MLH Industry Intelligence Project

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Help Shape the Future of How Homeowners Choose Tradies

Good tradies deserve better than competing on price. Yet most directories and lead platforms still create a race to the bottom.

That's why we're conducting one of Australia's largest independent studies into what tradies actually need—not what marketers, software companies or lead platforms think they need.

Your feedback will directly influence My Local Hero—a new platform designed to help homeowners make better hiring decisions and help good tradies become easier to find, trust and choose.

⏱ Takes around 10 minutes

As a thank you for completing the survey, you'll receive:

✅ A feature article on My Local Hero before launch, putting your business and expertise in front of local homeowners now.

✅ PLUS, the first 10 businesses to request one will receive a complimentary 60-minute Business Visibility & Trust Review.

We'll identify where you could be losing the right jobs online and show you practical ways to become more visible, more trusted and more likely to be chosen before a homeowner even picks up the phone.
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Trade or home service provided
Plumber
Electrician
Builder
Carpenter
Painter
Landscaper
Roofer
HVAC
Pest Control
Locksmith
Cleaning
Handyman
Other
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Please specify
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What areas do you service?Please list the suburbs, regions or cities where you regularly work.
Examples: Northern Beaches, North Shore, Inner West, Eastern Suburbs, Western Sydney, Central Coast etc
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Number of people in business
Just me
2–5
6–10
11–20
More than 20
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Main type of work
Residential
Commercial
Both
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Approximate percentage of work from repeat customers or referrals
0–20%
21–40%
41–60%
61–80%
81–100%
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What have been your biggest challenges in the last month? (Select up to 3)
Finding enough work
Finding better-quality customers
Too many tyre kickers
Too much unpaid quoting
Customers comparing too many quotes
Customers expecting free advice
Late payment
Cash flow
Too much admin
Finding good staff
Keeping good staff
Scheduling jobs
Material costs
Fuel costs
Marketing
Reviews / reputation
Compliance
Tax
Insurance
Other
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Which ONE of those challenges costs your business the most money?
Finding enough work
Finding better-quality customers
Too many tyre kickers
Too much unpaid quoting
Customers comparing too many quotes
Customers expecting free advice
Late payment
Cash flow
Too much admin
Finding good staff
Keeping good staff
Scheduling jobs
Material costs
Fuel costs
Marketing
Reviews / reputation
Compliance
Tax
Insurance
Other
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Which ONE of those challenges wastes the most time every week?
Finding enough work
Finding better-quality customers
Too many tyre kickers
Too much unpaid quoting
Customers comparing too many quotes
Customers expecting free advice
Late payment
Cash flow
Too much admin
Finding good staff
Keeping good staff
Scheduling jobs
Material costs
Fuel costs
Marketing
Reviews / reputation
Compliance
Tax
Insurance
Other
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Where do your best customers come from? (Select all that apply)
Referrals
Repeat customers
Google
Website
Facebook
Instagram
HiPages
Oneflare
Airtasker
Builders
Real estate agents
Other
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Where do your worst customers come from?
Referrals
Repeat customers
Google
Website
Facebook
Instagram
HiPages
Oneflare
Airtasker
Builders
Real estate agents
Other
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Which types of enquiries do you receive? (Select all that apply)
Too many tyre kickers
People only interested in the cheapest quote
Customers don't understand the work involved
Customers expect free advice
Customers disappear after receiving a quote
Customers compare too many quotes
Customers don't provide enough information
Customers have unrealistic expectations
I don't experience these problems
Other
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Why do you think homeowners find it difficult to choose a tradie?
Everyone looks the same online
Too many fake or unreliable reviews
They don't know who to trust
They don't understand the difference between businesses
They compare mainly on price
They don't understand quality
They've had bad experiences before
There's too much conflicting information
Other
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What do you wish every homeowner knew before they contacted you?
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What makes a homeowner worth investing your time in?
Clear scope of work
Ready to proceed
Realistic budget
Good communication
Values quality
Knows what they want
Within my service area
Has done some research
Other
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If you could improve HOW homeowners choose a tradie, what would it be?
Homeowners understand my expertise before contacting me
Homeowners know whether I'm the right fit for their job
Homeowners trust my business before asking for a quote
Homeowners stop contacting multiple tradies just to compare prices
Homeowners provide better information before contacting me
Homeowners are more ready to proceed when they enquire
Homeowners understand why quality often costs more
Homeowners value experience and trust over the cheapest quote
Other
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Which of these outcomes would have the biggest positive impact on your business?
Better-quality enquiries
Winning a higher percentage of quotes
Less unpaid quoting
Customers trusting me sooner
More high-value jobs
More repeat customers
Better reputation
Less admin
Faster payment
Better staff
More profit
More free time
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If you could permanently eliminate ONE frustration from your business, which would you choose?
Finding enough work
Finding better-quality customers
Low-quality enquiries
Too much unpaid quoting
Customers comparing on price
Customers expecting free advice
Late payment
Cash flow
Too much admin
Finding good staff
Keeping good staff
Scheduling jobs
Marketing
Compliance
Something else
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Tell us about the best customer you've had in the last 12 months. What made them such a great customer?
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Tell us about the customer you never want to work with again. What happened?
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Imagine there was a platform designed to help homeowners understand, trust and choose you — before even reaching out. How valuable would a platform like that be to your business?
Extremely valuable
Very valuable
Somewhat valuable
Not very valuable
Not valuable at all
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What would a platform like this need to do before you would happily pay to be part of it?
Huge
Large
Normal
Small
Ok
Ok
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Is there anything else you wish existed that would make running your business easier?
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As a thank you, what would you like to receive?Select all that appply
A complimentary 60-minute Business Visibility & Trust Review (available to the first 10 businesses to request one)
I'd like my business to be featured in an editorial article on My Local Hero before launch, showcasing my expertise and the problems I help homeowners solve.
A copy of the Australian Tradie Industry Survey Report once the results are in.
I'd like to learn more about the Founding Hero opportunity before launch.
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Name* This field is required.
First Name
Last Name
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Business name* This field is required.
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Website* This field is required.
example.com.au
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Email* This field is required.
example@example.com.au
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Mobile* This field is required.
Please enter a valid phone number.
Should be Empty: