Quick, Fast, and Cheap: The Pipe Dream
Choosing vendors for your business is hard. You want to make sure that you are picking the absolute best person for the job—the person with the greatest likelihood of getting you the results that you need. No one hires a vendor just for the fun of it.
You hire someone because you need help with a certain thing that you can't do alone.
In the perfect dream scenario, you hire someone who can be a long term partner to help you drive growth. However, you don't always go into this process with accurate expectations. The stress of running a business is nonstop. Because of this, you are under enormous amounts of pressure—pressure to choose the right person at the absolute best price. And what you think is the best price vs the reality of the price are often at odds.
The Paradox: The Iron Triangle
The old adage says that you can't have something that is good, fast and cheap.
You have to pick two out of the three:
Quick and high quality = expensive
Quick and cheap = poor quality
High quality and low cost = will take a long time
This is generally true, but let's go deeper.
What are the most important things that your business absolutely needs?
Above all else, your business needs quality.
It needs vendors who are committed to you and with you every step of the way.
It needs an end result that is of a high caliber and quality that you couldn't get on your own.
It requires these things in order for the investment to be worth it.
The Not-So-Hidden Cost of “Cheap”
If you are looking for something cheap, you're going to get something cheap. It is rare that I pay for something at the rock bottom price and get a product that is long lasting, revolutionary, and worth what I paid for it.
If it breaks you think—that makes sense. If it snaps in two you think—probably used it too hard-it wasn’t built to last.
But if you paid $400 for something instead of $4, you have a much different expectation of how it should perform. This goes for everything, your business (and website), included.
Even if you are in the beginning years of business, it's important that you choose the absolute best quality that you can afford.
Good quality is not going to be cheap or fast.
It can be faster than average, but it's never going to be cheap. Cheap shouldn't be the goal. The goal should be to get the best bang for your buck, but not at the cheapest price. Anything in the bargain bin has hidden costs associated with them.
It is not 99 cents for a dozen eggs. There's a ton of work that goes into those eggs. And if they aren't 99 cents, then something is getting devalued or shortened along the way-often at the expense of the bird itself or workers.
For me, I would rather support something that shows the true cost of doing business rather than cut corners and wonder later why what I got was subpar.
Buyer Beware: Too Good to Be True? It is.
When it comes to vendors, it's important not to get had by their marketing.
We are in the business of marketing in a lot of ways and I get it that this might seem like a paradox. But above all, we want what's best for our clients and for our prospects. We’re in the business of partnering with our clients and driving success.
When I say don't be hooked by the marketing, it means do your homework and make sure the vendor you pick not only has the results to back up what they're saying, but also has humans are nice and not overworked that will be a delight to work and collaborate with.
The Anchorlight Difference: Relationships, Transparent Pricing & 8 Weeks
A business partner who is considerate, thoughtful, and listening to the things you actually need—these may be soft skills, but they are actually the most important thing I look for when it comes to doing business.
Above everything else, you have to have a relationship with your vendors. You have to interact with these people all the time. This is not something that marketing can overcome.
If they are stretched too thin and they can't provide you the service that you deserve, at the level you deserve—then no matter what the price is, it costs too much.
When you're looking into someone to work with your business I encourage you to pick someone who is a partner and is invested in your success,. A vendor who will give you the absolute best quality they know how to provide and within a reasonable timeline.
Don't wait until the fire is at the door for you to redo your website, change your branding, or get started with social media. Don't wait until there is an emergency because the decisions you make under duress are never going to be as good as the decisions you make during high tides.
Be proactive and not reactive in your business and watch how your vendor choices change for the better.
One of the most important things I’ve heard is that you can't expect your vendors to solve ALL of your problems, but you can expect them to get you that much closer to the solution. If you believe that the people you hire can get you that much closer to your end goal—then they are absolutely worth the cost.
And if you need a new website, business development plan, brand or SEO help, we are the team you’ve been looking for and we would love to help you. Book a discovery call today and let’s get started!
