Value as Perceived through Presentation
“Garçon, please bring the water menu!”
“Really? A water menu?”
There is a story about a high-end restaurant that sold specialty branded water to its patrons for over $8 a bottle. The presentation involved a “water steward” who offered each diner a list of specialty waters from many regions of the world. Each presentation came with an education about the water’s properties that made it desirable over another brand.
This was all an elaborate hoax, because the water actually came from a garden hose. Aside from being a gag, it demonstrated one very important fact: people are willing to pay more for a product they truly believe is a better value.
The Negative Points of Modern Reception Desks
The fact that a reception desk was made in a foreign region of the world doesn’t make for a strong selling point. In most cases, it’s actually a negative selling point. In the end, it’s how it’s done that impacts the quality. To get a bulky reception desk from there to here affordably means it has to be squished into the smallest, tightest package possible to avoid paying a fortune in freight. Bulky freight defeats the intention of securing lower-cost products, right? On the other hand, squishing that reception desk into a tiny package defeats the other side of what many people are looking for…quality. Furniture that is screwed, glued, and fitted together properly as one unit doesn’t fit very well into a tiny box.
Packaging Your Company’s Reception Presentation
There’s a good chance your company is selling products and services that are more expensive than that bottled water. Without the hoax, you want your product and services to be presented in the best light possible. The question is, how do you want your company and products to be perceived? Positioning your company and products as valuable involves packaging, presentation, confidence, and rapport. Your reception area is a good place to put your best foot forward (and that’s not to insinuate that both of your feet aren’t the best.) That’s a joke, in case you missed it!
Creating Quality Presentation Affordably
How can you make sure you’re getting the price and quality that’s best suited for your company? You can’t answer that question without knowing a bit about the reception desk you plan on buying. The biggest question that needs answering first is, what’s it made of? My mother use to say, “You can’t get a silk purse from a sow’s ear.” You can’t begin with a low-end material and get a high-end product. You can, however, get really creative and dress it up to look like a higher-end piece. The visual lends itself to a greater perceived value.
When you evaluate materials, the best ones will hold fasteners and withstand all kinds of office wear and tear (liquid spills, scratches, chipping, heat) and general use. The best reception desk materials will look and feel great…and be easily repairable should they become damaged.
The fact is, not everyone can afford the best materials, even though the best materials often make for optimal presentation of your reception area. In that case, you want to make the best visual presentation possible by packaging your company well visually—from the moment your visitors walk through your doors. The problem is, most of the time, you can’t get good quality and great design in entry-level materials.
Solutions to Your Reception Area Quality/Affordability Balance
That’s how 90 Degree Office Concepts was born. We have established our own designs to allow you the flexibility to select the best material for your presentation and budget. Regardless of your material selection, each piece is offered in high-end designs, precision-assembled in advance by American craftsmen, and shipped set-up (in most cases) so you don’t have one of those boxes with furniture squished together in pieces.
The idea is, no matter your budget, 90 Degree Office Concepts wants you to present your business in a way that shows your business is valued highly.
Got questions about designing the best presentation for your business?
