“That’s too expensive.” The words have the sound of an excuse to me. I would respond better to, “That appears to be an inappropriate purchace considering current trends and the inability of the product to add real value to our enterprise within our time constraints.” At least it would show me that they thought it through.
Expensive usually means that something costs a lot. That is a really bad definition.
I remember trying to talk my parents into buying me a pair of Nike shoes way back when. All they saw was the cost. I saw opportunity. The Nike shoes would obviously make me run faster, jump higher and inevitably propel me into an improved social circle. Certainly the $50 price tag might have seemed a little pricey to the untrained observer but as any ten year old could tell you, sometimes you need to “just do it.”
Most children can see the big picture. They see the benefits the product brings to the table at least in terms of the instant gratification they’ll get. They understand how the product will affect the complex social interactions of junior high and why they need to have it now before it is too late. By the time they turn into full grown business managers though, they’ve lost their vision. Adults slowly beat it into your mind that price is the most important thing. “How much money will the purchase take out of your pocket?”
I try to think of it differently. “How much money will the purchase put in my pocket.”
If I spend $200 on marketing that doesn’t bring me any business. That’s expensive.
If I spend $20,000 on marketing that makes my phone ring off the hook, marketing that nets me $100,000 or more, that’s not expensive, that’s shrewd business. A great deal.
Somewhere along the line you need to make assumptions and projections in order to determine if there is going to be a benefit that is worth your investment. Return on investment (ROI) is only a certainty after the fact. There is no certainty but if you can find that childlike vision you used to have, maybe you can get past the price and look for the benefits.
Greg over at Blueroof.com did,
Instead of creating well-designed websites that offer real value to the consumer, agents usually either get a cheap template just to have a website or they pay a technology company (Trulia/Realtor.com/Zillow) for leads. I understand why- it’s a lot easier and much less expensive to build a custom site. Custom websites can cost a lot. I spent well over six figures on BlueRoof.com, and it’s tough to pay that kind of money, especially if you have no experience converting online leads and have no idea what sort of return (if any) on your investment you’ll get. But help is on the way.
… I closed over 100 homes in 2007 from buyers and sellers we met through my website (of course I have a team of buyer’s agent also). These consumers all felt as though they were given value on the website and they used the website and contacted us because of it. If you want a better brand of business and want to build your team and business in 2008, stay tuned in January- when I discuss a new system that I think will offer more value for agents, and more value for the consumer. - Greg at Blueroof.com
That sounds like a deal to me. I look forward to seeing what’s in store.
How about that. I actually got quoted in 



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