In most cases, however, there seems to be a symbiosis between clients and facility operators - a kind of mutual evolution of need and desire. Since everyone has access to the same information, the best way for operators to be proactive is to listen carefully and make accurate assessments from client input. We listen to them all the time and analyze what they want to do, and then find ways of helping them do that. Willis says Magick Lantern brought in its Quantel HAL system not because it would attract clients, but because it would be the perfect tool for carrying out what they needed. Financing options and recommendations for new equipment are, not surprisingly, directly tied to all the usual elements that determine economic leverage, or lack thereof.
Startup companies have fewer options than established operators.
Leasing is always on option, and one school of thought maintains that you can protect yourself against obsolete technology by leasing rather than buying. But as Jeff Blauvelt of Peachtree Post points out, banks offer better rates, and by the end of a lease you've probably paid out enough to have owned the system anyway. James Klotz agrees that most lease deals are not that attractive, unless they provide some needed tax benefit. The manufacturer offered a leasing program backed by its own capital in an effort to gain market presence. The upgrade was prompted by the buyout of Studer, after which Klotz says there was concern over continued support for Dyaxis II, which had been the primary system in 11th Street's audio suites.