Its been my long time observation that being signmakers or just about any other trade would be a lot more fun without any pesky customers bugging us at all or acting like the same overworked, distracted, stressed people that most of us also are at times. These are high pressured times with lots of things getting in the way of keeping things simple. There also are huge layers of direct marketing, inside/outside sales and mass advertising strategies built on cold calling businesses of all types.
I never take it personally when I encounter a few hoops to get to a decision maker, but in the small town environment we now work in, its not nearly as hard getting through to people as other places. Even owners of multi-million dollar wineries who are our primary client target are hands on enough to want input on how their image is being broadcast via the signage we are creating for them.
The reality is that the customers are the juice that makes the whole thing go and what keeps the lights turned on. Without them, we have nobody to make signs for and no reason to even learn the craft or open the doors in the morning.
Adapt or die. Get increasingly media savvy and multiple platform capable or find yourself left behind the curve on many types of 21st century clients. Even many of our older, traditional sign customers are getting adept at using various media and forms of communications in their dealing s with businesses.
We use a combination approach of using email as much as possible for proofing, getting initial order details, questions asked and answered and live phone calls or in person meetings for clarifications, invoicing questions, placing orders with vendors, checking up on orders placed with vendors, etc. and in person meetings whenever it is warranted.
Having a paper trail on things is crucial to clearing up misunderstandings, disputes or illustrating changes to a layout.
