How Much Does it Cost? Business First Impressions.
One of the great things about my job is: on a daily basis I connect with a lot of cool people from various Caribbean countries, USA, UK and even recently Colombia. We connect, we converse and we interact but I must say despite their differences in race, culture or background, one of the most common question present among them all whether it’s a website, web application or a marketing campaign is “How much does it cost?” It’s amazing how this question always seems to come up at some point in the conversation.
As a business owner, cash is your best friend, that’s the reason why you are in business in the first place (unless you are a non-profit organization) therefore proper cash management is critical to you (and me). That’s why when it comes to spending your hard earned cash by nature the first question always asked is “How much does it cost?”
There is a saying which goes “You get what you pay for”, For example if you were to spend $500 dollars on obtaining a new website my best bet is that when it is finally delivered it will look like a $500 dollars website, hands down. Websites, business cards, marketing campaigns they are all investments into your business. Why? They all have the ability of generating new sources of income through generation of leads. That’s why proper care and thought must be made before deciding to invest in any of these areas.
Just like in person, first impression on the web is of equal importance and will serve as an extension to your company/organization. Imagine spending thousands of dollars in perfecting your skill (personal investment), thousands of dollars in starting your new business (business investment) Oh! and $500 dollars on a new website (because some guy said you needed one). Since the website in itself was not considered as an investment, your chances of gaining returns from it would be next to none. As a result of the impression given off to visitors and prospective customers who may perceive your products/service as inferior when this may not be the case.
The question of “How much does it cost?” is not about how much money you should be willing to spend. Why? Unlike purchasing a brand new pair of shoe or a lovely black dress which will eventually be tossed away due to wear and tear, your company’s presence is here to stay. It is an investment; therefore the question should be “How much money am I willing to invest in order to create value and at the same time, a proper return on my investment?” Be smart, do your research and know why you are investing in it. Make sure it is in line with your company’s goals and objectives and above all make sure that the value you get in relation to your company’s brand, image, and message is worth your investment. Once these factors are in place, the question of “How much does it cost?” becomes a non-factor because in the end the value generated long-term for you company’s first impression is priceless.
Your turn to share
Share with us what factors do you consider before making an investment in your business?