Old Blog Post of Mine - Pick Two!

I am sure this saying has been around for a long time but I just heard it a couple of years ago in a meeting with a very smart man named Rob. "You can have Price, Quality or Service but you can't have all three". I have tried to work it many different ways and it always works out the same.

Example: You go out and have a steak dinner at a really nice place. You are right to expect quality food by a professional staff, but you are going to pay for it. You can go to the local fast food joint and you can have price but really the quality or the service has to suffer. The price savings has to come out of the quality of food or what they can pay their staff. They can't afford to give you a steak at a hamburger price. The same applies to our business.

If you want a quality installation with a dependable (and insured) company, it costs more. You are giving up the low price. You have to apply the extras that create a quality installation, you have to pay a decent wage to keep your good installers and you have to run a business with responsible business practices. That's all part of the service you expect. Where then, do you suppose, we start price cutting?

You probably mention those benefits mentioned above when you build the value into your bid but let's give your customer some food for thought. If they get a much lower bid from someone else what part of their project is going to suffer, quality or service?

If someone thinks they can deliver all three they are fibbing or fooling themselves. Next time someone asks you to cut your price, just tell them “Pick Two!"

I provide three kinds of services. Fast, Good and Cheap.

If it's cheap and good, it won't be fast.

If it's good and fast, it won't be cheap.

And if it's fast and cheap, it won't be good. :laugh:

I am resurrecting my old blog post. With that post about saving consumers 20-30% on their roof I thought it was appropriate.

Wish it was that simple.

BTW; Used to be, we worked in an area where we could provide all three, without a doubt.

Majority of roofing co',s had no real expertise. Customer base consisted primarilly of afluent, absentee, 2nd home owners, or like-minded/un-skilled, oportunistic contractor's/service providers.

A sharp, knowledable & ethical operating contractor easily made mince-meat of the local "competition".

Today, we can provide the exceptinal quality & service portion only.

I tell them if they can't afford to do it right, just do half of the roof. that will cut out about 40% of the total.