Value vs Cost

It is a long journey, but worth it. This is a long read, but worth it. I do hope this blesses everyone.

Whether it's what you do in your sales job or as an individual, we are constantly making choices of what we deem as value when opening our wallets.

It makes me wonder why people buy and recommend what they offer at the price they offer it at.

But it also led me on my own personal journey which I'd like to share, and I ask that if any part of this story resonates with you, that you share it with others:

I was watching a great motivational video yesterday about why people aren't willing to spend money on something of value to them, for example, a new automobile, a new health device, a new home or crazy fun vacation they always thought would be too expensive.

The answer is not the first time I've heard this, and the answer is:

The benefit/value of the purchase is not perceived to be equal to or greater than the cost of the purchase--whatever that cost is.

So what is the process in every day or once-in-a-lifetime purchase decisions that people can come to understand true value in higher cost purchases? Or how about the constant bank account drip over time for making purchases that were based on low cost but that ultimately didn't have the value we needed, which then led to more expense and purchases.

When I was in the market years ago for a car, I was asked these questions:

Do you want a luxury car or just basic transportation and what is your budget?

Hmmmm. I had to think, but my first thought was, well, how much is the price difference and what am I getting in the luxury vs basic transportation.

After a series of questions by the salesman who was helping me, who offered all levels of transportation on his lot--from new, used, basic, American made, foreign made, gas, electric, diesel, he got me thinking-- what was it that was important to me?

At the end it was I -- not the salesman selling me -- who saw the value in my choice. And what was my choice? A higher end luxury Mercedes (this was in 2005 and at the time was WAY outside my financial comfort zone). So that was my purchase. It was 'expensive' and I could have bought something cheaper or did nothing like just keep the Ford Taurus I had and plug along with lots of repairs, bills, breakdowns until it died--but I didn't want to wait for that to happen and long term, safety, dependability were indeed a few attributes I sought.

Once I established the real value and the Mercedes match to my values, there was no way I could buy something less.

Now 13 years later, I still own, drive and love this Mercedes to this day. I've had no problems with it, it functions and performs beautifully, and has given me a quality of life I love in that I can depend on this car when I'm driving 2 or 12 hours one way in the middle of the night or to my local Trader Joes just down the road. And I've had multiple random strangers to this day ask me how much would I take for my car.

Value.

And how does it make me feel to drive it? Secure, it's solid, compact, built like a tank, I have confidence in it, and was and still am to this day proud of my choice...all those feel good feelings are why we live--to have joy and to experience how good something can feel.

Things, people, experiences that make our lives better have value and we are always expanding and desiring even greater things of value at each level of achievement. It is a beautiful thing.

Back to my story: I've had no repair bills, just replaced the original battery the other day (after 13 years), keep it tuned up for the most part (no different than us keeping tuned up in how we eat, exercise, daily health habits to ensure we don't have a full 'breakdown'), and this has been by far the BEST auto investment I have ever made.

I hope this blesses someone because even I forget that I must help the other person establish the value of what they are wanting that might match up to what we are offering. I cannot establish the value for them, I can only assist them in determining what is of importance and value to them and considerations perhaps they haven't thought about.

Other than my Mercedes, I've since made many value-based decisions for (what I originally thought were) expensive things, such as health devices, products, crypto investments, a life retreat week in Costa Rica and a 2nd home beach condo. These by far were all initially 'too expensive' but I realized that's just not true.

And they don't have to be expensive things to be of value. I have found cheap things to have zero value and expensive things to have zero value.

I have to always ask myself, 'Belinda, what is the value?!'. I now no longer gauge my decision on cost. This was the greatest breakthrough of my life. And by far these things of value have not only changed my life spiritually, emotionally, relationally, physically and financially but also represent the greatest purchases, investments and gifts I have ever given myself and can now even offer others with whom I share, 'is this of value to you, why or why not." And there starts the dialog, which is what we should all be doing.

Stop Selling.

It's never about sales. It's about helping people who have a need, desire or problem, find a solution.

Much love is here for you all.