rep. Before that, working behind a counter, you don’t see what your competitors are doing. But as soon as I hit the road, the reality smacked me in the face.

I remember selling insulation, and a client said:

“Can you come at 1pm? I’ve got another rep in at 11.”

That’s the market. Brutal. Dog eat dog.

The easy strategy most people fall into? Lower your prices. It works in the short term, but it’s a sure-fire way to devalue what you do. Once you start a race to the bottom, there’s no finish line.

For years, my reaction to being undercut was just to back away. I’d think, “Oh well, plenty more fish in the sea.” But that approach doesn’t build careers or companies.

What changed everything for me was learning how to get through the noise and become a “1 of 1” in the marketplace.

Moving Beyond Price: Packaging Value

Here’s the truth: price is only negotiated when there’s nothing else left on the table. If you’re not offering anything unique, then yes, the cheapest wins.

So you need to start thinking about how you package your offer.

I’ve developed my own way of looking at this, influenced by frameworks like Alex Hormozi’s Value Equation.

Winning work comes down to four levers:

Dream Outcome

Perceived Likelihood of Achievement

Time Delay

Effort & Sacrifice

To give context, I’m going to use examples from construction selling to education - surveying, roofing, M&E, and main contractors. That’s the field I’ve worked in for a long time, so I know the challenges and opportunities first-hand. However, the methods work regardless of company and end client.

1. Dream Outcome

This is the big result the client really wants, not just the service itself.

Surveying Firm: Instead of handing over a basic condition survey, deliver a board-ready pack for governors & the senior leadership team with visuals, clear risks, and a five-year action plan. You’re not just providing data; you’re making the estates manager look like they’ve already done the job for them.

Roofing Contractor: Don’t just offer “a watertight roof with a guarantee.” Bundle it with a sustainability story and parent comms pack, so the estates manager can show how the new roof ties into wider environmental and wellbeing goals.

Competitive edge: The dream outcome isn’t the finished job, it’s helping the client look like the hero internally.

2. Perceived Likelihood of Achievement

It’s not just about promising results, it’s about proving you can deliver, and removing risk from the decision.

Construction Firm: Instead of pitching a £2m project outright, offer a paid discovery phase for £10k that delivers a risk map, funding check, and 3D visual. You prove competence without them betting the farm.

Surveyor: Add a “funding tracker” appendix that matches survey findings with real grant opportunities. That instantly shows you’re not just writing reports, you’re guiding the path to solutions.

Competitive edge: Proof isn’t only about the past. It’s about structuring today’s offer so choosing you feels like the safest decision in the room.

3. Time Delay

It’s not just how quickly you deliver the work, it’s how fast you help the client build momentum.

M&E Contractor: Within 48 hours of a site visit, provide a one-page briefing note the estates manager can share with senior leadership. Even before the full report, they’ve got a credible update to move decisions forward.

Roofing Contractor: Use a live drone survey and share instant footage with the estates team on site. They see the problem in real time, not three weeks later in a PDF.

Competitive edge: You shorten the time between “we’ve got a problem” and “we can make a decision.”

4. Effort & Sacrifice

This is about how much hassle the client has to take on. Reduce it, and you stand out immediately.

Construction Firm: Offer to run community engagement evenings, slides, Q&A, and comms, so the school doesn’t take the heat for disruption.

M&E Contractor: Deliver not just the install, but also press release drafts and letters for parents about energy savings. You’re removing admin that estates managers hate, and giving them positive stories to share.

Competitive edge: The less invisible pain the client has to shoulder, the harder it is for them to imagine working without you.

Why I Use This Framework

This framework isn’t theory, it’s something I use all the time. If I can’t apply it with a client, then we choose to walk away.

Why? Because in a world where most companies can only compete on price, this approach gives you a real advantage. Yes, it’s more work to package and position like this, but if it were easy, everyone would do it. Just like lowering prices to win.

And that’s the point. Anyone can cut prices. Few can reframe value.

Final Word

The market is competitive. It always will be. But here’s the opportunity: it’s not actually that hard to stand out.

Most companies blend into the noise because they all behave the same. They’re slow to respond, they give the bare minimum, and they think price is the only lever. Which means if you take the time to package your value differently, you instantly separate yourself.

The best way to understand this is to look at yourself as a customer.

Say you want a quote for a new patio door. Three builders come round.

One of them sends you a follow-up email the very next day with a clear plan of action and even a visual of how it will look.

The other two take two weeks to send a generic quote.

By the time those quotes land, you’ve already decided you like the first company. You’ll probably pay an extra £200–£300 just because they were faster, clearer, and showed they cared.

Speed is your biggest asset. The quicker you are, the more you’re remembered. Back when I was selling insulation, I made sure quotes went out within 24 hours. My competitors took five days. I wasn’t always the cheapest, but I was always front of mind.

That’s how you win in competitive markets: by doing what others aren’t prepared to do. Package differently. Respond faster. Take work off the client’s plate.

You won’t win every deal. But you’ll win enough of the right ones, and at the right margin. And that’s the difference between surviving in a competitive market and thriving in one.

See you next week

Dan