Not too long ago, I was listening to some entrepreneur trying to justify why he's charging a (high) price for something which is free. So the theory goes: There's a price for everything. In school, learn about WTP ( willingness-to-pay ), price elasticity, price discrimination and a LOT of other price related modules. There was even a module on How to Price, alone. Well, the truth is, how does a company price a mouse at SGD 17.90? So there's the retailers, manufacturers, designers, wholesalers, etc who will take a piece of the pie. So when you pay 17.90, the hardware itself costs about $2.50 max, and the rest will be distributed ( most of the time not evenly ) across the supply chain. There's also the competitors' pricing which we have to take note of, and how much the market is willing to pay, and there will be some outliers (either ignorant or believe in equating price to quality ) who are willing to pay more than whatever we charge. So we come up with strategies such as price discrimination tactics to try to figure the different segments of the market. So we have cheap expo warehouse sales, where those who are willing to travel, squeeze, fight, quarrel, wake up early, queue, would look out for those.. There will be those who simply don't have the time to look around, who will snap up whatever that meets their eyes. Price. Everyone has it. Everybody has a price attached to them. For those who believe that they can't be bought, either have not met the right buyer, not found the right price, or simply haven't found themselves, yet. Like what Gallup Consulting asked my friend, tell us your value. State your price. Back to the entrepreneur's story. Well, he said that the reason why he charged $1000 for a $25 item ( or even free from monetary point of view ), is because people appreciate the item more, and put in more effort if they pay for it. For example, my friend thinks she would go to the gym regularly if she pays for the California Fitness package. This psychology works, if they're paying for it. For example, a university student would not feel the pinch, and not study hard, because he/she doesn't pay for it. That's why a lot of night classes students study harder, and more religiously than full time undergraduates. This is because they have more to lose. An old (age and duration)of mine has 3 kids and a wife, and he studied 7 years at SIM for a diploma. I have never seen anyone so hardworking before.
I wonder if we would love/live/appreciate/enjoy our lives more, if we were to work for it. As in, imagine, we are all blips of life, in this gigantic hall, and we have to bid against each other, in order for us to have a chance to be born into a family. And the money which we won our lives, would have to be settled when we actually live, not by $, but by the amount of deeds we do in this world. Or by how much we make full use of life itself.
If you cant win a bid, you will stay as a blip of light. Blinking, emotionless, lifeless, motionless, forever staying as a flash of light.
Most of us are not happy. We're searching for something. Most of the time, we don't even know what the fuck we're searching for. But we remain unhappy, and lifeless, complaining day in day out. Trying to find something which is right in front of us. Life itself.
If you have lost a close family member before, you will know how to appreciate life. When you're at the brink of death, that's when you wake up and wonder, why have I not been living the life which I have been dreaming of? What's stopping me?
It's never too late. It's now or never.
Don't let the people around you push you down. Don't let them judge you, and tell you it's too late.
Cos it's never too late. Till you die. If you're reading this now, most probably you're alive and still kicking.
Everyone, no matter how insignificant they think they are, can make a difference.
Touch a life. Feel a soul. Help a friend. Know your price.
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