Quality has a cost and it is logical that it should be so. But not everyone is always willing to pay for it. And this is also quite logical. As I wrote in a post some time ago it is legitimate to want and to ask to pay less for a quality product but it is also appropriate to establish a correct price according to a logic that takes into account a variety of factors.
This is the rule of thumb but then every era has had its tendencies.
The question, however, that I would like to ask you is: what point are we at today? In other words
do customers agree to buying quality products and paying the right price for them?
To tell you what I think, I will start from a premise.
If I reflect on past years, I notice that until the early 2000s it was necessary to produce a lot to satisfy the demands of the market. Then came the crisis that in principle led to overproduction resulting in the difficulty, among many, of being able to sell what was produced. Today we are finally talking about a recovery, which – although in different ways – is involving everyone, and the scenario has changed yet again.
Also on the buyers side the situation has evolved. Before the crisis a little of everything was sold (if you will allow me to use the expression) and a little at all costs because, on the other hand, there were those who bought what they needed, seeking to obtain affordable prices but without becoming obsessed with it all.
With the advent of the economic situation everything changed. The only thing that seemed to be important was to save money and so the only factor to consider when buying a product (whatever it was) was the price.
In my opinion, this way of acting has inevitably generated distorted dynamics and it is in these recent times of recovery that people have begun to understand what it means to pay little for a product. Because, and this should be emphasised,
you couldn’t (and cannot) think of buying a product of equal quality and paying a third of the price (unless, of course, whoever is selling it to me is dishonest, but that’s another story).
Buying a product at a price much lower than the market means buying something that, most likely, is different from what you have in mind. Something that, though perhaps not immediately, could cause problems. Problems that, in turn, can cause image damage to my company or that could generate economic problems. Even possibly damaging relationships with customers, dealers, service centres and so on. Nevertheless,
in the period of crisis it seemed that the only really important thing was to buy at a low cost to produce and market products at competitive prices, because otherwise they would not have sold.
Today this dynamic fortunately seems to have changed I see this from the requests that MICROingranaggi receives, from the projects we are developing, from the specifications that are laid down in the conditions. Of course, no-one will ever write that they are willing to pay any amount for a product (because the cost is no longer a problem) but there is a clear focus on quality and this new approach is inherently reflected in the daily activities we are undertaking.
From what I see then
the period of crisis has triggered a different way of thinking from that of the past, an attitude that starts from having a greater focus on costs, but always within the context of buying quality products. In other words, my impression is that today we are tending to make purchases in a more intelligent way than before.
And this can also be physiological but it is certainly positive. What do you think?
