Let's face it! There are some really good marketers out there. You join an email list and they dribble market to you and then you get that one email that makes you bite! You buy what they have to sell and then they over promise and under deliver. Back in the day (and currently) it was called an Infomercial. Trust me… when I ran my recording studio where we used to do audio for some of the best! Ron Popeil was the king. Ginsu Knives, Pocket Fisherman, Rotisseries. We have all been tempted and some of us have bit (at the Pocket Fisherman)!
The expectation, is cheaper faster or better, but I learned a long time ago… for a deal to be real you can only pick two! Faster & Cheaper ≠ Better – Cheaper & Better ≠ Faster – Faster & Better ≠ Cheaper. If you find all 3 then call me because I have some land in the everglades we need to discuss that you may want to buy?
The reality is some people are partnering in your success, while others are just trying to separate you from your profits and money! Now I understand that if you sell toilet paper you cannot provide a return on investment, but you can provide a customer service that saves people time and maybe money! As a business, you hire people and purchase products expecting some kind of return on an investment! Finding those who create value can sometimes be a bit challenging, especially when they employ really great salespeople!
3) Is it a Good Investment? I have a value proposition that… if my business cannot make you three times what you spend, then it's not a project I want to take on. So the question you have to ask yourself, is what can I pay someone else to do that will make me three times the expense? My favorite example is I pay someone to pick up dog poop for me. It costs under $15 a week and I can easily make three times that in the time it would take me to stop working and go do that for my dog and family. What areas can you employ someone to make you more productive and profitable?
2) Three Times as Hard? We all want to save money and do it ourselves, but sometimes it makes sense to pay for some help. People are always trying to save a buck, yet trying to sell for as high a price as possible. I had a client that paid me $150 to do a 1 page website and was disappointed with the result. He then decided to make a WordPress website himself. He was happier with that but it took him 40+ hours learn and navigate the pitfalls of a do-it-yourself project (he is a friend and told me of the adventure). In my world that is $4000-$5000 in lost revenue. He could have had it done for him for less than 1/3 of the cost if he would have asked for that in the first place (three times return on investment, and believe me I offered that as an option up front!). Does it make sense to do it yourself when you could be making more money having someone help you?
1) One Other Opinion? Sometimes you just need another opinion or set of eyes that helps you see the forrest in the trees! Often, hiring a consultant or coach who can teach you things that would take you much longer to learn yourself, is well worth the price of admission! It can save you precious hours or days to learn how to do something new to you! Felicia Slattery is such a professional speaker and a coach. I am hedging my bets to say, with her experience as an author and speaker, that she can help me sell an additional 150 books! She is a best selling author and well connected. Who do you know who you can pay to propel you to success? Do you know when you ask for help, or are you just stubborn?
There are a million people trying to separate you from your money every day! There is another million more people promising you millions of customers. If they can't give you dozens of references of people who have made at least 3 times what they spent… run and fast! You deserve to be empowered, but you also are running a business. If it's not going to result in more money than you spent, then think twice.
What are your stories? Have you been taken for a ride? Have you been sold empty promises? What do you pay for that helps your grow your business that you love paying for? Comment away!
Thank you for your kind words, Brian!
I was really enjoying the article and then – what a surprise – there I was! LOL You’re so cool to mention me.
One of the ways we are similar is that we have our clients’ best interests at heart. Sadly, that’s not always the case.
This week I was working with a client who speaks and coaches for a major, very well known motivational organization. In the training, they were basically told to “act” like they cared so they could get the customer’s wallet. Seriously! That “get the customer’s wallet” language was word-for-word in the training prompts!!! They don’t have to actually care, just make the client think they cared.
And honestly, to me, that’s worse than the slimy marketer who really doesn’t care and acts like it. Most of us *want* to believe the people we buy from – especially if they are a coach or consultant – care about us. So when a slick sales person comes along who knows how to fool a person, it can be heart-breaking to learn the truth. And if not heart-breaking, it’s usually budget-busting because that’s money out the window.
For most of us, the lessons come school-of-hard-knocks style, but hopefully folks will read this post and use your 3-2-1 formula. I love it!
You rock!
Felicia
Thanks Felicia… I really appreciate the comment!