A mini vent

[Colin]

Today I received an email from a Real Estate customer that I'd done a few small jobs for lately, asking for a quote on one 12" x 48" coro sign, to be designed & produced as a rush job. This would be a laminated digital print on coro, and probably back & forth a couple times with proofs & changes - you know how it goes. I offered a price of $75.00

A few hours went by with no reply, so I inquired to see if it was a go. I was informed that they got quotes of $28.00 and $46.00 from other suppliers. $28.00 to design & produce ONE 12x48?!!!.....and a rush?!!!

And these realtors are the same people who demand exorbitant commissions on selling your home. I've been ground on miniscule differences in prices by realtors lately, and I'm getting quite tired of it. They're a special breed.

Anyway, what would you have charged for that?

 

[phototec]

It's been said on here many times, don't worry about what you competition charges, you know your worth and your overhead and what kind of profit you need to make. Stick to you guns and know that you didn't do it for $28 and loose money....

I have been a graphic designer most of my career so I usually have more time invested in the design than other sign monkey's in my area (not referring to anyone here), you know the ones that just slap text on a sign, center justification, using ugly fonts without any custom kerning etc. So my pricing (to be profitable) would be close to your price, no lower that $60 for sure.

 

[visual800]

You are dealing with high paced, strung out real estate folks. As a general rulw they are fithful to no one and always in a rush. The less of them you hve as clients the more more stress free you will be.

I cannot tolerate mNy of them they Are horrible to del with.

 

[Colin]

Yes, I remember a man who ran a sign business here, and he refused to do any work for realtors period.

 

[HulkSmash]

Today I received an email from a Real Estate customer that I'd done a few small jobs for lately, asking for a quote on one 12" x 48" coro sign, to be designed & produced as a rush job. This would be a laminated digital print on coro, and probably back & forth a couple times with proofs & changes - you know how it goes. I offered a price of $75.00

A few hours went by with no reply, so I inquired to see if it was a go. I was informed that they got quotes of $28.00 and $46.00 from other suppliers. $28.00 to design & produce ONE 12x48?!!!.....and a rush?!!!

And these realtors are the same people who demand exorbitant commissions on selling your home. I've been ground on miniscule differences in prices by realtors lately, and I'm getting quite tired of it. They're a special breed.

Anyway, what would you have charged for that?

Who cares? It's 1 sign. 120$ minimum for anything digital.

 

[Techman]

I used to do no work or quotes for any realtor. It was always an ordeal and often our quotes were used as a billing line for a project they had in mind.

 

[Craig Sjoquist]

I hand letter 98% of my work & the last rush job I did was $50 just for the rush plus the lettering at $100 per hour.

Agrees give a quote, thank them for the opportunity & move on to what is making ya money.

Now because I hand letter I can still make money at $28 on this indeed, providing material, paint, & copy is in my hand, plus the copy is not difficult or alot, really looking for less than average, but good luck on getting that happening, as for rush job best be something that let me be willing to rush.

One thing that bothers me about arrogance just because ya have money does not mean one should jump, I live to enjoy life, not someone elses.

 

[signed off]

If your from Ontario I think I had the guy call me, and when I told him the price he started yelling at me as to how could I charge so much and he could get a 2 sided for $38.00, he wanted to know why I thought I was so special that I could charge him the price and I said I didn't know if I was competing against a guy in his basement but my over head is why I charge what I do, he again started yelling "how could I say that, the other company was a big company in Mississauaga ( 40 mins from me) after my third attempt ( 2 to many) and before he started yelling again I said sorry sir but I can't help you and hung up.
This call cost me 10 min of my time

 

[Gino]

We have a shop minimum. I tell them, you're looking at roughly $125.00, unless you can wait for me to gang this in with some other job.

After they read me the riot act, I simply just say again...... that's all wonderful and good to know you can get it wherever for whatever price, but the fact still remains..... you're looking at roughly $125.00, unless you can wait for me to gang this in with some other job.

Some people do not listen. You speak your policy and they want to bicker and badger you. Again, that's the emotion and anger on their end. All useless baggage they bring to the table. It is not being focused on the actual business at hand. After they settle down..... you just say once again.... you're looking at roughly $125.00, unless you can wait for me to gang this in with some other job.


Now, for an established customer, I will bend the rules, but nowhere or ever would I do a 12" x 48" 1 or 2-sided sign for $28.00, unless I was gonna give it to them for free. Might as well..... $28 ain't much better.

 

[Jester1167]

A warning/reminder to everyone that the words print or wrap uttered by someone not in the business can't always be translated literally. They are just the latest buzz words. After wraps caught on I started seeing a lot of customers asking for wraps that were shocked at my ballpark pricing. After asking a few more questions I figured out another shop had quoted cut vinyl. No wonder they were shocked. I bet I lost 10 opportunities before I figured that one out.

For $28 it's either; someone losing money in hopes of future work, a high production flatbed printer, or one color cut vinyl.

When I was printing we had a $65 min for print ready art work. That was for the print only, no art correction, proofs, contour cuts.

 

[shoresigns]

We charge double for real estate agents.

 

[GAC05]

Colin,
if you had used one less "!" this could have been a micro-vent.

My bigger problem is with long established customers that drop files on me Friday night and ask for a Sunday install, or should they call a second shop if we can't meet the deadline.

wayne k
guam usa

 

[Colin]

Yup, they don't seem to realize that when we have customers that display and exercise loyalty, we serve them like royalty, and how their disloyalty deflates our desire to go the extra mile for them.

 

[neil_se]

The irony is that there was probably a thread here a week ago with some industry Newb asking how to price a 12x48" sign. All the usual S101 suspects would have jumped on his back telling him that only he knows what his overheads are, to add the material costs, his overheads, a profit margin, and what he's comfortable making per hour. Newb works from his home basement and drives the family minivan which cost him next to nothing, he bought a $3000 secondhand printer, calculates that 4sqft of coro, vinyl, ink & laminate costs $6, and reckons it'll take 30 mins. He's happy making 50% margin on the materials, $30/hr for his time, adds in 0.5hr of overhead costs, and calculates a total of $28 just as S101 told him to.

/rant (not directed at Colin)


On topic, we never laminate coro but my pricing works out to $74.25 incl tax.

 

[JMPrinting]

I had someone ask me to make 12 signs on foam, 20x37 with grommets, full color, single sided for $20 each

 

[CanuckSigns]

You are dealing with high paced, strung out real estate folks. As a general rulw they are fithful to no one and always in a rush. The less of them you hve as clients the more more stress free you will be.

I cannot tolerate mNy of them they Are horrible to del with.

This is some of the best advice you will ever get.

In my area, houses pretty much sell themselves. It's very uncommon for a house that is priced properly to be on the market for more than a week. The only thing an agent has to do around here is put a sign on the lawn and take some photos for MLS. However they still insist on getting 3% of $450,000 for doing that.

most of them around here drive big BMW suv's and try to haggle me down to save $20.

avoid real estate agents and your life will improve drastically.