Now that I'm homebased with little foot traffic to my new location, I'm starting to take phone calls a little more seriously, as the phone is basically my storefront. I haven't quite got the hang of it yet, but after seeing a post on how some of you write down questions so you remember to ask was a fantastic tip.
So after the inital phone call, and you get that call and they need to see you, how do you present samples etc. for customer viewing pleasure? I have a few substrate samples in my vehicle, however I'd like to present something much more professional looking. It's so different when they don't come to you and stare at your walls for ideas if you know what I mean. I've yet to see any type of standard kit avail for this need; there's food for thought for you inventive types.
Any good presentation ideas? What helps really sell your stuff? (other than being mobile in a truck of course)
Donna, we used to ship portfolios all over the place. Now we do what you can do too.........dump it on a zip disc and have them view it while you're there on their own computer.
------------------ St.Marie Graphics & Makin' Tracks Sound Studio Kalispell, Montana stmariegraphics@centurytel.net http://www.stmariegraphics.com 800 735-8026 We're chiseling every day of the week! :^)
Posted by Si Allen (Member # 420) on :
Better yer, get a c/d burner installed in your puter! Not all companies have a zip disk on their puter, but they do have c/d! Blank c/d's in bulk are about 39 cents each, cheaper than 3 1/2 inch froppies! They hold 650 megs....that can be one heckofa portfolio to show off with! A c/d r-w is great for back ups, too!
------------------ Si Allen #562 La Mirada, CA. USA (714) 521-4810 ICQ # 330407 "SignPainters do It with Longer Strokes!"
Brushasaurus on Chat
Gladly supporting this BB !
Posted by Joey Madden (Member # 1192) on :
Donna, why not build a website with all your presentation needs including your portfolio.
------------------ HotLines Joey Madden,45 years in the Classic Art of Pinstriping.
Like Joey said, set up a website and put photos and descriptions on it, plus you can setup a page for your latest cool projects that are currently being developed. Having a page like that that's updated a couple times a week would keep people coming back to see the progress.
Also like Si mentioned, get a CD-RW. I bought a new one recently and paid $250 for it, but I got this one cause I knew it would hold up for a while under my abusive tendencies. I bought it a couple months ago and I think I've burned about 200 CD's on it thus far.
If you dont think you'll use one quite that much, you can pick em up for $100 which isnt too much more than a ZIP drive and it's much more useful.
The last spindle of blank Memorex CD-R's I bought was a hundred pack and I think I paid $25.
Heh.. just this morning I actually burned a CD with a single file that was only 25k in size, to hand some artwork to a t-shirt printer in town.
ANyways, you can put photos of your work onto the CD.. you can always update the information on the CD for future distribution.. If you build a website portfolio, you can copy that right onto CD and hand to people for off-line viewing. I do this very thing and it works out great. They can browse the CD just like they do my website, but they can view it from any computer with a CDROM.
I've even thought about getting a bunch of blank business card size CDR's and putting my site onto those so people can keep it in their wallets. They work just like regular CD's, they're just cut down in size so they fit in a card slot in wallets.
------------------ Mike Pipes Digital Illusion Custom Graphics Lake Havasu City, AZ http://www.stickerpimp.com
Posted by Dave Grundy (Member # 103) on :
All of the above are excellent suggestions Donna. I would just add that any time I am meeting a new customer, or am unsure of what an existing customer wants I take my laptop with me and the digital camera. Like Mike says...even if the customer ins't online you can start up your laptop and open your browser and open the website off your hard drive. And if the customer doesn't have a computer at all, then the Cd's and zip disks aren't going to be much use.
------------------ Dave Grundy AKA "applicator" on mIRC "stickin' sticky stuff to valuable vessels and vehicles!" in Granton, Ontario, Canada 1-519-225-2634 dave.grundy@quadro.net www.quadro.net/~shirley
Posted by Si Allen (Member # 420) on :
Heheheheee..Dave...a potential customer that doesn't own a puter??? I send them to "one of them sticker places"...if they are that retarded...I have trouble dealing with them!
------------------ Si Allen #562 La Mirada, CA. USA (714) 521-4810 ICQ # 330407 "SignPainters do It with Longer Strokes!"
Brushasaurus on Chat
Gladly supporting this BB !
[This message has been edited by Si Allen (edited May 01, 2001).]
Posted by Stephen Deveau (Member # 1305) on :
Si I really like your idea as you said whats .50 cents in disc anyway! Set up a format of an Intro page with the bases covered on the things you can do.. Then provide Jpeg files of work from the past. Create a label cover for the disc and the jewel case and send it of to your best or next customer... You sly old Dog!!!! I am going to work on that one! Thanks!!!!!!
------------------ Raven/2001 Airbrushed by Raven Lower Sackville N.S. deveausdiscovery@sprint.ca
Posted by David Fisher (Member # 107) on :
Gday Donna, Something else worth considering is a powerpoint presentation or a website on cd. My brother in law builds very expensive houses and was complaining about the trouble he has conveying his ideas to the customer... the typical gap that we have to cross to get the customers enthusiasm. I made him a powerpoint presentation which from his point of view is a catalogue of styles and finishes that he can navigate when talking to the customer, with the added advantage that he can leave it with the customer to browse which maintains their enthusiasm level The whole process makes him come across as a slicker operation that the guy that does everything with faxes and words. If you want to distill it down I guess its nothing more than a glossy brochure with the benefit of being as comprehensive as an encyclopedia if you want it to be. I've enhanced his with electronic product sheets from material manufacturers/suppliers so all of the FAQ info is there and it is being added to every time he finds it lacking in some way. I can see Gail dropping her $.02 about using Corel here so I spose I'd better mention that there are other alternatives to powerpoint. Full stereo soundtrack... big glossy pictures, animated effects yada yada. I cant speak for the other programs but powerpoint was a pretty gentle learning curve if you already have a handle on design and file manipulation which I know you already do. Still means you'll need a CD burner though HTH, David
------------------ David Fisher D.A. & P.M. Fisher Signwriting Brisbane Australia [email] da_pmf@yahoo.com [/email] aka Bloke-
