Special Offer- Buy cheap, pay twice!

Under pressure to save? There's an important difference between getting value and cutting corners. We take a look at four actual instances....

Scale of Economy

With the advent of digital print, you can have a print run of just one unit. There's therefore a tendency to under-order to keep the cost down, but what buyers often fail to understand is just how expensive the unit price can be on such short-runs.

Example: An organisation commissioned a high quality, 52 page, full colour glossy brochure. Their budget was tight, so they opted for print run of just a few hundred. Six months later, they had exhausted their supplies and urgently needed another 50. The unit price rose so high that they simply could not afford the run, and ended up printing the publication themselves on an inkjet printer. The end result was a loss of sales. If they had planned ahead, they could have had enough for the entire year, met their sales targets, and paid less for their print.

The Bargain Website

Starting a business is never cheap, and for most people, price is everything. We spent a lot of time researching the ideal price point for a starter website (£399 + VAT is spot on, by our reckoning - click here for details), but we still hear about websites being offered for little or no payment, then an ongoing weekly fee. We tend to hear about them from distraught business owners who are desperate to move their poorly performing website away from the provider.

Example: The new business paid a tiny fee for their online store, but were getting no trade whatsoever. If any changes were requested, the fee was astronomical and the service very poor- sometimes weeks for an email response. When they tried to move away, they were told that they didn't own the right to the domain name or the site's content. They ended up having to buy their way out, and paying another web designer to remake their website.

The DIY Business Card

For all the flashy websites, promotional videos and glossy magazine advertising, we still believe that the single most important piece of marketing you have is your business card. Promotional leaflets, flyers and brochures attract interest in your business, but ultimately, it's business cards that get kept and filed for future reference. So spend a bit of money on it- get it professionally printed on good quality, thick, card, and store them well until needed.

Example: Two competing businesses are at a networking event. One has printed the business cards himself on an inkjet printer. The other has had hers produced at a print shop. Both cards look pretty good, and the prospect receives them both. A few months later, he refers to the business cards again. One is still bright and crisp, the other has smudged, faded and torn. Which company do you think he will believe is the most professional and likely to offer a long term partnership? The one that thinks, plans and invests for the future, or the one after short-term gain and savings?

Never Mix Friendship and Business

It's always good to have a friend that can help you out, but if they're working on a project that's vital for your business, you need to make sure that strict guidelines are adhered to. If not, your business and your friendship could suffer!

Example: The business needs a website. The Managing Director's nephew is pretty good with computers, so is asked to write a website. He diligently starts, putting together ideas and some Photoshop images, and the MD is pleased with his decision- he's getting a great website, at little cost, and it's keeping the wife happy. But ultimately, the nephew isn't a professional web designer, and doesn't understand the business's market or needs. Because he's doing it "on the side", other things start to get in the way: friends, parties, "proper" job, and his interest wains. The project is now fundamentally dead: the website will never be finished, and wouldn't be fit for purpose if it was. Worse than that, his competitors have spotted the shambles, and are busy spreading the word. In the end, the MD has to bring in a web designer, falls out with half of his family, and ends up paying too.

Isn't keeping costs down fundamental to good business?

Of course. But there's a big difference in keeping costs down and being cheap. In every one of our examples, by cutting corners and buying cheap, the business ended up losing more money than they'd have spent in getting the job done properly in the first place.

We can help you make the best of your budget with cost effective solutions on business stationery, websites, leaflets, flyers, online stores and marketing advice. We don't charge for a consultation, and we always provide a fixed price quotation, so you know exactly what you're getting and how much it will cost.

Call us now on Wolverhampton (01902) 58 10 12 or email info@pragmaticdesign.co.uk for a friendly chat.