Becoming Essential   How marketing really works.

I designed a quick website for a friend recently. She’s a great gal, but a devout price shopper. The short term cost of the thing is what’s important to her. She doesn’t think of spending money as an investment; she thinks of it as a drain.

Price shopping is a disease that will lead you to ruin: don’t do it. I’m not talking about seeing if you can find a $1200 designer suit for $200. I’m talking about budgeting $200 for a suit and then going out and buying one that lists for $200 retail. If you are hard up, don’t buy a $200 suit. Figure out what type of clothing ensemble you can wear that’s well-made, elegant and that meets your budget. Maybe it’s a simple pair of slacks and a really nice sweater.

Don’t be a price shopper.