My air conditioner broke down last week.
Called five different repair services.
Every one followed up with more or less the same script.
Message 1:
"How many units?" "Wall mounted or ceiling?" "When did you last service?"
Then came the price menus.
Message 2:
OPTION 1: Full Chemical Service 1 unit = RM198 2 units = RM178/unit 3 units = RM158/unit "3 SET ABOVE DISCOUNT RM20/SET!!"
OPTION 2: Basic Service General cleaning = RM120 Top up gas = RM80-RM200
Some came complete with promises of "Service with a smile!"
and
"1-month warranty for peace of mind."
One even offered 15% off if I confirmed immediately.
But here's the thing.
I make enough money that their RM20-30 discounts mean nothing to me.
What I want is simple: Show up when you say you will.
But when I ask for a specific time?
"About 2pm."
About.
Yesterday's technician arrived at 4:15pm for his "about 2pm" appointment.
No call. No text. Man strolled in like nothing was wrong.
"Traffic lah, boss."
Sadly, it’s something I’ve grown accustomed to.
Because in the #1 food capital of the world (Malaysia), punctuality is optional.
The entire industry has normalized being hours late.
When a contractor says "About 2pm", they’re not promising you a time. They’re giving a disclaimer.
What’s bizarre is if you get to know them, every single one would say they’re hungry to grow their business.
They play with pricing strategies. Service packages. Bulk discounts.
But they’re optimizing for the close instead of the keep.
And that’s just kind of how it is.
The entire industry is competing on price. Racing to the bottom while they shave off margins.
But what they didn’t know is that I'd be happy to pay even 50% more…if someone could just promise punctuality.
This gap exists in every industry.
Look around your market. What's everyone competing on?
Price? Features? Guarantees? Certifications?
Now ask: What do customers actually value that everyone ignores?
For aircond services, it's punctuality.
For consultants, it might be clear communication.
For agencies, it could be realistic timelines.
For coaches, perhaps it's consistent availability.
What I’m trying to say is that the big opportunity doesn’t necessarily lie in doing something ‘special’.
It can be as simple as the obvious thing that everyone else treats as optional.
While competitors fight over scraps at the bottom, you can charge premium prices at the top if you just know and focus on what people really care about.
You don’t have to be disruptive.
You don’t even have to be innovative.
You simply need to be reliable at the one thing your customers actually care about.
The businesses that figure this out never need to compete on price.
And their customers adjust their schedules for them instead.
Not the other way around.
FELIX
P.S. I'm curious what other "about 2pm" situations are happening out there.
What basic business fundamental is your industry completely ignoring while chasing complex strategies?
Hit reply and tell me.