posted
Don't look at your sign as an expense, look at what it will do for you.
Your sign is your customers first impression of your whole business.
A business without a sign is a sign of no business.
Just because you have a hammer it does not mean you can build a house. (I say that to everyone who asks how much one of them there cutter things cost)
You can justify spending $500 for a one day ad in the newspaper but you want to dicker over a $500 vehicle job that will last for 5+ years?
---------------------------------
OK - what do you like to say to your customers??
-------------------- Jerry VanHorn, Pres. Pure Sports Designs, LLC Pro Sign Design / United Wholesale Signs www.prosigndesign.comwww.unitedwholesalesigns.com West Liberty, OH 937-465-0595 866-942-3990 Since 1990 Posts: 925 | From: West :Liberty, OH | Registered: May 2004
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"If you're willing to pay the body shop guy $40/HR to make the door look good, I shoud get the same money to make it look better, right? Whadda ya think?"
"My brushes don't know what they're painting, be it a sign, truck, car, boat, or bug deflector. They just know it's work and they're on the clock for the same rate. I've learned to listen to them."
Customer: "If you give me a deal on this, I can get you more business and you can raise the bill on the next guy." Me: "I already did that deal. It really worked out well when you saw it and came to see me. Congratulations! You're next!"
Rapid
-------------------- Ray Rheaume Rapidfire Design 543 Brushwood Road North Haverhill, NH 03774 rapidfiredesign@hotmail.com 603-787-6803
I like my paint shaken, not stirred. Posts: 5648 | From: North Haverhill, New Hampshire | Registered: Apr 2003
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posted
"Any idiot can let the job go to the lowest bidder. The wise business manager gives the job to the lowest qualified bidder."
If I'm feeling tactful I might not call them an idiot.
-------------------- Jack Leyden Jack's Signage 1330 "H" East St. Andrew Place Santa Ana,CA 92705 Posts: 22 | From: Santa Ana,CA | Registered: Nov 2001
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"You will make more money from this sign than I will!"
Love...Jill
-------------------- That is like a Mr. Potato Head with all the pieces in the wrong place. -Russ McMullin Posts: 8834 | From: Butler, PA, USA | Registered: Jan 2001
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quote:Originally posted by Jillbeans: Learned from Pierre Tardif:
"You will make more money from this sign than I will!"
Love...Jill
Jill,
I may add that to my arsenal
-------------------- Jerry VanHorn, Pres. Pure Sports Designs, LLC Pro Sign Design / United Wholesale Signs www.prosigndesign.comwww.unitedwholesalesigns.com West Liberty, OH 937-465-0595 866-942-3990 Since 1990 Posts: 925 | From: West :Liberty, OH | Registered: May 2004
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posted
"The bitter taste of poor quality far outlasts the sweetness of a low price."
"We'll paint ANYTHING for our best friends...and all of our best friends are dead presidents."
My spin on the "hammer and home builder" line has always been: "Give an A-hole a rope, - it doesn't make him a cowboy"
Posts: 465 | From: / | Registered: Jan 2000
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posted
I do the same sort of thing as Tony but I use a car. When they ask about the cost of a sign, trailer, the "average semi" (I love that one!) I say "That's like asking me, How much is a car...it depends on what options you want on it, how long you want it to last and what you want it to do for you! We have signs in ALL budget ranges. What do you want to spend?"
-------------------- Jane Diaz Diaz Sign Art 628 W. Lincoln Ave. Pontiac, Il. 61764 815-844-7024 www.diazsignart.com Posts: 4102 | From: Pontiac, IL USA | Registered: Feb 1999
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posted
$500 for a small yellow page add....that is only seen when someone opens the book and for 12 MONTHS!!!! what i do for that $500 will give 5 YEARS of visability!!!!! and you will be seen when your sittin at WAFFLE HOUSE havin lunch.....yellow pages cant do that!!!!!!!
-------------------- joe pribish-A SIGN MINT 2811 longleaf Dr. pensacola, fl 32526 850-637-1519 BEWARE THE TRUTH.....YOU MAY NOT LIKE WHAT YOU FIND Posts: 11582 | From: pensacola, fl. usa | Registered: Nov 1998
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People will be forced to read this (when using Fluorescents)
To Truckers: How many hours a day do you spend in your truck? Let's see $80,000 Rig, $4500, paint job, and want a ten cent lettering job? C'mon this is the "frosting on the cake" , don't cut yourself short,...don't you want to feel proud with nice set of doors when you going down the road,..oh yeah.
To those who go aggresive,..people will think you have a fleet...
To Boaters: Gee, I hope it's not below the waterline?
It won't get wet here will it?
Yes, "Wet Dream" is an "original"
To Race Car Drivers: Cash is KING!!!!!!!
Now it even looks fast!
Cash is KING!!!!!!!
More serious: Now your official! Definately "above average" Consider it as an Investment It will add resale value Do you know how many people will see this?
I like living in this area, if I do it any cheaper I will have to move, and then it will really cost you.
-------------------- Rich Stebbing RichSigns Rohnert Park CA 707-795-5588 Posts: 755 | From: Rohnert Park, CA | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
Question:How much does a sign cost? Answer: How much you got?(with a big smile) Question: How long you been makin signs? Answer: what time is it now? add that to 60 years Question: How soon can I get it? Answer: can you wait? quote: We don't want all the customers, Just You! Bill
-------------------- Bill & Barbara Biggs Art's Sign Service, Inc. Clute, Texas, USA Home of The Great Texas Mosquito Festival Proud 10 year Supporter of the Letterheads Website www.artssigns.com "MrBill-" on the chat page MailTo:biggsbb@sbcglobal.net Posts: 1020 | From: Lake Jackson,Tx | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
. . . These are great . . . hope y'all don't mind if I use some of 'em... When they ask, "Do you do that free-hand?" I say, "My left hand's free . . . .my right hand's 50 bucks and hour . . ."
-------------------- Signs Sweet Home Alabama
oneshot on chat
"Look like a girl, act like a lady, think like a man, work like a dog" Posts: 5758 | From: "Sweet Home" Alabama | Registered: Mar 2003
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""Good judgment comes from experience; and a lot of that comes from bad judgment" - Will Rogers Posts: 3484 | From: Beautiful Newaygo, Michigan | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
LOL, good one Sheila, as long as they don't ask for a left-hand-painted sign!
-------------------- "Stewey" on chat
"...there are no limits when you aim for perfection..." Jonathan Livingston Seagull Posts: 7014 | From: Highgrove via Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia | Registered: Dec 2002
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posted
lol, Ian, and when they say they don't care how it looks because they want something free I get to say, "Hey! If you don't mind how it looks ...DO IT YOURSELF!" or, "Why did you come here if you don't care how it's gonna look?"
I'm always amazed at customers who want me to work basically for free and/or don't care what something will look like.
I always feel obliged to explain that I PERSONALLY CARE how it looks and I need to be paid well for carin'.
(I promise I am kind-sweet and gentle with these people and not the wise-crack I seem to be . . .)
however cheap, such folks always leave laughin' or smilin' and with a better understanding of what I'm about... and some actually come back when they get their money up.
I like to think or pretend that they came back because I had a hand in educating or reminding them about getting what they pay for.
....just thinkin' . . .what would you get if you went to an M.D. and said, "I don't care how it looks, as long as it's cheap . . . "
....or the body shop guy . . .(see Si's recent OT post, lol)
-------------------- Signs Sweet Home Alabama
oneshot on chat
"Look like a girl, act like a lady, think like a man, work like a dog" Posts: 5758 | From: "Sweet Home" Alabama | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
When I tell people that I only do hand lettering, no computer vinyl, the ask..."is it cheaper?"..."no, definately not"
They decide.
John Lennig / SignRider
ps...vinyl is fine, I just don't do it anymore.
-------------------- John Lennig / Big Top Sign Arts 5668 Ewart Street, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada bigtopya@hotmail.com 604.451.0006 Posts: 2184 | From: Burnaby, British Columbia,Canada | Registered: Nov 2001
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You already know they will get you to do one, then take it to "El Cheapo Signs" and tell them they want the others done just like this one.
this has happened to me. What is amazing is the 'hacker' shop can't even copy it right
-------------------- Jerry VanHorn, Pres. Pure Sports Designs, LLC Pro Sign Design / United Wholesale Signs www.prosigndesign.comwww.unitedwholesalesigns.com West Liberty, OH 937-465-0595 866-942-3990 Since 1990 Posts: 925 | From: West :Liberty, OH | Registered: May 2004
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posted
LOL Joey . . . . see, the way it is ...is...it takes ALL kinds of people to make life diverse and not dull.
Some don't mind chatting and cuttin' up with people and illustrating the obvious with humor & irony.
Some are given to shyness or either simply choose to totally ignore people.
And then I wanna say, "...and then there's you..." SO BAD . . . . but I'm not because you may not be able to read the humor in it that I intend . . . mabey I should say: "It takes all kinds, even you...." . . . . No.....that comes across really mean too . . . .
...mabey we should just start a new post:
"Sayings I like to tell Sign Artists . . ."
-------------------- Signs Sweet Home Alabama
oneshot on chat
"Look like a girl, act like a lady, think like a man, work like a dog" Posts: 5758 | From: "Sweet Home" Alabama | Registered: Mar 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Ray Rheaume: Customer: "If you give me a deal on this, I can get you more business and you can raise the bill on the next guy." Me: "I already did that deal. It really worked out well when you saw it and came to see me. Congratulations! You're next!"
That is perfect, I'm going to have to use that one.
-------------------- Kevin McEvoy Columbia, SC Posts: 21 | From: Columbia, SC | Registered: Mar 2004
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quote:Originally posted by Rich Stebbing: Q Where did you learn this? A In prison
their next statement is: I will hold that deposit until the job is complete!
[ June 25, 2004, 04:23 PM: Message edited by: Jerry VanHorn ]
-------------------- Jerry VanHorn, Pres. Pure Sports Designs, LLC Pro Sign Design / United Wholesale Signs www.prosigndesign.comwww.unitedwholesalesigns.com West Liberty, OH 937-465-0595 866-942-3990 Since 1990 Posts: 925 | From: West :Liberty, OH | Registered: May 2004
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posted
I like when a customer watches me apply vinyl and then they ask " How do you cut that?" I imiedetly reply "With an Exacto Knife" Usually that is followed by a few moments of silence...
And then I tell them " I'm thinking about getting one of those machines to do this, but their kinda expensive"
-------------------- Leonard Sappington lenopam@verizon.net Posts: 123 | From: Clinton, Indiana | Registered: Mar 2004
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