I pay $40 for a haircut. Too much? Not compared to the results I just got from a $15 hole-in-the-wall barber shop. You get what you pay for. Remember that when you launch your next marketing initiative, as well.
Let me back up. I work at Second Melody as the Director of Strategy and Account Management. I’m the contact for all our clients to keep the projects moving on-time and on-budget. In other words, I have a lot of meetings. Today, I had a couple of hours in between the morning meeting and afternoon meetings – both of which are close to my home here in Hoboken, NJ. I also needed a haircut BADLY but my normal place doesn’t open until the afternoon.

NO problem, I thought. I’ll just walk into that little hole-in-the-wall barber shop right down the street. Plus, it’s way cheaper! Accomplishing my goals more quickly AND for less money, what could be better? I’m really, really, smart.

Woah, pal, not so fast. Loyal readers, let me tell you. You get what you pay for. And it made me think. Made me think of all the discussions and debates I’ve had with clients over the years. Same conversation each time: Why is this so expensive? I don’t have the budget to do that. Why does it take 8 weeks? I want it to be done in three weeks.

I’m not talking about basic negotiations here. Getting the best deal for your univeristy or college is what you SHOULD fight for. I’m talking about the basic, underlying problem when people don’t understand that you simply get what you pay for.

Let me put it another way, there are three basic components to anything where money exchanges hands. Could be you buying a car, maybe it’s going out to dinner, or maybe it’s your university’s new website or prospectus.

Time, money, quality. Say it with me. Time, money, quality. You can’t affect one without affecting the others.

Time: you need the website built faster? You can but that means it’s going to cost more to hire more developers. Or, you have to decide which parts of the site you are willing to sacrifice.

Money: you don’t have the funds you need to do it right? Cool, but that means you’re going to sacrifice the quality of the job. Or, your project is going to take more time because there won’t be as many resources devoted to it.

Quality: if you demand the utmost of quality and the latest in technology for your new website, great! But you’re also going to have to spend more money on it. Or, you’re going to have to give the web team more time to do the research and try different tactics.

But don’t just take my word for it. Think about it the next time you’re in a store. Want to find the freshest organic produce with the best quality? It may not be at the grocery store closest to you so you’ll spend more time driving to find it. Also, it’s definitely going to cost more. See what I mean?

So keep that in mind the next time you’re planning your next initiative. More features on a website cost more money. Brochures that take longer to design are going to look better than those slapped together in a week. Of course, don’t blindly accept your vendor’s first proposal- negotiate. But, negotiate with this in mind: you get what you pay for.
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