Subject: BBS'S
RP>RM> Careful.  You MAY care how much it costs the sysop if those costs are
  >RM> related to the quality and stability of the service.
RP>If a mall has several jean outlets, do you really care how much it costs
  >each store owner to stay in operation?  And if the "quality and stability"
  >of one of those stores is diminshed as a result of its operating costs,
  >what would be your response -- you would patronize one of the other stores
  >wouldn't you?
A better analogy would be a computer store, or perhaps another home
business, particularly if it's the sort where I'm likely to need to
develop a long term relationship for support purposes.  I want to know
that that business has the capitalization and price/cost structure to
stay in business.
We had an Internet Service just down the road that under priced it's
services to the extent that it went out of business.  The operator of
that service collected money for new signups right up until the day
before he pulled the plug.  The folks who signed up with him because his
rates were a bargain paid dearly.
The other side of the price/quality issue would be the question of
whether one of those jean outlets was offering Levis at one price and
another outlet was offering no-name seconds at a lesser price.  Both
sets of jeans being serviceable.  Which store would you go to?  It's not
a real simple answer.  Quality (and the perceived quality of the Levis
name) both also play a part.
I've got a friend who works a business consulting practice out of his
house.  He does programs on organizational skills.  (Looking at my desk,
perhaps I ought to sign up. :) )  Anyway, the fact is that he's been
successfully doing this for several years.  He bases his
instruction on a nationally syndicated program with professional
materials.  Assuming I'm in the market for his type of program, should I
sign up with him and pay a slight premium or sign up with someone with
no track record and no national support backing him up, but a slightly
lower price?
I submit that quality DOES count and each of us with a home based
business need to deal with the issue head on.
Night before last I was late for supper because I stopped off at a large
customer's place of business.  I'd been in meetings where I could not
leave my cell phone on most of the afternoon and had therefore been
unavailable. They had wanted to track me down on a stat basis and asked
if I had a beeper. I don't, but my wife got the pricing for me yesterday
and the sun won't set today before I've arranged for service.
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