We often hear the phrase, "You need to compare apples to apples." Have you ever really tried to compare actual apples to apples? This morning I was buying groceries and saw an incredible display of apples. Red Delicious, Honeycrisp, Granny Smith and I'm sure around the corner were Braeburn, Gala, Fuji, Golden Delicious, Jonagold...
I have to admit that I have not tried all of the different kinds, in fact there are thousands. I have tried a few, and on most days I find myself choosing a Gala or Fuji because I like the taste and texture, and price-wise they are not very expensive. Granny Smith are too tart for my liking, and Red Delicious have too thick of skin, and get too soggy in the middle too quickly. I don't make pie or cider so I normally just eat an apple whole or after cutting with an apple slicer/corer. That being said, my favorite apple has to be the Honeycrisp.
Honeycrisp is indeed my favorite apple, but I don't buy them often as they are normally around $4.00 per pound, whereas I can typically get any other less-desirable apple for a third of the price. In fact, one of the reasons a Honeycrisp is so expensive is because until 2008 the University of Minnesota held the patent in the U.S. on the apple and received over $6 million dollars from royalties. As far as I know they still hold the patent in many foreign countries. Created in the 1960s, it took 30 years before they had something to offer to the general public. Another reason is because of the way they have to be grown, picked and cared for. I've heard that some orchards pay hourly to have them picked instead of by the bushel because it needs to be done carefully.
If I'm feeding 30 kids that would probably choose dirt over fruit if given the choice, that's a no-brainer, the cheaper the better. If I am feeding myself, I may occasionally splurge. However, today the Honeycrisp were on sale for $1.89/lb. That's still $.20 higher than the cheaper alternative, but I'm all in at that price!
What does that have to do with MemorialDESIGN? Well, as I stood and looked at this gorgeous display of apples I thought to myself... "what would it look like if it were a typical monument proof?" Unfortunately, I knew the answer.
As I have already mentioned above, COLOR was not one of the reasons I CHOOSE Honeycrisp. However, it is one of the ways I quickly find the apples that I like. They aren't dark red, and they aren't green. They are somewhere in the middle. When it comes to making a decision, I find that color makes the decision easier. Could you decide on one of the three apples above, based on this drawing?
It amazes me that there are so many monument shops that still find a black and white line drawing as an acceptable offering to a grieving family. If I were looking at the image above and had to choose, I would probably go with the $1.79/lb. red delicious. I'm cheap, but not Granny Smith cheap ($1.69/lb.), but I probably wouldn't pay the premium price for the Honeycrisp either.
Now, if that same image were in full-color!!!
I don't even need call-outs to see the one I want!
When it comes to MemorialDESIGN, how do our customers choose? Are we giving them the ability to really compare apples to apples? We are designing custom monuments worth thousands of dollars in many cases, not something that they normally have any experience in purchasing. If we really want them to be able to make a good choice, it falls on us to help them see the difference.
If you aren't currently designing in full-color, I really hope that you will start. Don't let your customers metaphorically bite into a Red Delicious because of price, just to find out they really wanted something different.
- Cameron
P.S. If I've offended anyone that actually likes Red Delicious, that was not my intent. Perhaps you haven't yet tried a Honeycrisp?
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