I want better but want to pay the same but for more and better (for less if you got it)

Guy calls.

It's a referral, actually, through a pal. Guy is the ad guy for a developer with a shopping center or two.

Wants to see what sort of price we can give him to do some holiday television spots. Hot diggity.

Guy says he's been having his spots produced by the local cable system and the results have been less than good. No surprise there. Says he's been paying X-and-So for the spots. Can we do better spots? Sure thing.

He'd like a spot in two versions (which is to say, two spots) for the holidays. But he wants to be able to use them after the holidays too. (Four spots.)

And he'd like to be able to use the VO for radio spots. (So now it's four television and two radio spots.) Still wants to spend about X-and-So. What he was spending before for the stuff that didn't work. Which, by the way, isn't enough. Which, by the way, is about what one radio spot usually costs. Only remember, he wants what amounts to two radio spots plus four television spots.

For X-and-So.

Guy isn't happy with what he's been getting for X-and-So, but it never occurs to him that perhaps there is some value attached to this stuff, and you can't do all that for X-and-So or less.

Tell you what Scooter. You have an expensive shopping center. In a good location. I'd like to spend the same on rent that I'm spending on rent in my bad location because my bad location isn't bringing me any traffic. I'd like twice as much space in your high-end shopping center as I have now in my low-end shopping center and I'd like to pay what I'm paying now. How does that sound, hmmmm?

Yeah, that's what I thought.