The value triangle has three corners — fast, great and cheap.

  • Fast, because sometimes you value getting something quickly.
  • Great, because sometimes you value getting something of high quality.
  • Cheap, because sometimes you value getting something for a low prize.

Inexperienced customers often demand to get all three corners of the triangle, but this isn’t possible. You can only get two of them. Because something always got to give.

Some will tell their customers that they can provide all three, but this is more often than not a scam to get someone to buy something — often just once, because this isn’t exactly a model for repeat business.

When someone buys something based on the promise that it will be fast, great and cheap, they’re really setting themselves up for disappointment. Ultimately, they have themselves to blame for being naive.

If someone wants something great and fast, price has to come up.

If someone wants something great and cheap, deadlines must be generous.

If someone wants something fast and cheap, quality standards must be lowered.

Customers who refuse to face the value triangle will probably protest and blame you, but that doesn’t make them right. You’ll probably loose them as customers, but as they believe they can hurt you by “taking their business elsewhere”, you know the actual truth: Their business was never any good to begin with and they’re actually doing you a favour by choosing to hassle one of your competitors instead.

Source: Doktor Spinn