Know that saying, “you get what you pay for?”
It’s supposed to remind us that if we’re looking for dirt cheap prices when buying or hiring we’re likely going to end up with, well, dirt.
How about when you don’t even get what you pay for – or, better yet, when you don’t realize until it’s too late that what you’re buying actually has zero value?
It happens every day. The mechanic tells your grandma her car needs a new flux capacitor, and she signs the work order because, well, he’s the “expert.”
But it isn’t always sneaky.
There are a few basic reasons people provide bad service:
- They don’t care
- They’re trying increase short-term profits by under-delivering
- They don’t know they suck
- Some combination of the above
A prospective client recently asked me to review the work their old SEO company had done.
I had the unfortunate responsibility to tell them just how worthless the service they received was. They were still paying for “Search Engine Submissions” – a service that no longer holds a drip of value – among other things.
Did the old SEO company not care? Were they stupid?
Does it matter?
The net result was a client who got the shaft. No results. Nothing gained. Lost time and money – two things in very limited supply.
We generally subscribe to the idea that the market will sort it out. Bad service providers will get a bad rep and lose business, eventually going under if they don’t deliver value.
So why do bad companies keep getting hired?
The Knowledge Gap
Most business owners, especially in the small business sector, are busy running the show. They’re switching hats all the time, putting in 12-14 hour days and lucky if they have enough time to sit down with the family for dinner.
So when the time comes to revamp the website most recognize we need to get an expert involved – or at least someone who has a pretty good idea what she’s doing.
The trouble is that most people want to sound like they’ve got the answers. Especially if having the answers means they get your money.
When everyone sounds like the expert, and they’re all tossing around phrases like “301 redirect” and “Robots.txt file creation,” it’s tough to go with anything other than your gut if you don’t know what those phrases mean.
I’m not saying don’t trust your gut. But salesman have ways of tapping into those gut instincts – of getting you to say “yes.”
Do Your Homework (or get burned)
There’s always going to be that point at which you have to turn responsibility over to your service provider. It’s trust, and it’s a leap of faith of sorts – one you make only when you’re confident they won’t screw things up for you.
The only way not to get burned is to come to the table well-armed. That means you do some reading – maybe weeks worth. Whatever it is you’re buying, look into it, find out who the authorities are on the topic, pour yourself a cup of coffee and LEARN.
If you’re willing to risk thousands of dollars on a service you don’t understand be prepared to lose the gamble.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
It certainly is amazing how many companies are willing to put up with poor quality and/or no quality just because they “don’t have the time to move or figure out what it is they really need”.
If you have the time to complain about the poor service, or lack of results, then you have the time to do the research from the start and/or move to a new service.
Couldn’t agree more. I feel for business owners who are too busy to learn new technologies, but at the same time the more readily you throw your hands up and say, “not my area,” the more you’re trusting your service provider to tell you what you need and how it’s working. And I think it takes a particularly well-principled person/company to say, “hey we screwed up,” or, “it’s not working out as well as we hoped.”
Unfortunately, bad service happens frequently – whether by dishonesty or incompetence doesn’t much matter at the end of the day. The only real way to combat it is through education.
Otherwise be ready to pay a few grand for that new flux capacitor.
I tell all my friends, family, readers and anyone else who will listen not to hire anyone until they let me check them out first. Even though most people have Internet access very few think to do any research on the person they’re about to hire!
Most businesses truly have no idea what I do for them and usually don’t really want me to explain it so it is no wonder they get burnt. Sometimes it is their fault because they’re cheap and you get what you pay for; however, many get burnt not only by con artists but by honest folks who just don’t know nearly as much as they think they do.
There are only a few really brilliant people and when you can afford it hiring them is the only sensible thing to do. Just think of all the money left on the table by businesses unwilling to hire great SEOs or usability experts or Web designers.
Not only money left on the table – money sent down the drain. I’ve seen SEO campaigns that were renewing every year, and when I looked into what had happened over the last 12-18 months it was a resounding, “NOTHING.”
So those clients were paying for zero service – when you’re a small business and the budget we’re talking is $5-10k, that amount can be crippling.
At least if an SEO company gets zero results the client MIGHT catch on. The worst are SEOs that get a site ranked for ridiculously obscure search phrases with no traffic. They can show their clients their first page results and most wouldn’t realize those are worthless to them.
Every business needs to seek out someone they can trust – and those they trust MUST be willing to recommend honest, exceptionally talented individuals in every specialty.
There are only so many clients who are a blessing to work with and interested in excellence. They deserve to have us refer them to only the very best. Excellence at SEO requires thoroughly understanding analytics and that is where I feel you have a great advantage over many.
I know just the sort you’re describing – actually worked with a few of them in the past. Rankings have ZERO inherent value, but it’s tough convincing people of that.
What you say about finding someone trustworthy – and who will be willing to recommend others with specialties – is spot on. In my experience most companies/consultants are hesitant to ever admit that they need to bring someone else on board. But it’s probably the best thing you can hear as a client. It shows the consultant is A) honest and B) trusts his/her network. We are, after all, only as good as our resources.
I certainly appreciate the kind words – I’m not sure I have it exactly right, but I do try to emphasize the need for tracking/analytics in every campaign. Without analytics we’re flying blind.