Customer wants mags all over van, How can i handle this?

[john1]

Hey guys, I hope all is well.

I have been doing pretty decent lately and i would like to ask a question i had about a new customer.

I get a call this morning from a guy who bought a 2010 Chevy Express van for their business.

Now i gave them a ballpark pricing to get things started and they said they would get back to me. I received this email "My artist wants to do the logo portion on 2 sides plus back. If I gave you 5 To 10 art images can you do them as removable magnetics in 8 x 10's so we could arrange ourselves?"

Apparently, They don't want to put vinyl directly onto the paint as they want to have the advertising removable when they want to use it.

Magnets are portable signage but man it's going to look like crap putting various magnets on the paint IMO.

Anyone have any tips on handling this without telling the customer magnets suck and they need vinyl directly on the van?

Thanks!

 

[Custom_Grafx]

Cast vehicle vinyl is removable...

Do you mean they want to be able to put it up and take things down every day? In that case mags are their only option yeah? Maybe draw them up a pros and cons of either in bullet point form and let them choose. Make sure you mention all the bad things that can happen with magnets, and also that they do not project the same image as vinyl. (unless you are a site manager and you have just one clean magnet on the side of your pick up to ID yourself to others...)

 

[john1]

Yep, they want to take the advertising on and off when they want to for whatever reason. But i mean 5-10 8.5x11" size mags will do nothing but make it look like a rolling joke advertisement.

I was going to do the pros and cons as well. Thank you!

 

[Custom_Grafx]

They also have their mind set on mags by the sound of it...

So maybe also offer them your professional opinion that if they have to use magnets, it should be kept clean and simple (like a chunky logo on a door or something).

Also don't forget to tell them about maintenance issues, potential to damage paint via user error/lack of care, and if they drive with them, the added bonus of them flying off if the corners dog-ear (although you should be rounding corners, this can still happen with mags if they are roughly handled every day).

Maybe just take an all care/no responsibility approach. Sometimes that's enough to show them that you don't have confidence in the solution...

 

[Dave Drane]

If their logos allow you to trim around them instead of putting them on a rectangilar piece then you may be able to get it to work?? Maybe..lol!

 

[visual800]

do it, take their money, explain the risk and dont worry about it. If it's tacky and aginst your moral they will do it everytime

 

[threads1]

Just do it! You'll get a bunch of repeat business after the mags fall off or get stolen.

 

[Bly]

Post pics!

 

[signmeup]

Do it and take the money. They'll just find someone else if you don't do it. Don't waste your time on this with pro/con lists. get some green in your pocket and move on.

And post pics!

 

[Locals Find!]

Are they asking for magnets because the area the van is going to be parked at night doesn't allow for vehicle graphics?? In my area if you park your vehicle in your driveway and not in the garage you not allowed to have any commercial signage on the vehicle whatsoever.

I however would do a large magnet versus a bunch of smaller magnets. Post pics of the artwork let us see what he is thinking.

 

[FatCat]

do it, take their money, explain the risk and dont worry about it. If it's tacky and aginst your moral they will do it everytime

This

 

[Billct2]

Explain the inherent problems with magnets, and then abide by their decision.
Who knows, it may be kinds cool that everyday they rearrange the design on their van,
some days abstract some days coherent, might be an interesting concept. Of course it depends on the type of business they're in.

 

[CES020]

We have a customer that we've had for years. We letter their trucks. All cut vinyl. On the last order, they decided to do a printed version. I told them, with their logo, what they asked for, was going to look like a magnet and they weren't going to like it. They ignored my advice, had us do 3 vehicles. Got a call 2 days later "That looks like a magnet, take it off and do it the way you've always done it". I said "I know, I told you that before we did it, I offered other suggestions and you didn't want me to spend the time on it", and they said "I know, I know, you said it was going to look exactly like what it ended up looking like, we should have left well enough alone".

Got paid twice for those trucks, plus the time to remove the stuff.

 

[Gino]

Some clients just need to experience things for themselves.... no matter how much common sense we throw at them.

Like others have said, explain the pitfalls to so many magnets on one vehicle and if they still want to do it.... do it.

To me, a truck with magnets on it just looks lightweight and not a stable business of the community. It looks like a fly-by-night outfit and generally turns most people off. That's the biggest downside of them, plus with so many, they're bound to scratch the heck out of the finish putting them on and off so often.

 

[Just Another Sign Guy]

if this is an HOA issue. you might consider offering to apply vinyl to their van and then sell them blank magnets to cover it up. if not sell them what they want no matter how silly it is...not every job ends up in the portfolio.

 

[MontereySigns]

Don't do it.

It will look bad. Potential customers will see your work and possibly not choose to do business with you as a result. Why take the chance?

If this job was for much more money than it may be worth the risk. But for a few hundred bucks it's just not worth it. Show them the right way to do it or let another sign shop take make this magnetic partial wrap. Just my opinion....

-Bud

 

[CES020]

Don't do it.

It will look bad. Potential customers will see your work and possibly not choose to do business with you as a result. Why take the chance?

If this job was for much more money than it may be worth the risk. But for a few hundred bucks it's just not worth it. Show them the right way to do it or let another sign shop take make this magnetic partial wrap. Just my opinion....

-Bud

I'm curious how a potential client would ever know that you did that job? If a truck is riding down the road that you hacked up on purpose or by accident, how would anyone know who did the work unless you stopped them and asked?

 

[Marlene]

it depends on what they are really asking for. the logo on mags is OK, not great, but OK. it sounds like they want some 8" x 10" images to put on and take off. if they were printed on to vinyl and applied they would look the same as the magnetics wouldn't they? how big are the mags with the logo? door size or are they trying to plaster the whole side? it seems like their logo would stay the same so maybe try to talk them into making that with vinyl applied directly to the van and then they can put their images on mags. also, it seems like 8" x 10" images won't be seen anyway, after all it is a van. just you just love customer with really bad ideas!!

 

[Mike F]

You could always try Seramark or PhotoTex, just tell them to keep the backing paper and they can stick it back on that when they switch them around.

 

[sar bossier]

If you do decide to do it, I would make sure they sign a magnetic care and use form, listing possible damage to vehicle in it, and how to clean/store them. I find when I whip out our 2 page form, and make them read and sign it, a lot of the time, they decide to go another route, ESPECIALLY when they get to the part, "AS IS, no warranty or replacement of lost/damaged magnets".