The Value of Value

There’s been a recent conversation on our LinkedIn site regarding the type of display product that has brought the most value to the market in the past decade.  Lars Carlsson, Marketing Director of Mark Bric Display in Sweden, placed a strong vote for retractable banner stands, or rollups, and I’d have to fully agree.  From the trade show floor to point of purchase, with all kinds of public spaces such as airports, sports arenas, and museums also included, no other new display product in the past decade has penetrated the market quite so successfully.

Talking about value, I’ve been doing a good bit of thinking during these past few recession-dominated years about value’s broader definition.  What makes one product or service a better value than the next?  One thing is certain---value and price are not interchangeable terms.  The word ‘value’ goes back to the same Latin root word as does the word ‘valor’—both originate with the Latin valere, which means ‘be strong’.  So value, in its purest sense, has close ties to those characteristics that bring worth to people, ideas, and things.

So a good way to talk about value would seem to be to talk about worth—what is ‘it’ worth to you, regardless of what ‘it’ is.  Looked at from this perspective, it’s pretty easy to see that purchase price is only one of many components in establishing the value of anything.  To gain the full measure of value, we really need to spend a little time reviewing the related issues for the product or service in question—issues such as:

•     What do I need from it—my minimum expectations?
•     What do I want from it—my ultimate wish list?
•     Will it solve my current challenge—or create new ones?
•     Will it make my life and my work simpler—or more difficult?
•     Can I trust the provider to support me when things go wrong?
•     Will I be comfortable recommending my choice to my best friend?

At Mark Bric Display, we will always do everything within our power to make sure that we meet all of these important value propositions with a strong affirmative ‘yes’.  And we’ll always try to make sure that you get more than your money’s worth. 

We cannot, of course guarantee to always have the lowest possible price on all products—in fact we don’t really think that’s a healthy business philosophy, since that ‘race to the bottom’ leads only one place—to the bottom.  But when you work with us, you can be sure that you’ll receive fair prices on products that are made to deliver your wants, your needs, and the solutions to your display problems, backed by a trustworthy organization that you can recommend to your best friends without reservation.

That’s the value that we always aim to deliver.  When we’re successful, we hope you’ll tell all your friends and business colleagues.  If we fall short, we hope that you’ll ‘Speak Out’ and bring it to our attention.

Larry Ragland, President, Mark Bric Display USA