posted
A call from a potential customer, he owns a shopping centre down the road from me. He's got a rep for being a real ba****d to the tennants of the centre.
Guy - Hi, how much for a sign? Me - It depends on what you want Guy - well its only a little one so it shouldn't be very expensive Me (Jokingly) - Ever bought a small computer or a small mobile phone? Was it cheap? Guy (Not fazed) - Its the sign on the corner... the last guy did it for $X bargain price (I know the site/sign etc - no way) Me - Am I pricing against him? Guy - No, we had a falling out and I won't use him again. Me - I'll be passing there thisafternoon, I'll check it out and get a price to you late today. Guy - I wanted to have the sign up tomorrow, can you manage that? Me - Probably not but I'll have it done and installed as fast as possible once you OK the price from your rough layout. Guy - You know I own the shopping centre? I'll give you plenty more work if you give me the right price on this one. Me - I'll have a price back to you thisafternoon. ------------------------------------------ Did he miss any of the more insidious lines in the book of "Tradesmans Most Hated Phrases"?
Note: he will be getting the same price anyone else gets until proven as a good customer or otherwise.
David
------------------ David Fisher D.A. & P.M. Fisher Services Brisbane Australia da_pmf@yahoo.com
[This message has been edited by David Fisher (edited August 06, 2001).]
Posts: 1450 | From: Brisbane Queensland Australia | Registered: Nov 1998
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Here is the RED FLAG that pops up: quote: ---------------------------------------- "Guy - You know I own the shopping centre? I'll give you plenty more work if you give me the right price on this one. ----------------------------------------
1. How does he know the "right price"?
2. Deals on discounts are made because the "guy" is a good customer and has already had you do all his work and not because of promised "future work"
3. Immediate service is worth extra bucks, not less bucks. Why would anyone put a hold on regular good paying jobs to throw a quick one in the way for LESS money!
What an idiot!
This is a rip off in the making. This jerk is a cold faced liar that can't even discern that everyone knows he is lying!
Let your competition have this job!
------------------ Draper The Signmaker Bloomington Illinois USA
Get To A Letterhead Meet This Summer! See you there! 309-828-7110 drapersigns@hotmail.com Draper_Dave on mIRC chat
Posts: 2883 | From: Bloomington Illinois USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
--------------------------- Guy (Not fazed) - Its the sign on the corner... the last guy did it for $X bargain price (I know the site/sign etc - no way) Me - Am I pricing against him? Guy - No, we had a falling out and I won't use him again. ----------------------------
Uh-huh.. yeah "falling out" meaning "he didnt give me any deals".....
When a potential customer talks negatively about another shop to me, I tell them I just dont want their business ("I dont want your business" or "I'm too busy to take anything else on right now".) If they'll talk about that other shop they'll talk about yours too.
Hey if he's got all this other work that needs to be done, make him show ya what "all this other work" is exactly.. if he needs it he may as well get a quote on it too.
"I'll throw all kinds of work your way if I can get a deal" - "Yeah, and I'm gonna throw bricks through your windows if you dont send the work over."
------------------ Mike Pipes Digital Illusion Custom Graphics Lake Havasu City, AZ http://www.stickerpimp.com
Posts: 8746 | From: Lake Havasu, AZ USA | Registered: Jun 2000
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posted
Hey Dave, Did he ask you for a price on stick on letters as well, because they're always cheaper.
------------------ Drane Signs Sunshine Coast Nambour, Qld. dranesig@dingoblue.net.au Downunder "Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life" - Confucius
Posts: 965 | From: Nambour, Qld. Australia | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
Give him the price, listen to him bitch for a few minutes, then SMACK IM! Works for me. Honestly, though, man I hate these types of customers. It's like they are doing you a huge favor by letting you work for them. The one line, about falling out with the other guy, that made me chill. Be careful David. Let me know if you smack im.
------------------ John Deaton III Deaton Design 109 N. Cumberland Ave.,Harlan, Ky. 40831 606-573-9101
posted
The "falling out" he had with the other sign guy could also be translated into "he didn't drop everything the second I called and do my piddly job, putting his other work (you know, the work for people who are good customers and don't whine about price or discounts) aside, possibly being late on delivery for those good customers and jeopardizing his relationship with them."
I have a customer like this. I'm in the process of writing up a "new policy" letter for all customers that states when I receive the approval for the work, I will give you a time frame of when it will be done. Anything that must be done sooner than the completion date I give you or anything required within 1 week of job approval may be subject to a rush charge equal to job price. (this one customer may be the only one to actually receive my "to all customers" letter. )
Just be careful if you do this job. Don't let yourself get burnt.
If possible, try to find out who the "other" sign guy was and see if you can snoop to fing out the true meaning of "falling out"
------------------ Chris King Paper Works & Graphix Indiana, PA
Posts: 4254 | From: Indiana, PA | Registered: Mar 2001
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posted
Update............. Rang the guy with a quote, nothing cut-price just the usual price for a job like this. His first response is to say "I forgot to mention in my fax that I want it a little bit bigger, can you do it for the same price...?" Ka-ching Price goes up 10% "Oh, the last one was vandalised so I wanted this one up higher too, can you do it for the same price...?" Ka-ching Price goes up 10% "Errrrr... what about...?" Ka-ching Price goes up 10%
He gave up and settled at nearly $100.00 over the original price and delivery 2 days later than originally planned. Just goes to show that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Then again, the cheque aint in the bank yet. David
------------------ David Fisher D.A. & P.M. Fisher Services Brisbane Australia da_pmf@yahoo.com
Posts: 1450 | From: Brisbane Queensland Australia | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
I just had a similar situation, that STILL has me fuming.
Woman calls about T-shirts for her school. 60 for the teachers, 500 for the kids. Great I think. She is kinda sweet on me, so she tells me what everyone else is bidding... low ball so far is $4.55. My price is $3.84. I send in a bid of $4.19, figuring even if someone lowballs again, they'll go for the round figure of $4.25, right?
They call and say, you win the bid @ 4.19. THEN they proceed to tell me they need the first 60 in 3 days, and will give me the 500 shirt order sizes on the 9th, BUT they HAVE To have them by the 14th. Hmm... I figure this might be a good down the road customer, and its a very good order in its own right, so I say sure.. I'm superman, I can handle it! I head over to pick up the mandatory 50% check and artwork....
Well dontcha know her boss is sweet on the guy at $4.55? Calls him and tells him what I bid, and then he lowers his bid.
I get there and am met with the "oh, we decided to change the artwork. I tried to call you before you left. We'll call you and let you know when you can pick it up, k? See ya later".
I went out to the truck, smelling a rat.
I decided I'd make them fess up. I went back in.
"Uhh, say... how about I go ahead and get that deposit, then you can fax me over the artwork!"
"Uhh, no. we cant do that right now"
I get a fax that afternoon, 'thanks for your bid, but we went somewhere else'
Pissed? oh yeah. But, I calmed down and told myself that since it was a rush job, it HAD to be marked up, and they were never going for that anyway.. so why kill yourself over troublesome work?
So I wont buy that new digital camera this month, big deal. I wont need to see the chiropractor or sit in the hot tub for 5 hours either.
------------------ Robb Lowe Hub City Graphics Spartanburg, SC
posted
I remember one time I stopped in this little bitty Podunk town with only 2 sign shops in it - don't you know these two guys hated each others' guts and cut each other down all the time. The one guy asks me if I'd been over to the other shop yet, and he says "That S.O.B. - he's probably over there bad mouthing me right now!"
>> Duh <<
If they would just get together they could BOTH make a living...
------------------ "If it isn't fun, why do it?" Signmike@aol.com Mike Languein Doctor of Letters BS, MS, PhD ___________________
You know what BS is, MS is More of the Same, and it's Piled Higher and Deeper here
posted
Glad you got the guy straightened out Dave.
Oh, he did miss one of my pet ugly phrases..."This is a highly visible location - if I let you put work up here it will get you a lot of exposure, so the price should be really low".
posted
I like the "smack 'im" plan! My brother's such a jerk! He just told me that if it's a girl, you "paddle her", cuz it's more fun! He hasn't even had a girlfriend yet and he's 20!
------------------ Girls carve too! Behind every good Woman, there's a man.............waiting.
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