The Teckki Says

It happens every recession. Organizations flatten, and staff find themselves doing more than they are used to doing. Some of if comes from necessity, where the person who used to perform those activities is gone and not coming back. Some of it comes from fear - it you don't do it, you may be next on the chopping block. Organizations go through this purge every recession, and with it comes the opportunity to do some tasks in house that was farmed out in order to save money.

I am often reminded of this when I build makeshift photography equipment versus buying the real thing. This is almost always driven by cost. Pro photo equipment is EXPENSIVE! Stands, lighting, backgrounds, etc, needed to take ONE set of pictures can be a huge undertaking, and you don't get to charge it all back to the client.

Hardware stores are a treasure trove for this type of makeshift equipment, and there are so many DIY (do it yourself) websites that almost any inhibition you have is overcome. In the end, you can have equipment that effectively operates like pro equipment, with professional results.

What I have ended up with is a collection of pipes, poles, clamps, tools, odds and ends that in some cases has cost me more than a portion of the pro equipment I could have purchased. The advantage is that I can do much more with the hardware because it is general purpose, and much more versatile. The downside is that I have to create what I want from scratch, and I find it difficult to establish a work flow with these items so that I might save another precious asset - time.

In contrast, the expensive equipment that I drool, agonize over, and in some cases, finally buy, works right out of the box, and VERY QUICKLY. Often, it became the CHEAPER option, because it increased efficiency, productivity and decreased time on a project. Another benefit was that I could take it to a client's office. Try doing that with makeshift equipment - it makes you look much so unprofessional.

I tell this story to give pause the next time you need to cut. Too many people look at dollars only, and make no mistake, dollars need to be looked at. However, one important thing that needs to be looked at is the overall effect on your organization and what you are trying to achieve, as well as the image you are trying to project. This is not a recession-only exercise. It is continual value analysis.

Your paying clients will never fully value your products and services if they think they can replicate them. This is true even if they don't have the time to do it themselves. They pay you for what they need, but CAN'T do. If I don't have time to wash my car (and I don't), I may pay to have it washed. However, if I pay to have my car washed, and people are always complimenting me on how nice it looks, and I could never get to look that way by doing it myself, I'm going to pay to have it done more often. The contrast has to be that great. It isn't the wash, but the compliments I'm paying for.

When trimming your organization, always remember what people are paying for. If you cut that, you may just be cutting the heart out of it.