The Cheapest, Forget It !

Wouldn't it be great if we got get the cheapest price on everything. I know I wouldn't want it. Would you? Do you strive to get the cheapest automoblie? The cheapest mobile home to live in? The cheapest place to eat? Rather than look for the cheapest we tend to look for value for our money. We know we all work hard for our money and would like to be compensated if we are to give it up.

The first thing a buyer should look for is if he's comparing apples with apples. Any person who's been to China lately can tell you that you can find a knockoof Louis Vitton handbag for $10.00, $20.00, $50.00 and $100.00. The $10.00 bag looks good from a distance but up close you can notice it's not a real one. The $20.00 bag looks real until you see the seems. The $40.00 bag looks perfect on the outside but the inside is noticeable different. Lastly, the $100.00 bag is an identical bag that can fool even workers at Louis Vitton.

Secondly you should look for reliability. If you need the goods for a certain date and are saving 5% dealing with one questionnable supplier, think what would happen if they are late. If you run a sale on an item, advertise starting this date, and then not have the merchadise, think about the impact on your company. Your company's image is not viewed favourably, secondly the likelihood of this customer returning to your store for a future sale is unlikely and your advertising budget was wasted. Now how much was that 5% savings worth?

Thirdly, look at indirect costs. My company Solutions Ink has set up many companies on our e-commerce ordering systems for printing and promotional products. A daily dreaded routine for most large companies is ordering business cards. The time to compile a list, fax or email, receive a proof, verify with the end user, return the proof or make changes on the proof, all takes considerable time. Along with this time the idea of maintaining a data base for future orders seems like a great idea which even speeds up the ordering process further. By giving our customers instant proofing we can save them hundred of hours annually. This is one direct cost savings not usually looked at, the other is that these employees can use their time more effectively to make their comapny's more efficient and economical. The smarter larger company's have realized this, now the middle size companies are coming on board. Another example of this are cellular phones or blackberries. The direct monthly cost of these items is certainly more than finding a public telephone and putting in a few coins or buying a calling card. However the reason most people use these items is that it saves us time, allowing us to multitask other items which are more beneficial to our companies.

Fourthly, sometimes it's an emotional decision and not a purely financial one. If all companies looked only at the bottom line, no companies would have corporate suites, no executives would be driving luxury cars, their would be no Ritz Carlton Hotels, no luxury development or condominiums. If there would be none of these things life would be a lot less interesting. We could exist but not really live well. If you would like to know more about really helping your company drop me a note at steve@solutionsink4u.com.

Steven Schneidman
President
Solutions Ink
http://www.solutionsink4u.com

After completing a Masters in Business, teaching Finance at a University in Montreal and working at a large Canadian Bank, i have switched gears an owned 2 Printing and Promotional Product Companies. I help large and medium companies everyday achieve their goals.

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Google News Updated : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 05:49:35 GMT Paulson Indicates Need to Purchase Bank Equity `Soon as We Can' - Bloomberg Telegraph.co.uk Paulson Indicates Need to Purchase Bank Equity `Soon as We Can' Bloomberg - 1 hour ago By John Brinsley and Rebecca Christie Oct. 11 (Bloomberg) -- US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson indicated that pumping government funds into banks is a priority and said financial markets will remain volatile. US planning to buy equity in financial institutions Reuters Treasury Weighs Investing In Banks Washington Post International Herald Tribune - MarketWatch - CNNMoney.com - Bizjournals.com all 1,783 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:21:05 GMT Democrats Are Gaining, Registration Data Shows - New York Times Los Angeles Times Democrats Are Gaining, Registration Data Shows New York Times - 2 hours ago By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE and GRIFF PALMER Some longtime Republican strongholds in New York are becoming increasingly Democratic, a striking change driven by demographic shifts, intense voter registration drives by Democrats and allied groups and sagging ... Campus registration drives in full swing KARE Ott, Hook face off for open county office St. Joseph News-Press The News-Press - Winston-Salem Journal - Tampabay.com - Beaufort Gazette all 739 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 03:20:33 GMT US Near Changing Stance on North Korea as Terrorist - Wall Street Journal BBC News US Near Changing Stance on North Korea as Terrorist Wall Street Journal - 1 hour ago By JAY SOLOMON WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration is hoping to announce as soon as Saturday that it is tentatively removing North Korea from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, in a bid to kick-start a stalled nuclear disarmament agreement, ... AP: US to remove North Korea from terror blacklist The Associated Press US May Remove North Korea From Terrorism List, AP Reports Bloomberg Los Angeles Times - Voice of America - Financial Times - The Miami Herald all 1,714 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:02:40 GMT Bush: US authority able to solve financial crisis - People's Daily Online Telegraph.co.uk Bush: US authority able to solve financial crisis People's Daily Online - 1 hour ago US President George W. Bush arrives in the Rose Garden at the White House to makes a statement on the economy in Washington, October 10, 2008. President Bush vows action on financial crisis Los Angeles Times Bush's Lullaby to the Markets Washington Post Birmingham Star - Wall Street Journal - CNN - Bloomberg all 1,302 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:12:49 GMT G-7 Commit to `All Necessary Steps' to Stem Global Meltdown - Bloomberg Voice of America G-7 Commit to `All Necessary Steps' to Stem Global Meltdown Bloomberg - 1 hour ago By Simon Kennedy Oct. 11 (Bloomberg) -- Group of Seven finance chiefs, meeting after stocks plunged and as a global recession looms, vowed to prevent the failure of vital banks while failing to unveil new initiatives for thawing credit markets. Group of 7 Nations Seek Coordination in Rescue New York Times In latest bold step, Treasury will buy bank stakes The Miami Herald CNNMoney.com - The Associated Press - Boston Globe - FN Arena News all 890 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:03:42 GMT Genomics project unites four Wisconsin research institutions - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Genomics project unites four Wisconsin research institutions Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - 19 minutes ago By KATHLEEN GALLAGHER Wisconsin’s four biggest academic research institutions will collaborate on an initiative aimed at giving the state national stature in the fast-emerging field of individualized medicine, Gov. Marshfield Clinic gets biggest donation yet Chicago Tribune Wis. governor unveils gene research triangle Forbes Bizjournals.com - GenomeWeb News (subscription) - WJFW-TV - WISN.com all 51 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 05:29:44 GMT McCain Lauds and Attacks Obama in Same Day - New York Times CBS News McCain Lauds and Attacks Obama in Same Day New York Times - 41 minutes ago Senator John McCain of Arizona and his supporters at a rally on Friday in La Crosse, Wis. By ELISABETH BUMILLER LAKEVILLE, Minn. - After a week of trying to portray Senator Barack Obama as a friend of terrorists who would drive the country into ... McCain Moves to Soften the Tone at Rallies Washington Post John McCain, speaking to supporters, tries to defuse an anti ... Los Angeles Times Reuters - DetNews.com - Austin American-Statesman - The Miami Herald all 304 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 05:08:14 GMT RSS Software Increase Search Engine Traffic

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