When clients ask for a reduction….

Urgh. This is commoditisation at its very worst! There did seem to be an underlying desire to form a relationship, with later compensations for upfront discounts, but nowhere was value a feature. The poor guy in the restaurant hearing that his filet steak was no different to the taco stand’s offering because they were both beef – please! You don’t eat out because you want mere food, you want the experience of being pampered – that’s where the value lies and it’s evidenced by good food in pleasant surroundings, waited on and not having to wash up afterwards. Those are the things that influence the bill. To say none of it matters means we might just as well all stay at home. It’s pointless trying to do a good job, as someone doing a worse one more cheaply won’t be seen as inferior. Sorry, I’m really struggling to make a positive out of this one – I ran out of steam after the relationship point!