You can ALWAYS get something cheaper

I feel like this is the story of my life. The topic of every conversation and quite honestly, I wish more people would just "get it" and stop trying to work the system. But alas, I shall bring it to light once again because the ever-so-talented, Sasha Souza, hit the nail on the head yesterday with a poignant blog titled "Let Me Clarify - You Can Always Get it Cheaper" and I just have to reaffirm her statement.

You can, in fact, always find something cheaper in life. Regardless of what you are looking for, it will inevitably be cheaper somewhere else. But, you simply will not get the same product (in most cases).

When it comes to advertising you cannot compare marketing dollar to dollar. If you do you will always go with the cheaper route and in return your yield will be as low as the price you went with. Advertising avenues that delivers higher impressions than their low-cost competitors are going to cost you more. Period. It's because of the hard and simple fact - they deliver more opportunities to reach your client. Buying cheap advertising does not mean that you are getting the same coverage for less price, it means you are getting less coverage for less price. If you are okay with that, than I am too.

Don't think you are getting the same coverage and have hit the jackpot of all deals... you're mistaken. It's like bridal shows..... ever been to one that only costs you $250 but then only attracts 50 brides? That's technically $5 a bride. But, if you spent the extra $500 for a legitimate show and that delivered 500 brides, you'd be decreasing your cost per bride to $1.50. The cost ratio decreases and your chances to book more brides increases. It makes sense. It's the same for Print Media, Online, Radio and Television. You get what you pay for.

Yes, a sale is a sale and even I offer promotional rates from time to time, but outside of that, start making your decisions based on a different type of number. Factors to consider when comparing advertising have nothing to do with price, but stats. Things like: distribution, circulation, web traffic, quality of the product, testimonials from clients, reach, marketing and advertising that media outlet does, etc.

If you want cheap, be prepared for less results. But if you want results, you've got to be willing to pay for them. And that brings me to price bullying. It just ain't cool. Like Sasha references in her post, you can't negotiate a lower price for gas at the local Citco, or bully the poor produce guy for cheaper bananas at Publix, so what makes you think it's okay to do so for other financial transactions. Like this video... this is exactly how you look..



I'm stopping the cycle today. I recently added this statement to my media kit because of price bullying. "We take our business and the commitment to our advertisers very seriously. The exposure, connections and relationships Occasions brings to our clients do come at a cost and commitment. Though competitive with event industry advertising rates, please know that our rates are as is, so please no haggle or hassling."

I work a lot of hours and can guarantee you I put more effort than most other publishers (no offense to them) into making sure my publication is reaching the right audience for my client... and I finally realized that work should come at a reasonable price.

It's time we all start realizing the value of our work and stick to it, while at the same time showing other people the same respect. Life is full circle and what goes around comes around.