Sure, Dink ... though a basic mastery of the English language ought to have made my meanings clear .... I can think of at least one Rhodes scholar who had trouble with the meaning of the word "is"
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"Cheap" is the business model of simply having a lower price than the other guy. The focus is on price alone.
John Ruskin cautioned that there was no product, no service that could not be done a little worse, a little cheaper ... and that the customer who considered price alone was that man's lawful prey.
If you allow yourself to become a commodity, no different from anyone else, then price alone will separate you from them.
You don't sell 'price.' You sell 'value.' It is your job to make sure the customer knows he will get the most value from you. Often the 'value' you add is an intangible, something not found on the balance sheet.
There are various franchise operations around; a look at their web sites will show this focus on value. Quite often, these operations are among the most expensive operations in town ... and the most successful.
For every "Wal-mart" story, there are dozens of "7-11" success stories. Indeed, merchants whose focus was on value have continued to prosper .... Macy's has no fears!
There is a reason this site has so many pictures of the failed attempts of incompetent electrical work. The reason is: we get called after all the 'cheap' guys have tried, and failed. This is our chance to shine, to prove that we are worth more than the handy-hack on the street corner.
Or, look at it this way: When have you ever heard someone brag about how cheap their doctor or lawyer was?
