posted
It's just frustrating. I had a small job, 2X8 Lexan, approx. 4sq. feet was digital, rest was just 2 colors (2 Mil. 3M Translucent). The customer came into the shop, left a deposit. Today I get a call asking if we had started the job yet. I let him know that it will be a few days before we begin. He then askes if he can get his deposit back. Naturally I asked why... Another "Sign Guy" will do the job FREE!!!??? The sign guy also sells a varity of other non-related sign products, and they had done business together in the past. So as a "Thank You" this sign will be on the house. If I lost the job to another sign guy thats one thing, but to a "Sign Guy" giving away signs??? Here is the big thing to me, it makes it look like everything we do is cheap, especially if someone could give it away. I am not beefing that I lost the job, I'm just beffin' that it makes the sign industry look bad when I have a quote for $450.00, and some will give it away.
-------------------- Devin Fahie Sebago Signworks Rt. 302, Raymond, Maine 207-655-6622 devin@sebagosignworks.com Posts: 96 | From: Raymond, Maine | Registered: Jun 2003
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posted
Find out what he sells and start giving it away Just kidding.
This is frustrating, but it makes you appreciate loyal clients. You are better off without folks like that. Stick with the ones that know the value of your work vs. free junk.
-------------------- Kathy Joiner River Road Graphics 41628 River Road Ponchatoula, La.70454
Old enough to know better...Too young to resist. Posts: 1891 | From: Ponchatoula, LA | Registered: Nov 2000
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A truck lettering customer of mine stopped the other day and showed me a stack of free Edge printed decals of his logo, that he got from a local commercial equipment supply - rental dealer. Seems if you buy a piece of equipment, they supply you with decals for all your equipment .
With the proliferation of affordable sign systems being marketed to everyone, expect to see more of this.
Also several years back the local newspaper would sell ad space to various customers of mine. They would photograph my clients sign and digitize a logo for them for free. Made it quite hard to justify paying me to do it. That practice has stopped... wonder why?
The competition will take care of itself. I, like you, just cannot understand this free stuff.
Curt Stenz
-------------------- Curt Stenz Graphics 700 Squirrel Lane Marathon, WI 54448 Posts: 591 | From: Marathon, WI 54448 | Registered: Dec 1998
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A truck lettering customer of mine stopped the other day and showed me a stack of free Edge printed decals of his logo, that he got from a local commercial equipment supply - rental dealer. Seems if you buy a piece of equipment, they supply you with decals for all your equipment .
With the proliferation of affordable sign systems being marketed to everyone, expect to see more of this.
Also several years back the local newspaper would sell ad space to various customers of mine. They would photograph my clients sign and digitize a logo for them for free. Made it quite hard to justify paying me to do it. That practice has stopped... wonder why?
The competition will take care of itself. I, like you, just cannot understand this free stuff.
Curt Stenz
-------------------- Curt Stenz Graphics 700 Squirrel Lane Marathon, WI 54448 Posts: 591 | From: Marathon, WI 54448 | Registered: Dec 1998
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posted
Hi! Devin, got a bad idea ,,You know the value of your work's so next time you're gonna have a custummer who's askin for a cheap price,just tell him , go to that place and of course tel him that you heard from a couple that at that place sign are free..........lol
-------------------- Steven Girard steven@lettragesgirard.com
I know I've been sick this week, but I just read this thread 3 times. I must be halucinating cause it can NOT say what I think it says. A non-sign guy is going to do a "free" sign as a thank you? You get what you pay for.
-------------------- Chris Welker Wildfire Signs Indiana, Pa Posts: 4254 | From: Indiana, PA | Registered: Mar 2001
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I did some design work on a truck job last month. The job involved 6 new big Volvo tractors and two yard goats. The customer was (WAS) a repeat client for the last two years. I usually do gold leaf on their trucks but they wanted this to be straight ic vinyl. Anyhow after my drawings I never was notified of the trucks arrival. I called 4 times and left messages but no return call. I just found out they had the job done for free...as a perc from the truck dealer. He paid someone in Fresno to letter them. Oh, well...
-------------------- Gerald Barlow Artworx Turlock, CA
95380 artworx@bigvalley.net Posts: 198 | From: Turlock, CA 95380, USA | Registered: Dec 2002
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Devon, there's a lesson here that I learned long ago. If a customer EVER calls to and asks "Have you started anything yet". The answer is always YES. . . .enough as to use up their deposit!
-------------------- John Arnott El Cajon CA 619 596-9989 signgraphics1@aol.com http://www.signgraphics1.com Posts: 1443 | From: El Cajon CA usa | Registered: Dec 1998
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posted
same thing is happening in the paper printing industry. I have lost some customers because why pay $150 for biz cards when you can get them for $15 or sometimes even free! I know it's not the same quality, or even same printing technique, but what can you do? In the screenprinting business, people have been giving away artwork, screen charges, etc. to the point that it is impossible to bid competitively. People wonder why there is so much turnover and shops going out of business. You get what you pay for, period!!!!!!!
-------------------- Michael Clanton Clanton Graphics/ Blackberry 19 Studio 1933 Blackberry Conway AR 72034 501-505-6794 clantongraphics@yahoo.com Posts: 1736 | From: Conway Arkansas | Registered: Oct 2001
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but... given a choice, it seems most people will... get what they don't pay for. (no matter what they get)
Like John said... when they call... you have always already started!! This is not just a "line" either, as we know, the consulting before we get that deposit is often the hardest part of the job.
posted
Where I am we re-sell biz cards and routinely get better than double our cost on them. Of course we don't have all the biz, by any means...but what we do we get paid for. I wrote in a couple weeks ago complainin' about the guy doing crappy cheapo truck lettering....my tactic in response has been to focus on and push my design skills, and it has been working. So persevere man! Push your strengths to differentiate yourself from the rest. Remember a FREE sack of DOGCRAP is still DOGCRAP!
posted
Deposits to me is MATERIALS.. Once the money is in my hand then the "Materials are Bought."
You cancel! Thats your business...But I have materials that I have No Need For! They will stand on the shelf and I will use them on the next project at your expense..Sorry!
-------------------- Stephen Deveau RavenGraphics Insinx Digital Displays
Letting Your Imagination Run Wild! Posts: 4327 | From: Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia, Canada | Registered: Jan 2000
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Wecome to the future. Yeah, companies can hand out free stickers, vinyl lettering, and maybe even business cards, but so what. It's still mostly junk. Just more mass produced crap, that doesn't set your business apart from the rest. I guess Joe Wino has gone public. But he still does'nt make any money.
-------------------- Signs by Alicia Jennings (Mudflap Girl) Tacoma, WA Since 1987 Have Lipstick, will travel. Posts: 3819 | From: Tacoma, WA. U.S.A. | Registered: Dec 1999
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I had the opposite happen to me!!! I was talking to the new coach of a Junior Varsity Football team and he asked what it would cost to do a single color logo on one side of the new helmets. I told him I would donate them to the team. He called me and said he was sending the art. I never heard from him after that. I ran into him the other day and I asked him about the art work and if he still needed the decals. He told one of the parents donated $100.00 to the team for the decals and they got them from another sign shop, but they were going to change logos next year and if I was willing to donate them he would call me. I told him to call...............I can't wait!
-------------------- Tony Vickio The World Famous Vickio Signs 3364 Rt.329 Watkins Glen, NY 14891 t30v@vickiosigns.com 607-535-6241 http://www.vickiosigns.com Posts: 1063 | From: Watkins Glen, New York | Registered: Sep 2001
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![[FYI]](graemlins/fyi.gif)
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
Just kidding.
![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
You get what you pay for.
![[Confused]](confused.gif)
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