by Tony Liddar
15. February 2012 11:49
When I provided an initial indicative quote to a potential customer recently, the feedback was that it was expensive. On the face of it, this might have been a valid point. But expensive compared with what? Quotes are always measured around a control benchmark. Nothing wrong with that, good practice.
However, it reminds me of an independent bookseller I recently heard interviewed on the radio. I recall that she had banned people from browsing books because they invariably went away and ordered on line. At some stage, she sighed, there would be no independent bookshops left for people to browse in and where would we all then be? I know this from firsthand - a popular bookshop in my local town has just closed down.
Back to my original point, without the expertise of the independent software vendor, who is there to support you now and in the future, how would you know what to buy and whether what you are buying is suitable? Of course, we all have to make a profit and some need more than others because of their business model but just compare the quality of products and the service offered. Same result maybe but a totally different experience.
And you know, it’s very difficult to argue that a paperback is not cheaper than a hardback even though we know that they are exactly the same, aren’t they?
