May 20th 2009
Is this the same society that pays for water?
I don’t drink much pop…soda as some of you may call it. But when I want a fix, I really want one. A couple nights ago, I felt I needed a Pepsi or I was going to die. That might sound dramatic, but I felt like nothing else could quench my thirst at that moment. I debated over it, grabbed a couple of dollars and drove to the nearby convenience store that has a pop machine (it was after the store was already closed).
I put my $2.25 in the machine and pressed the big Pepsi button. The bottle that I was dispensed was not Pepsi, though. It was a bottle of water. I was not happy.
Where I live, I’m lucky enough to have great water from my own well, so I don’t buy water unless I really need to. I don’t like paying for my water. I especially don’t like paying more than $2 for a bottle of water that I didn’t want or need.
You see, I have no problem paying that for a bottle of Pepsi because I enjoy it but I don’t have the recipe for good ole Brad’s Drink.
What does this have to do with operating a small business? Well…besides the fact that you people need to make sure your pop machines are dispensing the right things…there’s a lesson on value in here somewhere.
I was talking with my good (virtual) friend Sally the other day about a prospective client she had who told her she shouldn’t charge so much for “simple administrative tasks”. I immediately said, “If it’s so simple let her do it herself then.”
Sally and I chatted about this, and really, when it comes down to it, the services we offer as virtual assistants or writers or house cleaners, are all optional. If people want me to write for them or someone like Sally to take care of the admin needs of their businesses, they have to pay for our expertise and experience. It’s not like we’re doing life saving brain surgery here. You can write your own articles or manage your own social networking plans, but if you think someone can do those things better than you, you do have to pay up.
Sometimes I find it hard to believe that people can’t see the value in what I do as a writer or what I used to do as a virtual assistant, but people seem to have no trouble paying for a bottle of water. Bottled water, people. What would our ancestors say about us buying water?!
If you can read and write, you don’t need me to write your marketing materials for you. But if you think I can do a better job than you, why would you tell me I charge too much? (Yes, I’ve been told this before, just like Sally was told before she wrote this great blog post.)
You buy bottled water because you don’t have to bother to pack your own canteen for a road trip, or because your own water tastes funny. But if there’s drinkable water coming from your taps, you really don’t need it.
I have a feeling though, that most people don’t try to haggle over the price of Evian when they get to the counter.
Why is it, then, that people feel they can haggle with a service provider like they’re at a trading post or a yard sale?
Anyone?













