Say it straight or don't say it at all.
Competing on price attracts price shoppers. Average positioning draws in the clients who will grind you on cost and leave the moment someone bids lower.
The baseline keeps rising. What used to be acceptable is becoming the floor. The middle is disappearing, and average is where the pressure is worst.
When business slows down, blaming the market is easy. But if your competitors are still booking jobs, the market is not the problem.
