In the movie “Confessions of a Shopaholic,” the two main characters first meet at a hot dog cart in Manhatten. In this scene, Luke gives Rebecca $20 just to get rid of her. She comments “You just spent $20 on a hot dog,” to which he replies “Sometimes Cost and Worth are very different things.”
How much is something worth? Most often, it depends.
If you were about to collect a million dollars, you’d gladly pay $1000 to get the last cab that could get you here in time.
If the reports for your best client were due Monday morning, you’d not hesitate to pay extra to get your computer fixed on Sunday!
Yet, Value is not always about money, either. If it were, nobody would pay more to get a more comfortable car. Everyone would hire the cheapest CPA or attorney and “Damn the quality of their work!” There are people who travel ten miles out of their way to save ten cents on a gallon of gas. Good price? Sure. Good value? Not so much.
The next time you need to make a judgment about how you spend money on your business – for equipment, supplies, vendors, professional services…just about anything – consider the Value.
“When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight…”