Earlier today, a server administrator friend of mine shared a quick gripe about a potential client for whom he quoted $150 to perform some necessary server management. He was figuring on a couple hours of work, and came up with a fair price for everything he was going to handle, a downright steal of a price if you know just how good he is at what he does (and I do!). The potential client came back to him and let him know another administration team quoted them $75. My friend told the potential client that if he was that concerned about the price, he should go ahead and work with the other company, but he couldn’t guarantee that his price for the work would remain the same if he had to clean up after someone else too.
This got me thinking about how we, as Web professonals, are valued by our customers. I understand clients wanting to spend less, particularly in today’s tenuous economy. But at some point, you have to ask yourself whether you’re really doing yourself any favors putting so much stock in price like this. Would you walk into a Lexus dealership, price out a $40,000 car and then complain because Toyota was willing to sell you a car for $20,000? Certainly Lexus would tell you very calmly that you probably belonged in a Toyota, and should go down the street and purchase one.
We’ve done this before, my team and I; probably most well established businesses in one of the Web-related industries (design, hosting, management, software, etc.) have turned away potential business under similar circumstances. We’ve had situations where we’ve put together a detailed scope and quote for a client, the client asks us if we’ll reduce our price by 25%, and we say “certainly – which 25% of the project would you like to forego at this time?” See, while I do believe there’s some room for negotiation, you are allowed, as a professional, to ask yourself whether you really want to work with a client who refuses to respect your value, and who is basically telling you to your face that you’re not worth what you charge. Put that way, it’s a bit insulting, isn’t it?
Value comes from what the client gains as a result of your work, whether it’s faster servers, a revenue-generating site, better public relations opportunities, what-have-you. Another friend of mine puts it this way: “I’m not rich enough to afford to buy cheap things.”
Pay the $150, and get what you paid for, instead of paying $75 and getting what you deserve! Just a little something to think about the next time you’re negotiating the value of a Web professional’s services.
About Paul Hirsch
Paul Hirsch is a moderator on WebHostingTalk.com, the largest Web hosting community on the Internet, and he is a founder and Core Team member of the International Web Developers Network (IWDN). He is co-owner of Studio1337, a Web design and development company located in Akron/Canton, Ohio, West. Hartford, Conn. and Teesside, U.K. Paul received his bachelors degree from Kent State University in Electronic Media Production, with minors in Computer Information Systems and Sociology. He earned a masters degree in Media Management from Kent as well. Through his theWHIR blog, he will offer perspectives on developments in design technology for the people who create what Web hosts host.
No related posts.
