Who would not want to get the most for nothing?

Almost all.

Is it practical?

Probably not.

Why would anyone want to pay more as a strategy?

Actually, you might want to consider that in some cases depending on the nature of the project. Here are seven reasons:

1. When you want mindshare of the smarts:

Most smart people have way more opportunities than they can handle. As they accomplish more, they end up seeing even more opportunities. When you present your opportunity in front of them, if the upside is not big enough, their mindshare drifts towards other opportunities that provide them a bigger upside. There are a few exceptions and one of them how meaningfulness project is for them. They will be the best judge of the level of meaningfulness but it is your responsibility to make an attempt to bring that to the forefront.

2. When your  projects need priority attention

If you want more attention to your projects, one quick way to get this is to be on the fast lane where the traffic is low – meaning: go to a place where not many people are treading – paying more.

3. When time is critical:

You have seen this in other areas of life. A quick example is postal services. If you want your package to be absolutely, positively delivered tomorrow, you need to pay more.

4. When the stakes are high for you:

When the stakes are high (which should be in most cases, otherwise why are you working on that project) it is best to get good help – meaning pay more.

5. When things are “really” broken:

Minor fixes can be generally handled by people with average skills but when things are really broken, you need top notch experts who come at a premium.

6. When the upside is huge:

The price you pay is always relative. If the projected gains are monstrous, why do you want to cut corners? As long as you have taken steps to mitigate the risk, go for the big swings.

7. When you need the autonomy advantage:

Last but not the least, help from competent and autonomous people always comes at a premium. But it’s worth it because you get back more time for yourself along with the precious peace of mind that things will get done.

All the best!