Two of my computers went on the fritz this week and so I called a friend, Stacy Jones, who started a computer repair business called LanFellas to come fix my problems.

"I charge $75 per hour," he told me.

I hoped the problems wouldn't take too many hours. I remember watching the clock as he worked, actually updating two laptops and a PC this past week and as the big hand moved toward the third hour I asked how much longer he would need.

"Just wrapping up," he assured me. As I wrote the check for his time and the software upgrades he provided I did so with confidence that the value he provided was well worth the amount of the check for the peace of mind and efficiency I would now experience.

Today at lunch I took my daughter to Quiznos for a sandwich, actually I had the chili in their new bread bowls - highly recommend - anyway, over the trash can was a bulletin board with a flyer offering computer repair services.

"$20 for the first hour and $10 for every hour after that." the sign read.

I quickly calculated how much I would have saved if I would have called Chris, the guy's name on the flyer.

My second thought was - it must be a teenager looking to earn some money.

My third thought was - gee, I should call and tell him he's leaving a lot of money on the table.

My final thought was - I am glad I used Stacy, because the value he provided was worth the amount of money I spent.

Today as I'm reading a variety of posts, I came across Jim Hopkins post on Small Business Connection entitled "When the Price is Right."

He references an article that appears in Business Week that talks about setting prices - not based on what everyone else is charging, but on the value you offer to your customer.

People are willing to pay more when they trust that you will take care of their needs. That comes from the relationships you build over time.

Check out the Business Week article, Pricing the Magic Number. The beginning of a new year is a great time to assess what you are charging.

It might mean, charging what is on your price card instead of offering everyone a discount.

When was the last time you adjusted your prices?