Young guy comes in today, says he wants some of that fancy airbrushing!
Says he just spent 12000.00 on stereo equipment for his car, 3000.00 on custom made fiberglass cabinets painted to match his car.
these cabinets are in his trunk, he paid 2000.00 to sound proof the trunk with some special lining.
So he wants some airbrushing, cuz nobody has that anymore...everybody has stickers.
then the bomb drops
He will LET me put my sticker on his car if I give him a real good price on the airbrushing.
hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
NEXT!
Why is it everyone seems to be a big spender untill they come into a sign shop?
Morons! ------------------ Bob Rochon Creative Signworks Millbury, MA bob@creativesignworks.com
"Some people's kids"
[This message has been edited by Bob Rochon (edited July 24, 2001).]
Posted by Pierre St.Marie (Member # 1462) on :
That's it! We're morons!
------------------ 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 Don Coplen (Member # 127) on :
Bob, Just wondering if he pressed charges when ya took a swing at him?
------------------ Don Coplen aka "SaintPete" Coplen Designs St.Petersburg, FL dcoplen@mindspring.com
Co-Conspirator (with Bill Modzel and Dave Sherby) of the unofficial Letterville Adobe Illustrator Support Group & coffee house.
If any Letterville Adobe Illustrator users need any help, feel free to email any of the three of us and we will help out as best we can.
Posted by Bruce Bowers (Member # 892) on :
well....
i don't know how it is there in ma... but here in western ny, a lot of stereo places give big "discounts" when the customers advertise the store on their cars...
and besisdes, you really have to take what some people say about what they paid for stuff with a real grain of salt. some people want everyone to think that they have the "mondo dinero", you know?
and besides that, who is to say what a "good deal" is? a thousand bucks sounds like an excellent deal to me, not to mention that you can proudly put your name so he can brag to his friends about who did it and how he only paid a grand to have something few others have!
yup... what a great customer that he could be... works for me.
have a great one!
------------------ Bruce Bowers DrCAS Signtech
"how great are His signs..." Daniel 4:3
i am a proud supporter of this website!
Posted by John Arnott (Member # 215) on :
Bob, When this happens to me, I tell them to go to the local high school and find somebody that does stuff cheap. But if you want it done good,I'll do it for xxxxx amount. That makes them realize what it is really worth to them. And it usually works! John Arnott
------------------ John Arnott El Cajon CA 619 444-SIGN signgraphics1@aol.com
Posted by Don Coplen (Member # 127) on :
So Bruce and John....if I'm understanding this, taking a good swing at a customer like this isn't the first option? This business thing can be awful confusing sometimes.
------------------ Don Coplen aka "SaintPete" Coplen Designs St.Petersburg, FL dcoplen@mindspring.com
Co-Conspirator (with Bill Modzel and Dave Sherby) of the unofficial Letterville Adobe Illustrator Support Group & coffee house.
If any Letterville Adobe Illustrator users need any help, feel free to email any of the three of us and we will help out as best we can.
Posted by Bob Rochon (Member # 30) on :
I did not swing at him! LOL Don,
I handled it professionally and told him I was not interested in advertising on his car, and that I would need to see the car and design before i could even think of a price.
but I don't discount for advertising. I've done that too many times with them race car dudes.
------------------ Bob Rochon Creative Signworks Millbury, MA bob@creativesignworks.com
"Some people's kids"
Posted by Ryan Ursta (Member # 1738) on :
This happens to me all the time. People coming in here asking me to "sponsor" their car. I tell them I have my own truck to "sponsor". Usually i tell them ill give them a deal and just give them regular price (maybe take 2% off or somthing) If they dont like the price TOO BAD!
------------------ Ryan Ursta Ursta Graphics 27 West Shenango St. Sharpsville Pa. 16150 Call: 724•962•2206 "letters of Recommendation"
Known as "Ugraph" on mirc
Posted by Kevin Landry (Member # 1352) on :
I only start laughing at these guys. We get em all the time. Have some fun and stall them. It drives them nuts. I can do it today. Oops!!! Sorry tomorrow. Oops!!! Next week. Finally, can't do it for that price. Had a couple of drivers in here this year. Not only do they want the work and vinyl for free they want you to replace it if they get in an accident. They do what they do for fun, I do this to eat. Or ya could smack em.
------------------ Kevin Landry KnL Signs Halifax NS knlsigns@hfx.eastlink.ca
Posted by Neal Bickham (Member # 1426) on :
I priced out a job the other day for 2 signs for $121.00 and then when I called the guy up he wanted the 2 for $50.00. I told him the best I could do was give him a 10% discount. He told me he could make the signs on his computer and the the rate was hign an he found someone to do them cheaper. Now this is coro plas with red letters. So I told him to make the signs on the computer and save yourself the $121.00. I'm not working for free! If I'm in the area again I'll ask to purchase something out of his store and ask him to give it to me for 60% off the price.
------------------ Neal Bickham Greatness Industries New Orleans,LA greatind@aol.com
Posted by Glenn Taylor (Member # 162) on :
Wrong, wrong, wrong.
Here was an opportunity for some creative salemanship and ya blew it.
Next time, just mark it up 50% higher than you would normally charge. Then, offer him a 25% discount for letting you put a sticker on.
i do some stickers for this crowd.....and there was a "BOOM BOX" show here at the fair grounds couple months ago. the guy i do a lot of stuff on his truck came to the house and told me to go up there. i fired up the mobile shop, drove up there...1st problem was the guys runnin the show...asked if could take the truck in the show area...i was told yep cost ya $100 to go in as a vendor....well i can see the show area...and there is NO OTHER VENDORS in this place...told him so...so hes says do this..pay the $5.00 like you where just going in to look...take the truck in and if you make any money stop buy when show is over...well i went in sat for 2-3 hours sold one $4 #3 sticker...and talked to a lot of em but these guys dump all the money in amps and radios....but dont wana pay nothin for graphics....couple of em in there go to my vinyl suppler buy a roll of vinyl and hand cut and apply there own graphics.....these guys are cheaper then the stock car crowd.
------------------ joe pribish-A SIGN MINT 2811 longleaf Dr. pensacola, fl 32526 850-944-5060 BEWARE THE TRUTH.....YOU MAY NOT LIKE WHAT YOU FIND
Posted by Cam Bortz (Member # 55) on :
Glen has a good point. I don't want to get off on a rant here, but there's also the matter of being there and reading a situation as it develops. I had two older men come in yesterday, to discuss a carved sign for a condo association. They'd seen a sign similar to what they wanted that I did several months ago, and one of them asked how large it is. 3'x5' I told him. He insisted "Its only half that size!" (hmmm...Maybe I only THOUGHT I did the sign!...) I gave them a "ballpark figure" and then came the "we need a sketch to show our committee" line. Sure. Give me a deposit and a contract, and I start designing. "Oh, 'THEY' won't do that. We are supposed to get other bids, and sketches, blah blah, so 'THEY' can decide..." It was the "other bids" that warned me off for good. "Tell you what, guys, you've seen the showroom, the portfolio. Go talk to my competitors, get prices, look at their work...and when you have the authority to make a committment and a deposit, I'll design your sign." They left immediately after that. I wasn't in any way impolite or discourteous, just firm... no deposit, no sketch. These guys would have shopped my sketch all over Connecticut, for the priveledge of bragging that they'd saved a few bucks. In this business, survival means be able to read your customer's attitude and make a good guess at their intentions.
I think that was the point of Bob's post, but hey, that's only my opinion, I could be wrong.
------------------ "A wise man concerns himself with the truth, not with what people believe." - Aristotle
When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. - Raoul Duke (Hunter S. Thompson)
Cam Finest Kind Signs 256 S. Broad St. Pawcatuck, Ct. 06379 "Award winning Signs since 1988"
