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Customer has no idea what he wants but wants it now - Rant.

Stacey K

I like making signs
RANT...I have a very demanding customer who has spent a lot of money over the years. I usually put him first on the list along with a few other bigger customers. But they can't all be first.

He came in a couple weeks ago and said he wants to fully wrap all his trucks but he doesn't know what he wants. I said I would need some kind of direction or I can't really start anything. He came in last week and asked if I had anything. I told him, I don't know what you want and I was scheduled last week and have 3 trucks this week and the high school went to state last week and it's the busiest time of the year right now so was scheduled out already and if he had some direction, it would be helpful. He said he wants something patriotic and landscaping but he's looked online for hours and has not found one single thing he liked. I said I would start thinking and looking and I'd have some ideas by the end of this week.

Well, he called yesterday and he's all pissed off now because I'm not done with it. He said "something patriotic and landscaping but no green" I explained to him that this isn't something that takes me 5 minutes and it's nice "I finally have some direction" (if you call it that). I think he's mostly mad because I didn't drop everything for him.

I have other customers that spend just as much and I had them scheduled for work last week and this week, and the kids going to state thing, the school spends more money than any customer.

That's my rant. Open to your thoughts or your rants LOL
 

Notarealsignguy

Arial - it's almost helvetica
It has been a long time for us but we fired a customer last week, couldn't take it anymore. They contacted my wife a few days later asking if we could still do their work.
I try to be professional and end up taking it on the chin quite often but sometimes it's too much, you can't let anyone straight up walk on you.
 

Boudica

I'm here for Educational Purposes
Hmm, patriotic, landscape, no green....
 

Attachments

  • genericpatriot.jpg
    genericpatriot.jpg
    918.2 KB · Views: 177

White Haus

Not a Newbie
Time to spend 10 minutes and come up with a customer design form. I'm sure there are examples online but we filled one out when we had our logo designed. I can try to dig it up if you like, we had received it from Neato.

What do you like, colors, themes etc etc and make all fields mandatory. Sorry but patriotic, no green, and landscaping aren't proper directions.

Explain to them that you need proper direction and can't just grasp at straws and throw a bunch of hours towards a concept that he'll likely shoot down, based on his feedback from looking at stuff online.
 

Stacey K

I like making signs
Time to spend 10 minutes and come up with a customer design form. I'm sure there are examples online but we filled one out when we had our logo designed. I can try to dig it up if you like, we had received it from Neato.

What do you like, colors, themes etc etc and make all fields mandatory. Sorry but patriotic, no green, and landscaping aren't proper directions.

Explain to them that you need proper direction and can't just grasp at straws and throw a bunch of hours towards a concept that he'll likely shoot down, based on his feedback from looking at stuff online.
Thank you! I was wondering if I was just being a B*tch LOL

If you could look that up or anyone else has one, I love that idea!
 

White Haus

Not a Newbie
Thank you! I was wondering if I was just being a B*tch LOL

If you could look that up or anyone else has one, I love that idea!
Ah, I found it! Hope Neato doesn't mind me sharing.

This specifically pertains to logo design but could easily be adapted to suit vehicle wraps.

Hope this helps, good luck with the difficult customer(s)! (And no, you're not the one that's in the wrong here. That customer sounds painful to deal with)
 

Attachments

  • Logo Questionnaire.pdf
    539 KB · Views: 185

damonCA21

Active Member
Yep we have all met 'that' customer!
Can you do me a design for my truck?
Of course, what sort of thing did you have in mind?
Just something really cool
Umm... ok, any general ideas of the sort of thing you think is cool?
No, just something cool. If you can spend hours designing it for free, then I'll say it is nothing like what I was looking for, ask you to do it again, but still give you no direction at all...
 

visual800

Active Member
I love the clients...."I want it NOW but Dont ko what I want nor can I convey what I want!"....You could waste time doing alayout and if hes not pleased he will really be pissed...my answer would be go away!
 

Chuck Taylor

New Member
RANT...I have a very demanding customer who has spent a lot of money over the years. I usually put him first on the list along with a few other bigger customers. But they can't all be first.

He came in a couple weeks ago and said he wants to fully wrap all his trucks but he doesn't know what he wants. I said I would need some kind of direction or I can't really start anything. He came in last week and asked if I had anything. I told him, I don't know what you want and I was scheduled last week and have 3 trucks this week and the high school went to state last week and it's the busiest time of the year right now so was scheduled out already and if he had some direction, it would be helpful. He said he wants something patriotic and landscaping but he's looked online for hours and has not found one single thing he liked. I said I would start thinking and looking and I'd have some ideas by the end of this week.

Well, he called yesterday and he's all pissed off now because I'm not done with it. He said "something patriotic and landscaping but no green" I explained to him that this isn't something that takes me 5 minutes and it's nice "I finally have some direction" (if you call it that). I think he's mostly mad because I didn't drop everything for him.

I have other customers that spend just as much and I had them scheduled for work last week and this week, and the kids going to state thing, the school spends more money than any customer.

That's my rant. Open to your thoughts or your rants LOL
I feel for you! After 30+ years in business I try to just let this kind of stuff roll off me. We are not mind readers and while they just have their "one" project, we are always in the middle of many such projects. Sometimes peoples expectations are just too far out there... might be time to let this fellow find someone new to bother!
 

Chuck Taylor

New Member
Ah, I found it! Hope Neato doesn't mind me sharing.

This specifically pertains to logo design but could easily be adapted to suit vehicle wraps.

Hope this helps, good luck with the difficult customer(s)! (And no, you're not the one that's in the wrong here. That customer sounds painful to deal with)
Thanks so much for sharing that!
 

bcxprint420

Sign & Banner Xpress
F*cking ai doesn't understand 'no green', sorry bossman...
OIG1.THsaZyXpQ3bUBBLCGwR5

Tell him you'll throw in the extra S for free too!
That flag is incorrect which is standard for ai since its built in to hate the united states and what we stand for. Disgraceful.
 
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