You quote $160 a month. They come back with "someone else said $120." This happens constantly, and most owners handle it in one of two losing ways: they discount, or they get defensive about the other company.
There is a third way, and it works more often than discounting does.
Do not attack the competitor
The moment you criticise the cheaper business, you sound worried. Worse, the customer has to defend a decision they have not made yet — and people defend decisions by committing to them.
Say nothing about them. Talk about what you do, specifically enough that the difference becomes obvious without you naming it.
Make the comparison concrete
"You get what you pay for" is not an argument, it is a shrug. Give them something to compare:
"That may well be the right choice for you. Before you decide, it's worth asking them three things: are they insured, are their technicians certified, and are chemicals included or billed on top. Some are and some aren't, and the honest answer is that the price often reflects which."
You have not said a word against anyone. You have handed over three questions, and you already know how you answer all three.
That last one matters more in this trade than any other: a cheaper monthly rate with chemicals billed separately is frequently the more expensive option by August, and almost nobody does that arithmetic on the doorstep.
Then make yours checkable
Anyone can claim to be insured and certified. Almost nobody can point at a dated, independent record:
"Here's our verification page — our insurance, licensing, background checks and certifications were reviewed by an accreditation council, with the dates on each. Takes about ten seconds."
Text it while you are still talking. Most competitors at the lower price point have nothing equivalent, and the customer discovers that on their own — far more persuasive than being told.
Price the risk, not the visits
A cheaper quote is usually cheaper for a reason: uninsured, untrained on equipment, no certification, no cover if someone is hurt on the property. Those are real exposures that land on the homeowner.
Say it plainly and without drama:
"If someone's injured at your property and isn't covered, that can become your problem. Our coverage is part of what you're paying for."
For a swim school the same conversation is shorter and more serious. A parent choosing on price alone usually has not considered instructor certification or ratios. One calm sentence — "our instructors hold current CPR, first aid and instructor certifications, and it's worth asking anyone you're considering the same question" — is usually enough, and you should never need to say more than that.
Let some of them go
Some buyers want the cheapest price and nothing else. Chasing them costs margin and they leave the moment somebody undercuts you. Be pleasant and move on:
"Completely understand — if it doesn't work out, we're here."
A surprising number come back, usually after a green pool or a missed month, and they come back at your price.
Fix the quote itself
Most of this conversation can be avoided upstream. If your quote is a number in an email, you have invited a comparison on the only variable you supplied.
Put the inclusions in it: what a visit covers, whether chemicals are included, what is billed separately, visit frequency, who is coming, that they are insured and certified, and a link to your verification page. Now they are comparing a specification against a number — and the $120 quote has to explain itself.
If you do discount, get something
Never drop the price for nothing; it tells the customer your first number was invented. Trade it: a lower rate for a full-season commitment rather than month-to-month, for a property on a route you already drive, or for paying the season up front.
That is not a discount. That is a different deal, and it protects the price you quote everybody else.