This is topic The customer is not ALWAYS right! in forum Old Archives at The Letterville BullBoard.


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Posted by Larry Elliott (Member # 263) on :
 
Was reading a post farther down on the quickie stickie definition and things turned to what the customer requested sometimes made even the professional turn out unprofessional results. Here's one avenue of relief that I often use on those customers that 'demand' I use their ugly layouts or copy their business card detail for detail on their sign:

"Mr. (Mrs.) So'n'So, its really not what you or I like in a sign that really matters, its what the public 'expects' to see when they are looking for certain goods or services. You see, I study consumer reports on all types of products and I have a good notion of what would best attract customers to your business to buy your wares. Just go to your local super market and look at all the creative design and colors on the packaging, I'll bet you wont find anything there that even remotely looks like the layout you have here and the reason is no one would buy a product packaged with this on the label. If you want us to use this weak and innapropriate design you've presented and the colors that you've decided on then you are crippling your own self and I'd rather not do the job because it then becomes a bad relection on both of us. You know, it takes a lot of hard work and effort to succeed in business and I hate to see you start out with a sign that will not get you the recognition you need to get your business off the ground".

They then either walk or we get to help them with their marketing. Hope this idea helps you up-sell better design and helps cut down on the 'Ugly Sign Disease'.

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Larry

Elliott Design
McLemoresville, Tn.

If you can't find the time to do it right,
where gonna find the time to do it over?
 

Posted by Santo (Member # 411) on :
 
I'm with you Larry. But Dave hit when he predicted the common result. Case in point.
I had a call from a builder for a sign for the entry way of an upscale development. It was a family project. I went to the appointment and found some reasonable people. I was presented with a drawing by a fairly capable draftsperson. I suggested a look at my standard signblanks for something similar and possible replacement font for the Blackletter that was used.
Dad and son listened and looked at the samples and found some alternatives, but Mom had to make the final desision. Mom was biting her tongue while, she listened but would not look at anything. When she asked about colors, I showed her a color chart for both 1-Shot Lettering & Bulletin Colors. With a few 25%, 50%, 75% white mixes that I use regularly. I left the charts and my bid a few days later. I knew I would never get that job. What good would I have done to send these people to a supermarket to look at labels? You are right when you describe what they would have found different from their design. For instance:
Their blank was designed so that 3 of the 4 sides curved inward, only the top extended outward in a wave pattern. I really didn't care for it.
The Blackletter was a horrible read. When I suggested using only the Uppercase for the first letter in each of the 2 word text and place them in a crest of somekind. That was when Mom went cold and I knew all was lost.
The was bid at $400. And was a 30"x72" sign. MDO with 3" HDU Raised trim.
Upselling could have resulted in a sign of $650 w/o install. I have heard anything in 3 weeks. What do you think.

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Santo Brocato
Promotion Graphics & Letters
Youngsville LA.



 

Posted by Larry Elliott (Member # 263) on :
 
Santo,
You can't win 'em all!

I didn't mean to send the customer to the super market (that would only confuse them more), but to infer to them that I had already done all the consumer/product research and that my suggestions were a lot more from an educated point than what their likes and dislikes were. There's some that are so stubborn there is no need to make any suggestions to, if I find this to be the case early on then I have saved myself a lot of time trying to educate idiots. People wanting designs on personal property or items are more apt to demand to have it their way. Signs that attract the public to a business should be appropriate only for the clientel you are trying to attract. Cheap homemade signs attract cheap buyers, if you can ever make your sign customers realize this they will more likely listen to you instead of their pocketbook. We've all had shoppers that think they know what they want and even when they are shown something better they are too ashamed (or stubborn) to admit that they had made a bad first choice and so the deal dies. 'Damn the torpedos, full speed ahead' mentality has put so many businesses out of business. If they won't listen, let 'em walk, it's their business that loses that way and not yours. Did you find out who had designed the layout the Mrs. was so set on using? Love is blind and if someone close to her had designed it she was bound to have it her way. Or she may have been one of those dominating female types that 'know it all' and no one else has the right to suggest something better. You're probably better off not getting the job, at least she can't come to you and bi-ch because you can't read the old english.

------------------
Larry

Elliott Design
McLemoresville, Tn.

If you can't find the time to do it right,
where gonna find the time to do it over?
 



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