You Get What You Pay For
Recently, I wanted to get my hair dyed. My friends told me to go to a professional salon, but I didn’t want to spend a lot of money. I opted to go somewhere cheaper (we will call it Salon X), despite all the warnings I received. I now fully understand the phrase, “you get what you pay for”. Because I “cheaped out” and went with Salon X, I ended up with a mop of discolored hair that will cost me more time and money to fix than it would have if I had gone to a professional the first time. Working at an advertising agency, I meet a lot of clients who are trying to grow their business. Many times, they are impressed with what we have done for previous clients, amazed at our capabilities, and want to work with us. Yet, when it comes down to talking about budgets, many of them “cheap out”. Not wanting to pay for quality the first time around, they go to a cheaper option that offers the work for half the price, and then are disappointed with the end result. Many times they come back to The BLU Group to have us fix what the previous company did for them. Had these people looked up the definition of the word “cheap” in the first place, they would have found it to be described as “small value”. Ding ding ding! We found the connection between quality and pricing. When you find an advertising agency and begin to discuss the costs of the project you want to start, run through this list BEFORE you run out the door:
- Ask why it cost “X” amount of dollars: Many times clients don’t understand all the factors that go into each project. Even something that seems “simple” like posting on a social media network can be very complex. The person running your social media page(s) has to research industry reports, analyze trends, understand the metrics in Facebook’s algorithm, etc. If you don’t know how something works or why it costs a certain amount, just ask.
- View past work: The best way for you to understand the value, is to see their previous projects. Ask for visual pieces like websites they’ve designed or print ads they’ve created, statistical data like the average ROI for a similar project, client recommendations/referrals, etc.
- Negotiate: If you still don’t understand why something is priced the way it is, speak up. Give them your opinions, objections, and other input. It doesn’t mean you are going to get the project for the price you want it, but it gives you another opportunity to comprehend where the value and price is being derived from.
I learned my lesson the hard way; I went to an inexperienced individual without the proper tools to do the job, so now I’m walking around looking like Cruella Deville. Had I gone to a professional, I would be rocking the Havana Brown hairstyle like I wanted. The same rules apply for getting a website, billboard, or other advertisement; if you want quality, go to a professional. If you want the Dollar Store version, call the guy living in his parent’s basement. It’s your choice; pay for quality, or go “cheap”.
