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Tips and stories to add value to you and your organisation

Prosecco And Profiteroles

23 April 2017

Last weekend was of course Easter …a time for reflection, fun with the family and chocolate eggs. And if you were lucky, or well planned, all three.

I can still remember getting an egg, as a child, that came with its own mug and I thought that was the coolest thing ever…I mean, come on! An egg with a mug! We didn’t care that the internet hadn’t been invented when we had stuff like that to amuse us.

Some folk opine that choccy eggs are all packaging and therefore not good value, but that’s to ignore the value of a tiny child’s smile when they unwrap the shiny foil covering, smash up the egg and try to eat it in one excited mouthful. Pricless perhaps?

Thinking of value and my own need for treats I was browsing in a well known food shop when I spotted half bottles of Prosecco for £3. They seeemed better than a standard sized bottle for £5, which I would never finish on my own. Flat fizzy for breakfast, despite having tried it on Boxing Day (and who hasn’t), is not nearly as refeshing as I thought it would be. Green tea for me!

Then I spied a commotion in one isle, with shoppers all descending on a hapless assistant who couldn’t mark down the chosen delicacy fast enough. Profiteroles, that were usually £8 were flying into trolleys for only £3. A bargain.

The profiteroles were definitely the better deal …saving me a handy £5 and ensuring a supply of chocolate tastiness for the rest of the day.

It was only when unpacking the shopping that I was surprised to realise the neat stack contained a full 30 little treats. In my haste to bag the bounty I hadn’t stopped to think about how many profiteroles count as the safe dose for an adult. It was time to find out and begin my Easter profiterole-a-thon.

Three days later …only four to go. It turns out that the most you can eat in one 24 hour period is about 12 before your body starts to rebel and make newing noises along the lines of ‘please no more, we need vegetables now!’

This episode taught me that value is relative. The Prosecco was the poorer deal in cash terms, but a half bottle was just enough and so no wastage ensued. The profiteroles became more of a challenge than a treat and I began to wish that I hadn’t been caught up in the bargain frenzy.

When we are valuing our own products and services we need to match the client’s true needs with what we would really like to charge them. Higher prices can instil confidence that we know our business and a bargain can lead to a race to the bottom of our niche.

Next time you buy 30 profiteroles it will take about five days to eat them, based on my selfless research. Maybe not such a good bargain after all!

Next week: Well-Being For Beginners