How Much Is a Crack Worth?
My neck is starting to get better, thanks to my chiropractor. I'm finally able to turn my head to the side (though with much pain). A conversation I had with a friend sparked today's post. Here's what he said: "I can't believe you'd pay a chiropractor 50 bucks for something he can do in 5 minutes. What a rip-off!!!"
That's an interesting perspective. What is a chiropractor worth? My treatment did cost $50, and he did, in fact, only take 7 minutes to perform the adjustment. That means I effectively paid him $430/hour for his time. Is a chiropractor $430/hour?
Trick question; it's irrelevant. I don't pay a chiropractor for his time; I pay him for the impact he has on my life. I don't care if it took him 7 minutes or 70 minutes; I walked out of his office with more function and comfort than when I walked in. So yes, it's 100% worth $50 to me!
This is the problem with so much of how we look at business and culture. We try to judge everything and everyone by the lowest common denominator. How long did it take them? How much did the inputs cost? What are the business's overhead costs? What's the embedded profit per item, and in my skewed opinion, is it reasonable? How many years of education/training did it take for them to perfect their craft? It's all rubbish. None of it means anything.
Once in a blue moon, a prospective client will ask me to break down the number of hours I plan to spend on them to justify the price of my coaching package. In that moment, I immediately know they aren't the right client for me. I'm selling them life change, not my time. The moment they try to boil it down to my time on a per hour basis, I know it's not a good fit.
You probably live on both sides of this. As a consumer, you make hundreds of purchase decisions every week. Instead of trying to boil something down to its lowest common denominator, simply ask yourself if the outcome of purchasing this product is worth the price. It's that simple. In my case, it's not asking if paying my chiropractor $430/hour is a reasonable price, but rather, if $50 is worth my ability to function in life. Yes, please take my money, Mr. Chiropractor!!!!!
You also live on the side of the seller. Everyone is selling something. Whether you're a business owner or an employee for a company or organization, you're selling something. I strongly encourage you to spend less time focusing on the features and benefits of your product/service and more time on the impact your product/service will have on someone's life. People don't care as much about features and benefits nearly as much as they do about how their life will be better as a result of purchasing from you. Tell them. Show them. Shine the light on impact. That's ultimately what people want......and what people need.
Is my chiropractor worth $430/hour? I don't know, but I can confidently tell you that $50 is a steal of a deal for me to be upright and functioning. Impact. Always impact.
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