posted
This subject has probably been beaten to death but here goes anyway...
I've been sending out estimates to clients who I feel (ok I know) just look at the bottom line. They don't care about design time, site survey, material (cardboard "if we'd use it they'd buy" or DiBond), intermediate or Hi-Perf vinyl, etc. All they seem to care about is THE BOTTOM LINE. I'm going to start sending out estimates with no bottom line and see what happens. At the very least the folks will have to read the itemized list to see what I will do for them and maybe add it up themselves. On the other hand they are probably to lazy to read it and will round file it.
Have any of you tried this method?
-------------------- Brian Diver PDQ Signs Everett, Wa
posted
hi Brian, in my experience with sales, i have two kinds of clients who only want the bottom line:
1. they trust me and they only need to know how much to write the check for.
2. they are price-shopping and don't know how to compare my price with another price.
the first group is not a problem. the second group i try to avoid, unless they want something easy, or unless they are in a new market niche that i want to get into. IF i give them a price, i do it IN PERSON. i've found that it isn't worth my time to estimate jobs for price shoppers, but when i'm there in person i have a much higher chance of getting the work.
not quite what you asked, i know...
-------------------- :: Scooter Marriner :: :: Coyote Signs :: :: Oakland, CA :: :: still a beginner :: :: Posts: 1356 | From: Oakland (and San Francisco) | Registered: Mar 2001
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posted
same here got both types....most dont care what you use, how long it takes, and the hoops you got jump thru to get their stuff done. had a cleint call last week to get a new truck lettered. last truck i did for him was a van, so he asked for a price. asked him how long he intended on driving this truck, he said till the wheels fall off! then i explained to him the grades of vinyl i can put on it and he asked how much more for the hp? told him $100 on the price of the last van i did. he said ok. weeeel the truck gets here friday at 4:30................ITS A PICKUP WITH A UTILITY BODY!!!!!! boy do i feel dumb!!! then all they want lettered is the 2 doors, 2 4" phone nubers, and their license #. i tell him i can put on some logs of the stuff they do...he said ok give me a RHEEM & DELTA logo....had to call the boss, cause the licesne # was unreadable...then i told him this truck would be $175.00, the other price i quoted him was for a 1 ton van!!!!! now thats a good cutomer!! then the other one shows up sat, needed stuff cut (R.T.A.) and really wanted to beat me up on the price of the work....then told me he was going to so and so down the street, but he didn work on sat and couldnt get the work done fast enough. told him the only reason iam here sat...IS I LIVE HERE!!!! and that iam not usually open sat either....then he wants this stuff done so he have it on his trucks for MONDAY MORN. dont think ill see him again......
-------------------- 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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Price shoppers usually dont beat around the bush here. The first sentence out their mouth contains the word "price" 99% of the time. I listen to what they want, ask a few questions and if it's a simple sign (and it usually is) I grab the price book, give them a quick quote, and try to get in a "have a nice day" before they hit the door.
I had a couple of guys in this morning. One of them blurted out price before I could say howdy. They wanted a certain (mulitcolored) graphic on their trucks and said that the other shop they had already been to could not do the graphic. I asked where the image came from (Microsoft Publisher which I have) I imported the image, toggled off the colors to see if it was vinyl cuttable, it was. Then they wanted to see how it would look inside an elipse with their company name arched over and below. Then......they wanted it printed out to show their partner. I declined to print it and their faces turned a pale tint of alabaster when I gave them the price......$85 for pickup lettering with a detailed image of a duck on a pond.
But, I try not to spend too much time on quotes anymore. If I don't get a deposit before they leave, I usually don't see them again.
[ June 18, 2002, 02:28 PM: Message edited by: Wayne Webb ]
-------------------- Wayne Webb Webb Signworks Chipley, FL 850.638.9329 wayne@webbsignworks.com Posts: 7405 | From: Chipley,Florida,United States | Registered: Oct 1999
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