Why you should pay for my services even if you have a (much) cheaper option

I cannot even count how many times I have been asked “_Why are you so expensive when XYZ firm is willing to take this firm at a third of the cost that you have quoted?_” or “_Why is your hourly rate so high?_” With intangible products and services you always run the risk that the customer will compare you with a cheaper service and might even be inclined to go that ways. Usually while doing so the customer is assuming that both I and the cheaper alternative are providing the same or at least similar output. There is nothing “extra” that he feels he is getting out of it.

Now let me start by saying that I am not “really” expensive. My “expensiveness” is the same in sense as a BMW is expensive compared to a Hyundai. There are people who need a Hyundai and there are people who need a BMW. Those who need a BMW pay a higher price because they know they are getting something extra and something better. Even if this something extra is the semblance of a status symbol, it is still something extra. The difference can be justified and in most of the cases is tangible. Unfortunately this is not how the consulting industry works. Yet this difference exists even in our industry. So let me try to show you why it makes sense for you to still hire us for your project even if I seem expensive. Also I = Green Apple Solutions :)

I will deliver – I am not claiming that any firm which is quoting a cost much less than mine will definitely and absolutely not deliver but there is a fairly high chance that they might have under-quoted just for the sake of getting the project or have done their costing strung too tight. This means that at first instance of a slightest problem in the project it would tend to become loss making for them. Or they might start paying more attention to a project where they see more profitability. This means that your project is not going to get the attention and time that it requires which could result in major delays and project getting scrapped in some cases. As I have mentioned many times in my previous posts that in this is the kind of setup either both parties win or both parties lose. A successful delivery is only possible when you are happy with my work and I am happy with the valuation of my effort.

Cheap product = cheap raw material – Although it is possible to make an expensive product using cheap raw material but is absolutely not possible, profitably, to build a cheap product using higher quality hence expensive raw material. This means it is very likely that the developers/consultants that he is using are either not very experienced or not very good or both. Maybe he is still using the old tools, technologies and practices to save costs. If you do not know any better, you might end up with a poorly assembled, fragile and inextensible solution just because you wanted to save some money today. We are a sucker for new technology. Even if you don’t ask us we will make sure that we use the latest frameworks and technologies for your work, just because we like it. All this is done without sacrificing the robustness, security and extensibility of the solution. You cannot build a BMW with Hyundai parts.

I give you a future proof solution – The core part of consulting is the ability to look beyond just the immediate requirement of the project and be able to foresee future requirements as well. While we make sure that the product is built in such a fashion that any feature that you might wish to get developed in future should be easy to build and integrate, what incentive does a low-cost low-tech vendor have to think about all of this. We make all the technology decisions on this basis only and keep you updated about every important step.

I will always support you. Always – You will always need support. Period. Any project is almost useless without support. As I mentioned in the first point no vendor will be happy to support you if the original project was loss making in the first place. We as a principle (or habit) will always support you. And that is not just because we “have to” but more because we take immense pride in whatever we do and we would hate to see our work being discarded or remain unused. We have worked really hard to build a reputation and will work even harder to maintain it.

There is no second chance – Let say you wish to get your corporate website designed. Now in India you can find vendors who will be willing to provide you a website, hosting and a domain name all for $100. I on the other hand will not even recommend you to use the shared hosting that comes as cheap as $100. In case you go with a vendor who has quoted say a third of my quote and are not happy with the experience, will you be coming back to me to pay my full quote price and get the project redone? Most likely no. You will probably live with it for some time holding a grudge against the entire industry.

It is a wise thing to save money. As it is said, you don’t get rich by making money but by saving it. Yet there is a difference between smart saving and getting screwed over. Always do your research. Always check references, previous works and industry reputation of a vendor and I assure you that if you do this you will always end up with a reliable partner for you project. Like us.