Value Isn’t Counted in Dollars
There are lots of stark differences between pitching the value of SEO to big companies versus small businesses. In the former, price is often the last factor discussed, whereas service offerings, support, consultancy and integration into existing infrastructure matters. In short, they understand that you can’t order steak on the a McDonald’s budget.
That’s not to say that small businesses are cheap (although some can be). At the end of the day, proving value is always harder than to a bigger firm because there is a natural fixation on getting the right price. The average small business owner I’ve encountered thinks along the lines ‘Am I getting my bang for the buck in paying what I am’? Truth be told, can someone who is hearing about SEO for the first time accurately judge if they are getting value for their money, without giving the service the time to prove itself?
Tangible and Intangible Value
Demonstrating tangible value is fairly easy. Talking about ROI, ROAS, Cost per Customer Acquisition, and Cost per Lead are all great ways of solidifying some numbers around a campaign.
But a lot of the times, SMB’s don’t realize the value of expert opinion that is priceless to their business. I’m all for profitability and efficiency in business, but I like adding extra value of to clients who are in a tough spot, or need advice on broader internet marketing. Just this week I’ve talked to clients about things that aren’t included in their contract, and have got a fair share of ‘thank you’ emails back. I won’t bill them, but you can bet the guy charging $500 for the year will, if they bother to give the client one on one service at all.
Good SEO’s are hard to come by, and most clients will attest to the fact that they make back their investment in a short period of time. I hope this post helps those that fixate on price too much, because it’s important to remember:
Price is What You Pay, Value is What You Get – Warren Buffet
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Shameless Plug: I am looking for an SEO specialist to join my team in Montreal. We work with some very exciting clients, and offer great pay and benefits. If you think you’re our guy/girl, then get in touch with me through the contact form or email dev [at] devbasu.com
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Excellent points, Dev, and just as valid in any business as SEO. At the end of the day, while businesses can (and often do) take the less expensive option, more times than not this ends up costing them in the long run.
I think where it obviously differs with SEO is that it’s a little bit harder to track the instant ROI – after all, high placing and consistent placing isn’t going to happen overnight. Unless you’re blackhatting, and that’s a whole new area altogether…
(and not one that I would ever use or condone).
Warren Buffet sums it up perfectly.
Awesome post, I will remember this as I talk to a potential new client on the phone in a few hours.
@Danny Brown – Very valid points Danny
. I make it clear that the whole picture around ROI is really visible after about 6 months to a year depending on the niche, but that cues can be picked up from direct increases in leads/inquiries/ and new business. I ask my clients to ask every customer where they found them for example.
@Joe – Glad you liked it !
We deal almost exclusively with small businesses so this is a conversation we have all the time. Understandly everyone is watching their budget right now but we try to stress to our clients that even though they may find a cheaper price, they need to consider carefully what they will get for that price. Like you, we’re happy to spend the time on things with our clients that we can’t or don’t bill but it’s time well spent on the relationship.
Price is what you pay, Value is what you get.
As a blogger and a consumer too, in terms of the blogging world and reality, this quote easily applies. Some people just tend to overprice too much, and when the client gets the output, he/she just gets disappointed because of the quality. True enough, prices are factors that affect the viability of the product, however, if you are going to mark an item with a $50 make sure that it is worth it. I wouldn’t buy a cheap looking shoe for $100, instead, I will buy a decent looking one evn if the price is cheap.
Amazing Post. i totally agree that price is what you pay and value is what you get. If you pay for business you will get the value