February 5th, 2020 at 6:30pm CDT
I recently ordered two new cellphones on my wireless carrier plan. Because I was a longtime customer, I felt, ok, entitled, to those phones at the price they advertised on their websites. I was transfered to their loyalty department. I spent a hour on the phone making sure that I was getting the phones I wanted, at the price I expected. All I had to do was commit to two years, and we would be fine. Since I was also on a grandfathered plan, I had to pay the discounted price for the phones upfront. Had I been aware of all of the implications (which why I was on the phone for nearly an hour), I would have made different decisions regarding the purchases.
It appears that the time I spent on the phone was not enough, because when I got the bill, surprise, it was much higher than expected. I called the carrier, and would spend almost another hour on the phone. I was able to get one portion of the bill reduced, because that had been discussed with me in the prior call. However, I was told that the last prices I paid per line were no longer valid, given an apology which would result in a two-thirds increase per line going forward. So, after two years (I had to pay the web price for the phone), I would have paid for the phones outright, with a continuation of the higher price per those lines. My decision, had I knew then what I know now, would have been to purchase the phones outright.
This brings me to a point that in technology, most of us always seem to think that technology will yield better products, better service, at a cheaper price. This comes from the technology axiom called Moore's Law, which suggests (I won't go into techspeak here) that computing power doubles and the price comes down. The phones I ordered were yesterday's and yesteryear's technology. However, my carrier used the opportunity to jack up the price over time. I was lured in by a good initial price. Their goal was a increase of a longterm stream of revenue.
This is not necessarily an article on how to get the best price, but to give you a better mindset when negotiating on price. Technology will almost always cost you more money than you want to spend. Good technology and great service is ALWAYS worth the price. Get the price you demand, and you may well find that price isn't everything.
In technology, your first round of deals are generally the best offered ones. It tends to be boilerplate, thought out to consider your general needs, and sometimes is done without fully accessing your office needs. That evaluation usually comes after you purchase, and it is either a good deal for the vendor, or a good one for you. Hopefully, it's both.
The pricing game starts when the buyer is not going to spend what has been asked or, without explanation or research, suggests a price is too low. This is when the buyer starts to lose. The vendor is going to let the process string out a little while before coming close to or meeting he buyer's price. But the vendor has already decided what the buyer is not getting for that price. The buyer comes to a happy meeting on pricing, feeling he got what he want, without losing anything he had.
Getting the products and services you deserve begin with a conversation:
I hope this helps in choosing a vendor to service your needs. If you are out of your vendor's price range, please move on to another. There is someone who can service what you need for the price you are willing to pay. But understand the sacrifices in both product and service you are willing to get.
Rod Sawyer is the owner of Teffecx Company, servicing businesses in technology and contest marketingI'd love your feedback on what we do! Call to discuss, no obligation to buy