Perfect and affordable? Wrong questions.

Ever bought a house or a car? Most people quietly ask themselves two questions about such a purchase: Is it perfect for me? And, can I afford it?

But in business it's different. In business those are not the questions. The main question in business is this: Will the business value of this purchase significantly exceed its costs? (And there are several costs to consider.)

If the expected value isn't right, no price can be low enough — even if it's free.

I mean, can I give you 17 free kittens? I can drop them off at your house tomorrow.

Can I give you a burned-out car with no doors and no engine? You've got plenty of space in your front yard.

How about a dull razor for a dollar?

Boeing 737 for $500,000? Come on, that's a heck of a deal.

Here’s the thing:

CiviCRM, like WordPress, Drupal, and other open-source tools, is extremely affordable if you just count the license fees — there are none! Even when you add on the implementation costs, you can still come out way ahead.

And if you’ve identified the business goals that this helps you achieve, and you know the value of those achievements, you can pretty easily tell whether it’s worth the investment. (Hint: With careful planning, it usually is.)

All the best,
A.