Yes, your business is different from mine in many ways. Some of the topics and comments will probably be more useful than others depending on how they relate to each individuals’ personal circumstances. I hope some of the additional discussion in the forum section was helpful.

Cheers!

It’s hard for me to offer suggestions as I don’t really know your situation. If I can assume you really are concerned about competition in the more price-sensitive local market, some of the generic suggestions would be: try product bundling, extended hours of operation (if applicable), a customer rewards program (like loyalty cards used by coffee shops and sandwich shops), etc. Some of the above may help, especially if done in conjunction with an effort to lower operating costs.

Thanks for dropping by again with additional feedback. I was wanting to add my own experience to Ray’s question, but since the question was addressed to you, I thought I would wait for your reply first.

As to Ray’s question on whether the average Filipino agrees to the saying ‘you get what you pay for’, I have to say that again it depends on your target market. There are different kinds of Filipino consumers, just as there are different segments of Japanese, French, or American consumers. So in short, I can say with absolute conviction that there are Filipino consumers who believe ‘you get what you pay for’.

How do I know this? Because in my small business, 97% of my customers are Filipino, not foreign. And yet my products are those traditionally desired by those with foreign tastes. I have found the affluent Filipino consumer to be extremely conscious about quality in purchasing everything from staples to durable goods to luxury items.

That is not to say that other segments of the Filipino market are more price sensitive. My point is that different consumers in any marketplace will have different needs and price points for various goods and services.

I hope this is useful.

Hi Bob, that’s exactly, what you told me before. Since that time, Rose and I are also following this strategy. it works…

Hi Ray, you are right, but 90 % of our customers ARE ALIENS. One more experience: most of them, who complained before our “high charges”, came back to us, after not getting the expected service, which has been some pesos cheaper…

Your list of points to consider is very useful. Indeed, if I were to create such a list, it would certainly include every point you have raised. That’s the beauty of this column — if people read it long enough, hopefully they will see that running a business takes tremendous effort to stay in business and even more effort to stay ahead of the curve.

Please feel free to add your thoughs whenever you feel like doing so. This part of the LiP site is meant to help encourage small business owners, but also add a sense of reality to the trials and tribulations faced while running a small business in the Philippines.

I am looking forward to hearing your thoughts and suggestions in the future!

I hope you keep visiting the LiP site. There’s plenty of great information and on a variety of different topics. I find that it is also important to read the contributions of the many individuals who comment here in the comments suggestion. There’s often a great deal of useful, first-hand information provided by folks who have a pretty good handle on various topics discussed.

I am in the specialty food and beverage business. My small business has been in operation here in the Philippines since 2002. I try to write columns that may be of interest to other small business operators in the Philippines. I write for as wide an audience as possible. Some of the topics may be of interest to you, others perhaps not. It really depends on the topic and stage of business you are at. Please feel free to make any contributions and suggestions whenever you like.

Cheers!

You say you get what you pay for. I think in the western world that is widely accepted. But does the average Filipino accept that?