So true ...

I heard a great saying the other day on the radio. I think I'd heard it before, but it really caught my attention this time. It was for a local company, might have been a window installer.

The saying was something close to this ... "The dissapointment of poor quality long outlasts the sweetness of a low price." I thought that was great, and so true! We've all done it. Gotten a killer deal, paid a very low price for some product or service we thought was high quality. Only to find out it was, in fact, very poor quality, and we're stuck with it.

This saying is a close cousin of "You get what you pay for."

I see this problem a lot in my own busniess. People who tell me they once found a bargain copywriter, who they trusted, then paid a lot in printing and postage to mail what this bargain writer had done. And then watched it bomb. My clients know they're better off paying a higher price for a top writer as insurance against a mailing with disasterous results.

This applies to all of us as consumers, as something we should be wary of. And it is also a responsiblity for busineess owners to provide the highest quality products and sevices at a reasonable price.

Stephen Kimball
Freelance DM Copywriter
www.skcopywriting.com

Being taken to task ...

I got a comment on my last post about the "Poor Pizza guy" who I wrote about and believe will fail. I was asked. "Well, then why don't you go help them?" Good, thought-provoking (and simple) question! The easy answer is because I've tried this with other people/companies, and most, I feel, don't want help. They think they know what they're doing.

I've actually given TONS of pro bono marketing help to friends, neighbors and family over the years. I'll help anyone that asks. And I think that's the key, if they ask, they truly want help, and will respect what I suggest to them.

Marketing is just marketing. While I believe it makes the world go round in many ways , it's not like I'm a doctor with the power to heal. But I'll always help.

And finally, I have recently taken steps to make myself available to the general business world. I have a very unique client base(hardcore direct marketers and mass mailers), that pay me very well, and we help each other easily. But I have realized that maybe others out there would take my help if offered.

I'm kind of excited to see what happens with my experimenting. I'll keep you posted.

Stephen Kimball
Freelance DM Copywriter
www.skcopywriting.com