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Okay, so now along with calling a customer telling them their job is done, they want you to send them a picture. Or, they would like to see pictures as the job progresses. Thank goodness I just have a flip-phone. I have sent pics of an unfinshed job and of course you get the, "What about outline, colors, or other part that isn't done yet" At which point I have to text that I am not done yet. Maybe I need to set up a Live Cam page. Then the customer can watch pick up dog crap in-between working. Ya know, that just might be a good idea.
-------------------- Signs by Alicia Jennings (Mudflap Girl) Tacoma, WA Since 1987 Have Lipstick, will travel. Posts: 3814 | From: Tacoma, WA. U.S.A. | Registered: Dec 1999
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Yeah, be sure to include cleaning brushes and every other boring detail, along with stopping to take pictures for the other customer of the other customer's job.
-------------------- James Donahue Donahue Sign Arts 1851 E. Union Valley Rd. Seymour TN. (865) 577-3365 brushman@nxs.net
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what's for lunch, Benjamin Franklin Posts: 2057 | From: 1033 W. Union Valley Rd. | Registered: Feb 2003
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Oh but wait...RATS! Why am I slow on these things? What you do is cheerfully comply, and inform the customer that chronological pictures are part of the premium package, for $149.99 extra.
-------------------- James Donahue Donahue Sign Arts 1851 E. Union Valley Rd. Seymour TN. (865) 577-3365 brushman@nxs.net
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what's for lunch, Benjamin Franklin Posts: 2057 | From: 1033 W. Union Valley Rd. | Registered: Feb 2003
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this is where I think the reality shows(american restoration/counting cars/gas monkey) have it right,...they keep the production part private and do not let the customer participate.then they have an "unveiling" of the finished product and make a minor production of it,....
[ August 31, 2014, 05:04 PM: Message edited by: Tim Barrow ]
-------------------- fly low...timi/NC is, Tim Barrow Barrow Art Signs Winston-Salem,NC Posts: 2224 | From: Winston-Salem,NC,USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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Guy sends me this picture yesterday. He wants his new truck lettered the same.,, Says you can see all of the lettering if you just zoom on the picture,,,,Yeah right.
-------------------- Signs by Alicia Jennings (Mudflap Girl) Tacoma, WA Since 1987 Have Lipstick, will travel. Posts: 3814 | From: Tacoma, WA. U.S.A. | Registered: Dec 1999
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Maybe James has the right idea. Make a video of the production of their sign, and charge them for it. You got expenses producing it, right?
On the truck door, maybe blow the picture up on an overhead projector. Make a pounce pattern, pixels and all, and do it with an airbrush (from an inch or two away); so that way, it might be as fuzzy as the photo.
-------------------- Dale Feicke Grafix 714 East St. Mendenhall, MS 39114
"I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me." Posts: 2963 | From: Mendenhall, MS | Registered: Apr 1999
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"...as fuzzy as the photo." Not bad, not bad, but you could also get the pic 1.5" X 1.5" 30 DPI. Enlarge to 20" X 20". Send through trace program, that should let the plotter follow all the stairstep edges.
-------------------- James Donahue Donahue Sign Arts 1851 E. Union Valley Rd. Seymour TN. (865) 577-3365 brushman@nxs.net
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what's for lunch, Benjamin Franklin Posts: 2057 | From: 1033 W. Union Valley Rd. | Registered: Feb 2003
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Our shop is different than most and our projects much larger, often in production for many months. But I find the 'social network' a valuable tool in our marketing.
I take pictures every day of our progress and post it to our journal (with our customer's blessing). They in turn keep an eye on progress and send all their friends to take a look too.
My efforts are popular with the customers without a doubt. These efforts also bring a great deal of traffic to our website - more than 20,000 hits per month. Some of our recent customers have reported that they found me through the web and followed our projects for some time (up to a years) before getting us to do their (LARGE) projects.
I't a big effort to post each day but I would say that much of our current success (Booked into 2016) is because of these entries.
It's not for everyone and it wouldn't work for every shop but it sure does for us.
-------------------- Dan Sawatzky Imagination Corporation Yarrow, British Columbia dan@imaginationcorporation.com http://www.imaginationcorporation.com
Being a grampa is one of the the most wonderful things in the world!!! Posts: 8738 | From: Yarrow, B.C. Canada | Registered: Nov 1998
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Sounds smart. I have a site that I started as a ministry; it has a blog as a subdomain. The blog traffic gives good page rank to the site. I have a sign website that's lagging, sounds like I need to incorporate what your talking about there.
-------------------- James Donahue Donahue Sign Arts 1851 E. Union Valley Rd. Seymour TN. (865) 577-3365 brushman@nxs.net
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what's for lunch, Benjamin Franklin Posts: 2057 | From: 1033 W. Union Valley Rd. | Registered: Feb 2003
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"...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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Alicia.....I lived in Tukwilla for a while! One thing I have learned, is that you are better off just not informing the cutover of progress, just let them know when it's done. Once I was doing the painted etc part for a none shop, who subbed these out to me. I was doing a flat black twelve by six ft light up sign backing for a large neons sign in Seattle....it was annoying using the flattening powder, with one shot. A lead based spray nightmare. I had some delays, but informed the Jerome shop of every single thing that I was dealing with. I think it almost gave them a nervous breakdown. Better to have just said...'I will have it by next week.' Yeah, the customer often has a different idea of 'camera ready' Than the artist does. It's always great when they give you a very rough, untrained sketch, Then tell you they have completely designed the design. One guy, i had to tell that if that was the design, No problem, I will make it look EXACTLY like he had it. My favorite of all time though, was The owner of a boat lettering shop that only had experience with computers... Got uppity for some reason, and I said... "Well, go ahead and do what you suggested, just paint it right on the yacht...your way....you might discover that you are a REAL ARTIST!" Needless to say, that guy never said much in the future when I did these jobs..which always turned out great. Back then I was younger, and had a bit of an attitude, and a very steady hand. The shop owner said something about 'mahlstick' And I said... "Those things are for old men and alocholics" I suppose perhaps I am starting to move towards the former of the two..at fifty now...I do use a mahlstick.
Says you can see all of the lettering if you just zoom on the picture,,,,Yeah right.
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