What exactly does “Quality” mean for small businesses? Has the economic downturn over the past 6 years changed the definition of quality relative to small business’s delivery of products and services? Is quality, the major driver in delivering and selling to businesses? Are consumers now willing to compromise on quality, to save money? How much will small businesses and individuals tolerate in diminished services or product quality and decide less quality is more important if they can save money?I recently met with an acquaintance that operates a small commercial oriented service business. He was lamenting that 10 years ago he launched into a program whereby he structured his company to deliver the highest quality service to his industrial customers. His quality goals were defined based upon what the customers told him were their highest priorities for good product and service qualities. Those attributes were (in order of preferences): timely responses to their requests, error free production/finished product, on-time delivery of the product/service, and fair pricing for their quality demands. It is important to note that fair pricing was not defined as being the cheapest.Today, he is finding those customers that said, ” we buy only quality products and services” are now doing business with vendors offering rock bottom pricing. To get rock bottom pricing quality has suffered; flaws are tolerated. Some small companies are now working with vendors that are moonlighting to pick up a little extra cash and may lack experience working with the latest software technology, equipment, and materials. So, what has happened in the small business sector, relative to the pride a vendor once took in high quality personalized service with a commensurate return? They seem to have vanished; at least for the time being.Conversely, some large manufacturers found a component of quality to mean, components delivered on-time/just-in-time saves them money and equates into sales. Does this example also apply to small businesses across the board, well, maybe not? But there are disconnects; just look at the GM issue of late, where quality was not worth the expense (at the time). This aside, it does seem quality is no longer the coin of the realm with small commercial service businesses. They may look at quality as a product component that is hard to justify on a revenue basis. Some managers might think they can fine tune the service or product quality in house and not pay the vendor for a high level of quality.Businesses catering to the end user of products and services still demand quality. But, most of them offer product and services that are focused on high touch and personal attention to details industries. This quality is not inexpensive to deliver.Could all the changes in small business methods, with pressure on costs, be forcing a new definition of how small business develops their pricing for various levels of quality? I guess if the service or product isn’t life threatening it could slip on the” need for quality” scale. Offer quality but at a premium; let the customer decide what price quality is worth.I think discussions about quality from a small business perspective need to be targeted; defining exactly what elements of quality are worthwhile? As standalone considerations, such things as-glitz, glamour, individualized services, and attention to detail may not add anything to perceived quality. For example, the precision delivered in a service product maybe isn’t appreciated or needed. Therefore, maybe this is just one example where companies are trading with vendors based on cost and less on quality. Some companies are picking apart the elements of quality being offered to them and settling for a lot less of quality.It is hard to really understand all the issues involved in small businesses purchasing services and products with the primary consideration being quality. Now the question is: Why does there seem to be a shift in small businesses buying services that are primarily price driven? Quantitative data seems to indicate there is a shift from the holy grail of quality. And, we do recognize, there are still a plethora of companies offering services and product purely based on quality. For example, there are some hotels and car companies having a nice customer niche based on quality; those markets being consumer and extremely large. Everyone could probably agree that any service and product could have such quality if their market would be broad enough to support such quality.Gucci had a corporate mantra that said: Quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten. Of course that was their market and it is still large. Maybe the 1% is enough to support that kind of quality.For small businesses today, owners must balance costs, revenue demands, marketplace, competition and sophistication of the marketplace. If adding elements of quality to the product line do not generate enough revenue to cover incremental cost, then redefine quality. Quality is in the eye of the beholder. I would imagine a farrier (installer of horseshoes) isn’t concerned about the packaging, website, product guarantees, or hand polished horseshoes. He just wants horseshoes at a competitive (lowest) price and from a supplier that keeps them on hand.Some thoughts on quality:
Quality has a myriad of definitions and quality definitions are industry specific and customer dependent. Maybe quality in an industry is simply having a human answer the phone… thinking of the DMV.

The customer will always dictate quality levels.

Don’t expect the quality to be free; there are no free lunches. Quality does impact margins.
I can remember in the early dot com boom, as a vendor and customer, quality was measured by such things as how expensive were the give-a-ways, how costly were entertainment bills, running online ads no matter the end results and justifying expensive tracking programs and site designs for no substantiate reason. So glitz, glamour, service, and value of the end results were components of what we thought was quality. Is that your definition of quality today? Quality in today’s business environment is being re-evaluated relative to costs and revenue impact.

85% of Americans would love to earn money from home. Many people hear about home-based businesses constantly, but don’t understand the concept enough to follow through with their curiosity. The benefits of starting a personal home-based business are numerous, personally appealing, and cater to a lifestyle that many people never get to experience.There are four top reasons that most people don’t create their own home-based business. Four reasons that are rarely true and can all be avoided with the proper instruction and teaching.
High investment financially.
Too much time required.
High risk with no payout.
Complete lack of knowledge in the area.
These reasons are understandable, can happen, and have happened to many people. It’s sad to say, but there are likely more scams on the internet than actual income generating opportunities. That’s just how the internet works, and we’ve learned to deal with it. All four of these reasons can be false however, and easily corrected. You simply need the right opportunity, one that’s not focused on taking your money from you.There are countless ways to make money on the internet. You can create your own product and market it, perform tasks online, offer writing services, the list goes on and on. The most lucrative and appealing form of internet income is network marketing, or multi-level marketing. This is not a pyramid scheme, cold-calling, or door-to-door work. It is legitimate cooperation with a business or company to represent their company/products/services to others. You create sales, and in turn get commission from those sales. Network marketing is nothing new, and has been around a very long time. The benefits of starting a home-based business utilize the internet along with network marketing and create an unlimited funnel of personal wealth. This could be MLM, affiliate marketing, a personal business, etc. The benefits discussed below apply to all.The benefits of starting a personal home-based business:
No boss (plan your own workday, monitor yourself, set priorities)
No income ceiling (unlimited income potential)
Self-satisfaction (you create the business, you get the credit)
Work with people you like (no difficult coworkers, no office politics)
Flexibility (work whenever you want)
No commuting (save time and money)
No office expense (quicker profit)
Security (no layoffs, no downsizing)
Tax deductions (home office, car expense, medical insurance, phone, entertainment, travel, education, etc)
Better retirement plan (SEP IRA’s and Keoghs let you deduct a higher percent of business profit from your 401k)
Now the list could go on, but I’m sure you get the idea. You are the owner, the employee, and the CEO. You decide what to do, when you want, and how to do it. Do you want a website? Do you want to promote offline as well? It’s all up to you. Network marketing, or MLM, has some additional benefits that are worthy of mentioning as well.Additional benefits to an MLM opportunity:
Low start up cost: Start programs free, invest a little, or invest a lot. You determine what you’re paying. Most businesses take thousands of dollars in capital to begin.
No expensive training: You can find all of the information and training to have a home-based business online. Just like any area of study, you will have to learn new things and be eager to better yourself in the area of home-based business.
No administration hassles: You’re self employed, but you’re a rep for an established company which handles all the product selection research and development, shipping, warehouse, etc. Basically, they did all of the typical business hassles so that you don’t have to. This is an awesome thing.
Keep your regular job: No one has to know that you’re working at home. If you’re not seeing income right away, nothing is making you quit your regular job. Until your “part time” income is high enough to replace it, you can manage both at once.
No expensive tools necessary: A computer is all that you need. Your most critical tool is people skills, and you’ll learn those more in-depth along the way.
Residual Income: You profit from the product purchases and sales of everyone in your group. Nothing is more important to your financial future than the residual income concept. It’s an aspect that makes MLM so unique and appealing.
Keep in mind that you can do anything your heart desires to make money online. I am simply highlighting the benefits of starting a personal home-based business for you to see the potential that it has for anyone, experienced or not. If you’re a complete beginner in online sales, a program called Internet Income University will teach you everything you need to know along the way, while helping you to earn money simultaneously. And it’s completely free. Even professional marketers have signed with this program because of the lucrative F.A.S.T. Income Plan they get you on.If you like talking to people face to face, you like the idea of traditional network marketing. You enjoy that personal touch that you can add by conducting an in-person meeting with someone. Don’t get me wrong, you can still profit by marketing online at the same time, that’s the beauty of MLM, you can promote however you want! A top-notch fitness company, Team BeachBody, encourages both offline and online promotion. Discuss it over dinner, refer people to your personal web page for it, or promote it through your Facebook page, it’s all up to you.The benefits of starting a personal home-based business are almost too many to discuss. It is a world that is literally at your fingertips, and ready to be used in a unique and personal way to generate even more income. You’re the boss. Now start your home-based business today.

I want you to think about the term “Fundraising Auction”.

A “Fundraising Auction” is an event where items of value are gathered, and then sold in a competitive bidding situation, either in a Silent Auction format, or in a Live Auction format by a Live Auctioneer. And since typically the best items are saved for the Live Auction, arguably it is the Live Auction that should generate a significant portion of the proceeds in any Fundraising Auction.

So why do so many non-profit groups consider the Fundraising Auctioneer to be the least valuable component in a Fundraising Auction?

The Hosting Facility gets paid.
The Printer gets paid.
The Caterer gets paid.
The Liquor Store gets paid.
The DJ gets paid.
The Florist gets paid.
But the Auctioneer … the individual who is expected to raise the lion’s share of the event’s proceeds… is expected to work for Free. And is usually under-appreciated for the professional services he/she provides.

I’m not trying to underscore the value of the invitations & programs, food, booze, music, and decorations. All are important in their own way. But each of these are “Expenses”. It is the Auctioneer who is going to bring “Revenue”… and thus, the “Profits”… into any event. Which is the ultimate objective of any Fundraising Auction.

Here is a real-life example of how under-appreciated the Auctioneer can be. In two comparable events we worked last year, during the dinner portion of the event one non-profit group sat the Auctioneer (me) at a table with the DJ, the Interns, the Volunteer Staff, and other event “Help”. The 2nd non-profit group sat the Auctioneer (me) directly next to the CEO of their organization, where we chatted about how important the pending revenue would be to their organization. Which group do you think valued the services of the Fundraising Auctioneer more?

Don’t ever under-estimate the value that a professional Fundraising Auctioneer can bring to your event. The Auctioneer adds value as a pre-event consultant. And the Auctioneer can change an event from a moderate to a huge success.

A Case Study Once I was scheduled to call an Auction for a major local non-profit group. They represented a very good cause and they had a strong and dedicated following. Their event was sold out, quality Live & Silent Auction items had been solicited, and the Special Pledge Appeal had been choreographed and was ready to go. The facility was first class, the appropriate caterer was booked, and the food was ready to cook.

But quite unexpectedly, some unseasonably inclement weather forced the event’s cancellation. Despite all of the committee’s hard work, cancelling the event was the proper decision considering the circumstances.

So the Event Committee scrambled to re-schedule the event for the following weekend.

They confirmed with the Hosting Facility.
They confirmed with the Caterer.
They confirmed with the Liquor Store.
They confirmed with the DJ.
They confirmed with the Florist.
Since they already had the Mailing List of those scheduled to attend, no new invitations had to be printed as all were contacted by email or telephone. So with everything in place, the group went ahead and re-scheduled the event for the following weekend.

But guess who they failed to confirm? You got it… the Professional Auctioneer. They thought so little of the Auctioneer’s contribution that they “assumed” that the Auctioneer would be available and at their beck and call.

But the Auctioneer already had another Fundraising Auction booked for that date with another non-profit group. It was only hour away from the re-scheduled event, and things could have been easily worked out. All Group #1 had to do was start their event one hour earlier, or one hour later, than the Group #2, and the Auctioneer could have helped both groups on the same day.

But because Group #1 failed to anticipate a possible Auctioneer conflict, because they failed to confirm with the Auctioneer before re-scheduling their event, their preferred Auctioneer had to bow out and they had to scramble to locate substitute “Volunteer” Auctioneer only days before their event.

And it cost them.

Learning Points

The Live Auction is usually where the profits are made at any Fundraising Auction.
A Professional Fundraising Auctioneer can be vital to the success of any Fundraising Auction.
The better Fundraising Auctioneers usually get booked quickly.
You need to recognize the important contributions that a good Auctioneer can make to your event.
Michael Ivankovich is a Bucks County Fundraising Auctioneer based in Doylestown PA, and serves the Great Philadelphia PA area. He has been a professionally licensed and bonded Auctioneer in Pennsylvania for nearly 20 years, has been named Pennsylvania’s Auctioneer of the Year, and has considerable experience in conducting Fundraising Auctions. Michael loves helping groups raise needed funds for good causes and one of his specialties is the “Special Pledge Appeal” or “Fund-A-Cause Appeal” which usually enables clients to double their revenue in a single evening.