Originally Posted by nannyde:
Once you give something to someone for free it doesn't take long before that becomes them. They are thoughtless about it and just assume that it is the way it is. It's VERY risky to do this for very long because it becomes not valuable to the receiver once it becomes a given as a way of life. The only way for them to see the value of it is to make it difficult to get and then to remove part of it or all of it.
THAT bolded part is what I constantly feel I am trying to drive into other providers' heads.
EVERY product or service and compensation for that product or service comes down to ONE WORD.........
...........VALUE..........
And the MINUTE you discount care or undersell care there is a loss of value for that product or service. So, once you give a discount the
discount becomes the norm for that parent. They will forget about your good graces and YOUR loss of income for them. The discounted rate becomes THE rate.
Daycare providers need to realize that they live and die not by how much they charge, if they have Golden parents or nightmare parents etc etc but by the
VALUE that the parents see in what they offer. It's ALL about Value.
I LOVE Lindt chocolates..you know...the foil wrapped truffles. But I think they are a waste of money at their regular price. I refuse to buy them unless I see them on for a really good sale price. And when they ARE on sale I buy some for a treat.
Here's my point.....the regular $6 price on those Lindt chocolates has no perceived value for me. But slap a $3 discount and suddenly they DO have value. It's exactly the same product but it is only valuable to me when I can buy it at $3. And what that says about ME is that at $6 Lindts are not a priority to me.
You have to realize that ANY dcparent who comes along and asks or expects a discount is a bargain Lindt buyer. They WANT the daycare. They LOVE the great daycares but they don't put real
value in the daycare unless someone is basically giving it away.
Don't undersell your valuability!!!! ((yes, I made that word up
)).
If parents are not willing to pay full price for the Lindts then they don't get the joy of eating that silky smooth chocolate. Instead they have to settle for Hershey's.