When I am looking at purchasing a new product, one of the first things that comes to mind is quality. It’s a very important factor in my purchasing process. If I’m going to spend money on something, I want to get a quality product that will last me a long time. I personally hate shopping; I’m just not that guy that likes to go to the mall and walk around for hours. So, I like to do some research before making a purchase to ensure I’m buying something that should hold up. When I needed some new shoes, I found a couple of options from a Chinese reseller I had not heard of before. I know that most shoes and clothing is made in China, but I eventually settled on a pair of Adidas. I could have gotten the Chinese ones for 1/3^rd of the cost, but I know Adidas, I’ve had their shoes before, and the ones I’ve had have held up well.

Quality in technology is very evident in the products that you can purchase. Let’s look at laptops for one. Inside of a laptop, there are a handful of components that matter on paper. The CPU, the amount of RAM, and the size and type of storage device all make headlines when you look at a listing for a device. But those are only three parts of a very complex device. The keyboard, screen, touchpad, battery, fans, the list goes on. And the overall build quality really matters too. Does the device feel good in the hand, are the materials solid, or does it feel like a cheap, plastic box that will crack at the first drop?

Apple has had the quality crown since the launch of the aluminum MacBook Pro. That is a device that generally feels good in the hand, made from premium materials. They have had their issues though. I don’t particularly love their keyboards, and they show a lot of wear after just a couple of years of normal use. Microsoft’s launch of the Surface line was intended to show that PCs can also be just as good, and I’ve been highly impressed with the Surface Pro and Surface Laptop. If I carry a device, it’s going to be a Surface. Every time I take one out of the box, I’m immediately impressed with the quality.

Another thing I look for when making a purchase is someone to help me find the right product for my needs. Here in the High Country, hiking is a part of life for most of us. Whenever I’ve needed to get equipment for hiking and camping, I love having so many great places to get advice up here. I can go by Footsloggers and have someone very knowledgeable and trustworthy help me decide on good footwear for whatever I’m trying to do on the trail. When I walk out of there, I know that I am buying the experience, not just the product.

I think that’s a big part of what we do also. We have tried a lot of things and landed on a small number of SKUs that work well for people. Not everyone has the budget for Microsoft Surface, and that’s fine. We have HP’s ProBook line for people who want similar performance without quite the same quality. We have sold enough of them to feel comfortable recommending them and stocking them for our clients. We know the product, understand what it can and can’t do, and can help support it down the road if something comes up. If we had a whole slew of SKUs, we couldn’t provide the same level of expertise.

Another big part of the value proposition for shopping with a small store is the relationship that you build. Sweetwater may do this better than just about any other online store. I recently updated my audio for my home desktop and was really impressed that they put a dedicated sales agent on my account as soon as I signed up. And when I was ready to make a purchase, he ensured everything would work together. He walked me through getting all the right gear, and I’ve never been happier with a shopping experience. If I ever have an issue, I know I’ll be able to go to him and he’ll know exactly what I got, when I got it, and can help with updates down the road.

We are really big on that for our clients also. Each year when we sit down with a client, we go over how much they spend on IT annually. We have all their records and can produce a timeline of what they’re spending, where, and which devices need to be replaced. We even track serial numbers for everything we sell, so there is no question as to when it was purchased or how much it cost. For companies that may not be able to track their assets with this level of precision, it’s a game changer for working out your IT budget.

We may not be the cheapest option, especially in a world where AI is eating as much as it can, but the comfort of having a trusted partner in making purchasing decisions when it comes to IT hardware is worth it every time.

-Nate