Is cheaper always better?

Many start-ups are looking to websites that offer the ability to post a job to a network of experts and receive estimates from those that have purchased the lead. But is cheaper always better?

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You're a start-up and are in need a website, logo, branding, help with social media, email marketing and paid advertising - the list goes on. How do you find an expert to help you achieve these wonderful things?

Many business owners are going to sites that enable them to post a job and receive estimates from potential suppliers that have paid for the 'lead' (not naming any names, but I'm sure you know the ones I mean).

The challenge with these sites is that the cost to a supplier or expert of purchasing a lead to be able to put forward an estimate is in the region of £15-60 for a basic website build. After this initial spend, most suppliers won't receive a response to their estimate, call, text or email, as with one site in particular for example, each job can be purchased by up to five suppliers and sadly it's often the cheapest that get hired. This is disheartening to say the least and puts a lot of savvy experts off because to be quite frank, we're throwing money away without the chance of a conversation.

The competition to secure jobs is high across these sites and as a result suppliers resort to providing rock bottom estimates, which on the surface may seem great, but unfortunately means you're going to get a very basic service.

Let's look at this from a different angle - if healthcare was privatised, would you allow surgeons to bid to carry out your operation and go with the cheapest price? No! You'd want the best surgeon that is within your budget, not the cheapest with the least amount of experience and the risk of having to pay more to fix a botched job. This is where the size of the supplier comes in.

If you're a start-up, you'll want to find a small agency or sole trader with a lot of experience and prices that align with your budget. If you approach a well established agency with 10+ employees, you will naturally see inflated prices to cover their higher operating costs.

What's that saying? Pay peanuts, get monkeys? It sure is true in this industry. So go careful, do your research and look locally for small businesses that are likely to provide a cracking service - even better if they can be recommended within your network - at a price that is kind to your start-up budget and without the need to fork out more money later on to rectify the mess those monkeys made with their peanuts.

Check out our Small Biz Packages to get your branding sorted and your business online and able to accept leads/purchases.

Speak to an expert at helloteamhustle@gmail.com.