Customers are so ignorant...

[Graphic Destruction]

A guy emails us for a quote on a back lit face today.

I send him the price, he replies that he only has a "couple hundred dollars", anyway of doing it cheaper?

My reply: If you strip the faces and bring them to me ready to go, I can't do "a couple hundred dollars", but can do that for $X amount.

His reply: Oh, these faces are trashed, I'd need new ones. Can I just bring you new faces and you letter them?

My reply: Sure, as long as they are clean and ready to letter...( just get this over with already)

His reply: Great. Can you tell me where I can buy some faces?

I'm no longer replying to this guy. I'm done trying to help the cheap and ignorant.

 

[TXFB.INS]

His reply: Great. Can you tell me where I can buy some faces?

your reply: Sure, Google - new sign faces

 

[TimToad]

We had "that" guy a few months ago. He picked the brains of me and the other two legitimate shops in town for hours and in the end, he got this monstrosity of a plex face done along with a bunch of window vinyl and NONE of us got the job.

 

[neil_se]

I'd keep playing along. Your position may be different but for me I'd let them know they can purchase sheets in the nearest capital city (about 2 hours away) or have them freighted at a cost of $80. Then they simply need to use their $70000 CNC router to cut them to the exact shape, and drop them off to you.

 

[Gino]

You only had one more step to go and the sale would've been a done-deal.

Tell him where to get the stuff, make sure it's cut to the correct size and drop them off. Decorate them for your quoted price with 1/2 up front and get the other 1/2 when he picks them up.

I don't think I'd let a two minute conversation scotch a deal, just because you have a stoopid customer. Give him an extra 3 minutes using your 'stoopid get out of jail card' and he's home free and you have a paying job in your shop.

I like money and if it doesn't hurt me, why send the guy away ?? Most people have an extra few minutes to dabble with customers. Use your energy to bring a sale in..... not chase it away.

Good Luck..................
​

 

[JgS]

You only had one more step to go and the sale would've been a done-deal.

Tell him where to get the stuff, make sure it's cut to the correct size and drop them off. Decorate them for your quoted price with 1/2 up front and get the other 1/2 when he picks them up.

I don't think I'd let a two minute conversation scotch a deal, just because you have a stoopid customer. Give him an extra 3 minutes using your 'stoopid get out of jail card' and he's home free and you have a paying job in your shop.

I like money and if it doesn't hurt me, why send the guy away ?? Most people have an extra few minutes to dabble with customers. Use your energy to bring a sale in..... not chase it away.

Good Luck..................
​

+1 or go over temporary options until they have enough money to do the sign correctly.

 

[Billct2]

Yup, I tell him look in the yellow pages under plastics and when you get the sheet bring it on over, with the old sheet so we get the size right.
Unless the guys being a jerk I like making money without having to leave the shop.

 

[Jillbeans]

I am so sick of trying to educate customers, only to have them go elsewhere.
I've had this same guy I swear.
They court you with questions until you teach them just enough so that they go to someone cheaper in the end.

Love....Jill

 

[DravidDavid]

The worst ones in my experience are the ones that say they have artwork that they need rearranged. No new content, but newly arranged. Then after you submit a proof to them to see how they like the arrangement, they get on their high horse and grill you about spelling mistakes you never made and get you to tweak minor things that will hardly make a difference and/or make the art worse!

The best customers are the ones that come in with a design and size with an idea in mind and put the cash on the table without argument. Unfortunately, those are few and far between. Look after them when they come though!

 

[toucan_graphics]

The best customers are the ones that come in with a design and size with an idea in mind and put the cash on the table without argument. Unfortunately, those are few and far between. Look after them when they come though!

I just had one of these rare customers. He called with some basic questions, sent me a photo of the crappy 4'x8' signs he has currently and simply said "Can you make new ones that look good? I need three." I said I could, and quoted him a great price (great for me and fair for him) with 2 hours of design time included for the initial workup. He came in the next day, looked at my 10 minute rough idea, paid the 50% deposit and we spent 30 minutes on details. The signs will be ready tomorrow and he is already ordering more items. Oh and the best part.... I don't have to install them! I never even had to leave the shop! Happy birthday to me.

 

[TyrantDesigner]

I don't care about educating the customer. If it helps them not be complete idiots who want 'stickers' for their sign .. then all the better. Personally I would have probably told him where to get the sign face blanks that were closest to my shop (here, it's Dallas) and sent him on his way but made sure I have the order form ready when he doesn't want to fork out $100 to ship one or two sheets of lexan that far.

 

[visual800]

I wouldnt have wasted one more second on this guy. You will help him with all the info and then he will go with someone else even if he gets it done at all.

 

[Graphic Destruction]

I am so sick of trying to educate customers, only to have them go elsewhere.
I've had this same guy I swear.
They court you with questions until you teach them just enough so that they go to someone cheaper in the end.

Love....Jill

exactly. I already know half a dozen hacks in this area that will do this for less. Granted, they'll use 651 rather than 8500, but he's not going to care. He just wants it done cheap.

 

[jfiscus]

I would tell them that "you" are the local distributor of sign faces and that that amount is already part of your quote.

 

[Jane Diaz]

I wouldn't waste anymore time...send him down the road and let him figure it out on someone else's time. Just say, "You know what? We aren't interested in doing this job." and move on.

 

[qmr55]

I don't get it? You're that far in, tell him where to get them and tell him to bring them on in. Simple as another email or two at this point to get the job....

 

[MikePro]

never too late to send a link:
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=new+sign+faces

 

[Gino]

Based upon what some have said about not giving information away for nothing. I would think you know, you don't give information like this out without a monetary compensation in the form of a deposit in your hand first for decorating the signs. This boils down to a written contract. I mean, that was understood on my part, but perhaps with some of the harsh answers here, possibly you/they didn't realize that.

 

[TheSnowman]

Yep, I'm with you, you gotta just let these go. Had a lady come in and just want me to cut her a sheet of Cor-X down to two 4X4's. I said that'll be Xamt, and she said, "oh, that's too much, I can't spend that much." I just looked at her and said "OK." That was it. We stared at each other awkwardly for about 15 seconds (I assume she was waiting for me to lower my amount to give her a better deal, which I didn't) and finally I just said "Ok, have a nice day". People who come in wanting cheap stuff, and not even wanting to pay for the cheap stuff aren't worth wasting your time with when you have other jobs to do.

 

[Pat Whatley]

Yup, I tell him look in the yellow pages under plastics and when you get the sheet bring it on over, with the old sheet so we get the size right.

NOOOOOOO! Let him get the faces cut down himself. If you're not making any profit from marking up the cost of the faces you're not leaving yourself and room to replace the panels when they crack while you're trying to cut them.

If he wants to bring you faces let him deal with getting them cut down.