"Red"
Graphic Designer
I came to a unique realization last night. I know that power washing companies don't like the guys that low ball cleaning jobs. Why is that? Do they feel they are somehow being cheated? That the quality of their service could never be met by someone "giving away the farm"? What is it about the "low baller" that puts them in a sub-category not worthy to clean along side their higher priced competitors?
When it comes to a cleaning organization/association offering "at cost printing" to promote its own membership signups they're perfectly fine with that, in fact they think it's great. Why is that? Why is it ok to low ball the design and printing of marketing materials, but not cleaning services? This double standard needs to be fleshed out.
Everyone likes to save money, but low balling printing services is the same as low balling cleaning services. Giving away a service that you have no vested interest in (meaning you couldn't care less who it harms) is wrong. Design and printing services are an integral (and very important) part of a successful company's marketing strategy, so why destroy that market just to save a few bucks.
Power washers typically spend $100 on a job to make several hundred dollars in return. Why would you not spend $100 more to make thousands of dollars in return?
I find myself competing with self-serving organizations that think they are providing a "valuable" service to its members when in fact they are devaluing one of the most important aspects of any cleaning company's success - marketing. Eventually the good designers will start to vanish leaving only unskilled and untalented people to produce your marketing materials (just to save a few bucks on the printing).
More and more individuals are starting to promote "at cost printing" as well. If the design and printing industry turns into a collection of unskilled "low ballers" then the quality minded designers will have no choice but to move on to greener pastures leaving the power washing companies to either accept substandard design work in order to get the "cheap" printing prices or start paying much higher design rates which will completely nullify any savings afforded by the "at cost printing" scheme.
If you have a good designer that provides great service and products, pay them the same way you expect to be paid. Designers and printers are people too, they have bills to pay and families to feed. They also want to raise their standard of living. If your marketing materials provide you a good living, then don't balk at the prices of designers that want the same thing.
Giving away services that others rely on for a living does no one any good, well except the organizations and associations that are collecting membership fees.
When it comes to a cleaning organization/association offering "at cost printing" to promote its own membership signups they're perfectly fine with that, in fact they think it's great. Why is that? Why is it ok to low ball the design and printing of marketing materials, but not cleaning services? This double standard needs to be fleshed out.
Everyone likes to save money, but low balling printing services is the same as low balling cleaning services. Giving away a service that you have no vested interest in (meaning you couldn't care less who it harms) is wrong. Design and printing services are an integral (and very important) part of a successful company's marketing strategy, so why destroy that market just to save a few bucks.
Power washers typically spend $100 on a job to make several hundred dollars in return. Why would you not spend $100 more to make thousands of dollars in return?
I find myself competing with self-serving organizations that think they are providing a "valuable" service to its members when in fact they are devaluing one of the most important aspects of any cleaning company's success - marketing. Eventually the good designers will start to vanish leaving only unskilled and untalented people to produce your marketing materials (just to save a few bucks on the printing).
More and more individuals are starting to promote "at cost printing" as well. If the design and printing industry turns into a collection of unskilled "low ballers" then the quality minded designers will have no choice but to move on to greener pastures leaving the power washing companies to either accept substandard design work in order to get the "cheap" printing prices or start paying much higher design rates which will completely nullify any savings afforded by the "at cost printing" scheme.
If you have a good designer that provides great service and products, pay them the same way you expect to be paid. Designers and printers are people too, they have bills to pay and families to feed. They also want to raise their standard of living. If your marketing materials provide you a good living, then don't balk at the prices of designers that want the same thing.
Giving away services that others rely on for a living does no one any good, well except the organizations and associations that are collecting membership fees.