I admit it. I hate paying retail for anything. I am always looking for the deal. However, when it comes to getting the right tools to do your work, and getting the right tools to promote your business, sometimes you have to pay for it.
Just the other day, I offered to redesign a young woman’s web site. She is a new business owner here in Wilmington. Evidently she does good work, and her beauty salon is very lovely. She wants to give a luxurious, elegant experience to her customers.
However, her web site does not reflect that desire. It is a free site created with the DIY site maker they offer. The problem is, it looks as if it were put together by someone with no aesthetic sense whatsoever, and obviously no idea about accessibility. It is, in fact a detriment to her business. But she declined my offer because, I feel, she did not want to pay the money.
Going the free route, trying to do something yourself that you are not capable of doing, end the long run is going to affect her bottom line. Her web presence is going to be a detriment rather than a boon to her marketing effort. She would actually do better to not have a web site at all.
I was willing to barter the work…a haircut for a redesign, perhaps. But all she saw was the dollar signs. Don’t make that mistake with your business. Go ahead and spend the money to promote and grow your business. These are probably the most effective dollars you will ever spend.
Pay for stuff!