The Extra-Large Problem: Why “Best” Is the Wrong Question When You’re Picking a Vendor

The Vendor Fit Series

     • Part 1: The Extra Large Problem

     • Part 2: The Hourly Genius Problem

     • Part 3: The Dedicated Team That Wasn’t

For years, I ordered the extra large pizza every time, convinced bigger meant better value.

Then a medium changed my mind at my son’s birthday party. 

My wife suggested we skip the extra large for once. I agreed, mostly to be agreeable. One bite into that medium slice, held perfectly in one hand without fighting back the slice, and I said something out loud I did not expect: Medium slice is way more enjoyable to hold and take a bite out of.

I have not ordered an extra large since. Not because it is worse pizza, but because it was never the right size for me. It was simply the size everyone told me was the best to order including articles like this one.

That same mistake happens constantly when interior design studios, architecture firms, and other project based businesses pick vendors. We reach for the best, the most reviewed, the most expensive, or the most impressive sounding option, and mistake it for the right fit.

The Sales Call That Proved My Own Rule

A new vendor once reached out with a perfectly worded email, the kind that makes you curious. I got on a call mostly to see if they were truly offering big savings compared to the service I was already happy with.

Before anything else, I asked for the number.

The response was smooth: “That’s a very good question. I just need to ask you a few questions first to make sure I present you with a plan that’s aligned with your needs.”

I heard that, and I heard something else too. This person was very good at talking, maybe too good, and I was about to get a full performance instead of a straight answer.

When you are confident in what you offer, you do not need to sing and dance around the truth.

I politely ended the call right there. Was that a little rude, given I had agreed to hear them out? Maybe. But I was not going to trade more of my time for a pitch dressed up as a conversation.

Price Is the Gate, Not the Verdict

Here is what that call taught me about how I make these decisions. Price is not really the point. Time is.

When I compare vendors, I am not hunting for the cheapest number, or even a fair average. I am looking for the one that will take the least amount of my team’s time while delivering the most.

Not the cheapest. Not the most expensive. The one that saves the most time.

Asking for the price early is a filter, not a final answer. It just lets you stop before spending another hour with a vendor who was never going to be a fit anyway.

Because chances are you really don’t need an extra large pie.

Buying the Jet at Twenty Two

Nobody buys a private jet at twenty-two, even if they could technically afford the payments. At that age, you are not shopping for the fastest way to travel. You are shopping for a car to get to school or your first job. That’s the kind of transportation you need at that stage.

Businesses work the same way. A ten-person interior design studio or architecture firm does not need the same systems, subscriptions, or services as a business with fifty employees. It needs what fits where it is now and where it is likely to be over the next few years, not what makes it look like it has already arrived.

That is not a small distinction. Overinvesting in one corner of the business, chasing the biggest name or fanciest system, means underinvesting somewhere that actually needs attention.

This is not about wanting less for your business or settling. It is about making the best decision with the resources you have, so the other parts of the business that matter do not get starved to pay for the parts that only look good.

What This Means for Your Team

The next time a vendor’s pitch sounds perfectly tailored to you, ask for the number first. Not because price is everything, but because it tells you whether the conversation is worth having at all.

Pay attention to how they answer. A vendor who is confident in what they offer will tell you the truth without the theater.

“Best” is not a real category. It is a marketing word.

The question that matters is whether it fits where your business is right now.

Ask for the number. It may sound cheap or expensive. But if it feels doable in the context of what you need, keep the conversation going.

Continue the Series

Part 2: The Hourly Genius Problem

The price checked out, but the real cost showed up somewhere else: my time.

Part 3: The Dedicated Team That Wasn’t

How to find out whether a vendor’s promise survives after you sign.

If your technology partner, vendors, licenses, or services no longer feel like the right fit for your team, or have become frustrating or wasteful to manage, that is exactly where we can help. Let’s talk.