"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well," I replied, "it just doesn't appear to be good value for my money."

"But it's going to take me two days and involve at least four people and three really big machines."

"I'm sorry," I said, "it's just too much."

What this contractor didn't understand was that as the customer, I don't care what equipment you will use or how many people are involved. All I want to know is what am I going to get for the money.

If he were like most contractors, he would probably say I was going to get a beautiful front garden.

Great. I can get a beautiful front flower garden from just about anywhere at half the cost.

What he should have told me was that I would get a gorgeous flower garden that would impress everyone who sees it, and that I was going to get a crew that was courteous and tidy-no messy yard or damaged lawn from heavy equipment.

He should have told me he would start after 8:00 a.m. and be out of there by 4:00 p.m. each day so as to not annoy the neighbours. He should have told me I would have a worry-free experience and that everything would have a one-year warranty, guaranteed to give me peace of mind. He should have told me that, in advance of the work, he would show me a three-dimensional rendering so there would be no surprises.

Speaking of surprises, he should have mentioned that, when the bill comes, it would be exactly what he promised-not a penny more. There were probably other things he should have told me, too.

But he didn't. And he walked away without a contract.

Value is in the eye of the beholder. Make sure the value of what you are selling-whether it's a product, a service or an idea-is obvious. Then, the amount you are charging might seem like a small price to pay.