The free sample carts at Costco often cause a frenzy. People cut the lines, adults grab the last free ice cream sample before children can get them, and brawls even break out from time to time. That’s because free has a way of debasing us.
Free scales at Costco because it’s an effective attention grabber, but for most of us free is the wrong type of attention from the wrong type of people.
I’m much more interested in the prospective client who says “what do you have that’s expensive, but worth it?” I’m not chasing the dollar, i’m chasing the perspective, the focus on “worth it” over “free”.
The people at the free samples booth at the Costco, or those downloading free stuff on the web, aren’t asking the “worth” question, because they’ve been distracted by the idea of a net zero gain and therefore fail to consider worth, or value. Who cares if it’s free if it’s not even worth your attention!