A mentor of mine speaks of low budget excellence from time to time. In summary, this is about striving to get the highest value at the lowest cost possible. It’s not so easy to achieve though. You have to go the extra mile to discover people or businesses who are not well known, but can offer you the quality of service you desire at a lower price, or you develop cutting edge negotiation skills to be able to reach very good deals with the well known brands.
- Do you really have to spend all that money to get what you want?
- Is there no other way to achieve your goal than the current option you’re considering?
- Do you even have to do it now?
Feel free to ask yourself and others such questions. They say there’s no such thing as a ‘wrong’ question, but you can have wrong answers. So ask, ask and ask again… as many questions as you need to get enough clarification to convince yourself that you will get the best value for the resources you will expend. This is an important part in minimising the cost of excellence.
I believe this is a good thought to keep in mind – Excellence doesn’t always have to be expensive.