Last night I learnt the difference between a $2 an hour massage and one that costs more (if you don’t want to read to the end, I can give you a hint: a massage that cost more usually doesn’t draw blood).
As I was writhing in pain in the massage chair I was trying to distract myself with thoughts of anything except how much it was hurting. I started thinking about pricing and costs and my perceptions of them. I usually buy things on the higher end of the scale as I perceive there is more value in them. I buy more expensive organic fruit and veg as I believe they do me less harm that chemical fruit. I pay more for haircuts as I believe I can relax knowing I’m getting a good cut. I buy expensive brands of jeans as I think they are made better and will last longer.
When confronted with a cheaper option I usually don’t take it as I don’t think it’s as “good” as the more expensive options.
The same is true of web design. I believe in charging what is fair for my level of experience and expertise and I think you get more value than a perhaps cheaper option. That is not to say we charge a lot just to be expensive - as I mentioned, we charge what is fair and we are not going to sell ourselves short. I have been in the situation in the past where I have built websites for friends and lost-causes at no charge and these have been the longest and most painful projects I have ever worked on. It’s because of the perception of value - when someone is paying for a service they will consider what they actually need and want. When something is free they are more able to say “oh and let’s add this… and this… and we’ll move this, and change this”, and because the initial thought doesn’t go into it the site is a never-ending project.
I guess I also question why something is cheaper than the option I’m looking into - is it because they have found a more efficient way of doing something, or is it because they are cutting corners to be the cheapest (in the case of the massage last night, they cut corners by hiring the local homeless guy and not giving him any training).
Everyone knows a nephew/kid-down-the-road who can use Dreamweaver so how can we charge $X when he’ll make the site for a hundred dollars? And you might laugh but I have actually heard that line before. Like everything in life, you get what you pay for - you might end up with a site that you’re happy with but you also might end up with a lot of wasted time and energy. I personally would rather pay for experience and expertise. And next time I am going for a much more expensive massage.
This post is tagged under: random thoughts
I absolutely agree with you on this one.
I was in a situation just last week where a client asked me to ‘absorb’ some of the costs. I have to say I was slightly taken aback. In my work I draw on years of web experience across a whole range of areas. This adds layers to the quality of my work that provide a greater depth in design and analysis.
I guess it’s something you just have to be prepared for…
We are considered specialists for a reason, and I know it’s not because we have ’special’ prices!
What did they mean, absorb some costs - I assume they mean that you should work for free?
It’s funny what a difference the price makes, isn’t it - when I was at Virgin we used to work with a few different agencies, all with varying prices and fields of expertise. I used to avoid sending the most expensive one standard maintenance as they cost a lot ($250 an hour) so I used to really consider if I wanted that change or not. The one that charged $50 an hour was given all manner of maintenance and ad-hoc changes, some of which were useful and some of which were discarded.
I think price can be a really good way of sorting and considering whether you really need something or just think it might be cool - from haircuts through to usability.
Another spin on the cost affecting the perceptions: not only does the price affect the quality of what you get, but also the nature of what you’re getting.
I often come onto a project as a developer, but end up providing business vision, technology advice and much more. If there’s aspects of the business or project I think need changing I’ll say so. This, I’ve found, can create quite a bit of tension if their perception of you is purely a developer (your $2 massage), or on the other hand they recognise you’re a great asset but it’s somewhat awkward to renegotiate the terms of your involvement.
It’s all about perception. The more accurately we can make others’ perceptions of who we are and what we bring to the table, the happier we’ll be with their offering and our levels of involvement.
If those friends and lost-causes had a true understanding of who you are and what you really do then they might not see you as the right person for their crappy job.