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You Get What You Pay For

April 24, 2010

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In this post, I plan on discussing (ranting about) client/vendor relationships, pricing and final products. I am sure we have all had customers that want something done for next to nothing. Some businesses get this attitude from their clients more than others. Being a design shop, we get it a lot.

Before I begin with specifics, watch this video.

Good video right? Kind of nails it. So, here is a little story for you that some of us can relate to. Last year, I was approached by a business partner to do a site for a client. The partner said that this client had a small budget and wanted a brochure site. Sounding like an easy job, I drew up an estimate. Our partner and their client agreed on the price and we set up a discovery meeting. The day before the meeting, I received a scope of work from our partner that outlined what the needs were for the site. Here are a few:

  • Video greeting from the CEO to be filmed within my estimated budget
  • Content management system
  • Salesforce CRM integration
  • E-Commerce

Needless to say, my jaw dropped. This is far from a brochure site. This is an enterprise level website, which we would have been thrilled with. BUT, they had us estimate a job that we were told was one thing, only to have it be a completely different beast.

When I discussed this with our partner, she was shocked, and even confrontational about the reality of what the client was looking for. Not understanding the scope the client provided, she automatically assumed that a site is a site and should cost a certain amount. Just to get you into the ballpark in pricing, the video the client was requesting would have torn through the entire estimate in a few hours of filming and editing, not to mention the rest of the website would have cost thousands of dollars more.

Well, lesson learned. We have not worked with this partner since. Why? Well, doing great work for our clients is what we thrive on. We really enjoy working with our clients and helping them grow their business. However, we work better with clients who understand what they're asking for, what it costs for a web marketing shop to provide these services and products, and what they can expect from the budget they are able to spend.

Like any small business, we need to generate income. Time is money and designs and marketing plans take time. There are a whole list of issues that can come up from printing costs to software to website development. Would anyone go to a BMW dealership and ask for a car for $100 because that is what THEY want to pay? No.

We want to hear from you on this. So, please, chime in in our comments section and let us know how your business deals with customers that are unreasonable when it comes to paying for your products.

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