Ludwina's Blog
You Get What You Pay For!
I've learned a valuable lesson in the past few weeks; one that I thought I had learned many years ago. I dropped the ball with this one and completely let go of my values and beliefs around this one statement. The result? Weeks of lost revenue and feeling like I've been held hostage. I won't go into the details of what happened because that's not important. What is important is the lesson and that I had the opportunity to be reminded of it.
I'm sharing this with you because it seems that I'm not the only one who is needing to learn this lesson. Many of my clients and members of TRTW find themselves caught up in a bind because a well meaning friend or relative has offered to perhaps build a website for free. Maybe a design student said she'd do your logo for you. Or your son, with all good intentions, said he'd upkeep your computers. Whatever the scenario I am sure you can think of one of your own right now.
The question is - how did it work for you? Did you get the job done in the timeframe that was agreed on? Or did you find yourself at the mercy of the volunteer waiting to fit it in with their schedule? Did you find yourself asking awquard questions about when will the job get done? It's a scenario you don't want to be in particularly when you're running a business. It's always tempting to go the cheap or free route but it doesn't always end up working out and it can cost you a lot of money and wasted time in the end.
You get what you pay for, remember? Many of these arrangements which are created with the best intentions, have been made without an agreement or a clear understanding of expectations. I'm not saying don't take these people up on their generous offer, but make sure you have a clear agreement and outline of expectations in place so that you have the right to expect it done within the timeframe and they understand what you require and when. A good tip here is to make sure there is something in it for them. Whether it's a favour you do in return, you promote their services to your market or cook them dinner. But do something so they feel they are being respected and valued and you can be assured that it's done and done right.
Have you experienced something similar?
Posted by Ludwina Dautovic on 15th May, 2010 | Comments (2) | Trackbacks
Tags: negotiations, The Red Tent Woman, small business help, Ludwina Dautovic The trackback URL for this page is http://www.theredtentwoman.com.au/trackback?post=19264578
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Couldn't agree more@Even with the best of intentions, that 'free' web site or 'low cost' logo can become one of the most expensive mistakes you can make in your business. Take a stand for your professionalism, and place a true value on your time. Hope it didn't cost you too much time Ludwina, at least you realised it wasn't working and got out quickly, hopefully not too much harm done. Posted on 17 May, 2010 by Angela den Hollander
You Get What You Pay ForThanks Ludwina for posting this timely advice for those of us in small business. Your comments spell out very clearly a subtle trap that we can so easily and unintentially get caught up in. I totally get what you are talking about. Thankfully I have not "been bitten" in this way and will be even more on the alert now that you have posted your comments. Posted on 17 May, 2010 by Christine McRae
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