By Steven Schneidman
Wouldn't it be great if we got get the cheapest price oneverything. I know I wouldn't want it. Would you? Do you striveto get the cheapest automoblie? The cheapest mobile home to livein? The cheapest place to eat? Rather than look for the cheapestwe tend to look for value for our money. We know we all workhard for our money and would like to be compensated if we are togive it up.
The first thing a buyer should look for is if he's comparingapples with apples. Any person who's been to China lately cantell you that you can find a knockoof Louis Vitton handbag for$10.00, $20.00, $50.00 and $100.00. The $10.00 bag looks goodfrom a distance but up close you can notice it's not a real one.The $20.00 bag looks real until you see the seems. The $40.00bag looks perfect on the outside but the inside is noticeabledifferent. Lastly, the $100.00 bag is an identical bag that canfool even workers at Louis Vitton.
Secondly you should look for reliability. If you need the goodsfor a certain date and are saving 5% dealing with onequestionnable supplier, think what would happen if they arelate. If you run a sale on an item, advertise starting thisdate, and then not have the merchadise, think about the impacton your company. Your company's image is not viewed favourably,secondly the likelihood of this customer returning to your storefor a future sale is unlikely and your advertising budget waswasted. Now how much was that 5% savings worth?
Thirdly, look at indirect costs. My company Solutions Ink hasset up many companies on our e-commerce ordering systems forprinting and promotional products. A daily dreaded routine formost large companies is ordering business cards. The time tocompile a list, fax or email, receive a proof, verify with theend user, return the proof or make changes on the proof, alltakes considerable time. Along with this time the idea ofmaintaining a data base for future orders seems like a greatidea which even speeds up the ordering process further. Bygiving our customers instant proofing we can save them hundredof hours annually. This is one direct cost savings not usuallylooked at, the other is that these employees can use their timemore effectively to make their comapny's more efficient andeconomical. The smarter larger company's have realized this, nowthe middle size companies are coming on board. Another exampleof this are cellular phones or blackberries. The direct monthlycost of these items is certainly more than finding a publictelephone and putting in a few coins or buying a calling card.However the reason most people use these items is that it savesus time, allowing us to multitask other items which are morebeneficial to our companies.
Fourthly, sometimes it's an emotional decision and not a purelyfinancial one. If all companies looked only at the bottom line,no companies would have corporate suites, no executives would bedriving luxury cars, their would be no Ritz Carlton Hotels, noluxury development or condominiums. If there would be none ofthese things life would be a lot less interesting. We couldexist but not really live well. If you would like to know moreabout really helping your company drop me a note atsteve@solutionsink4u.com.
Steven Schneidman President Solutions Ink www.solutionsink4u.co
Article Source: www.ArticlesBase.com
