Guessing is not a strategy: How to build decision velocity with AI and real-time data
June 10, 2026 | Live Webinar
Nickels and Dimes
Mike Donoghue is a member of a multinational information technology corporation where he collaborates on the communications guidelines and customer relationship strategies affecting the interactions with internal and external clients. He has analyzed, defined, designed and overseen processes for various engagements including product usability and customer satisfaction, best practice enterprise standardization, relationship/branding structures, and distribution effectiveness and direction. He has also established corporate library solutions to provide frameworks for sales, marketing, training, and support divisions.
Making goods for the IT market is expensive--no argument.
Regardless of whether you produce two dollar downloads or multi-million dollar support service, there is a cost associated with providing these items for customers and to you it is a necessity in order to keep your operation running. You have to spend money to make money--Capitalism 101 pure and simple.
The problem is that there is no longer a market that simply has a price for product structure. Purchasing has evolved from simple point-and-buy into an initial purchase and “death by additional fee” plan. Hidden costs--and not so hidden costs--always find their way into contracts and maintenance programs, creating tense situations for both customers and providers.
It’s Your Nickel
Think of your own private expenses. Cell and landline phones, Internet service, cable service, etc. Have you ever looked closely at some of the line items and wondered just what they are for? Author Bob Sullivan, who is a writer for the “Red Tape Chronicles” blog on MSNBC.com, has written a book called Gotcha Capitalism: How Hidden Fees Rip You Off Every Day – and What You Can Do About It that goes into detail about how big providers toil endlessly to pass their expenses on to consumers and how it can run each of us about $1,000 a year on the average.
In an interview, he …
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