Discussion Don't be greedy..............................

[Gino]

We got a call about 3 or 4 weeks ago to do some lettering for a local customer. Our bid come in around $950, while the competitors came in around $1,500. I knew ahead of time their bid was $1,500, but not at all worth it, so I kept my quote right where it was and got the job. We no sooner finished that job with two thumbs up and they asked us to do another job, but much larger. This one around $3,800. Got the job and we're in the middle of it and they asked to meet with me this morning for a "Rush" job. Looked at it and and gave them my bid this afternoon and we already got the Green Light to start. They said, put their other job on hold and get this one out pronto. They went onto tell me they have some others in the making, so I just said, keep 'em coming.

Sometimes, it's best not to be too overly greedy. As I've always said, do a project as well as you possibly can, do it for a fair market price and your reputation will grow.

They had used our competition some time back as someone who knew someone said, use these guys. They did and kept thinking they were getting hosed, so they heard of our shop, called and not only did we beat their price, but their turnaround was 2 months and ours was 10 days.

This new customer will be doing over $11,300 in about a month's time and it's gonna keep growing. Moral is..... do good quality work at a fair price and you will develop a great reputation. Try it and don't always try to squeeze every last penny outta someone.

 

[Johnny Best]

Giving great advice to the newbies and others Gino.

 

[Christian @ 2CT Media]

So you harp on people for bidding low and then harp on people for bidding high, yet you are the just right guy? Sounds like you under bid the first job by 50%.

I've done my fair share of underbidding and will do so as needed but, in a lot of other posts you rant and rave about people under bidding. Today because you got a awesome client who likes what you do after you yourself under bid a project, its now called greed?

 

[ColoPrinthead]

It sounds to me like, Gino gave a fair price rather less of a hosing and earned much more business because of it.

 

[Billct2]

He didn't say he underbid it, he said he bid it right, the other place overbid. And then accommodated a rush job by putting it ahead of their project already in the works. All sounds reasonable and profitable.

 

[Gino]

So who p!ssed in your Cheerios this morning ??

I think you're putting words in my mouth with all the gibberish you just spouted out.

First of all..... no way did I underbid it. In my opinion, I got paid well..... very well.

The second job I'm getting paid well.

Since your comprehension skills seem to be off somewhat, let me ask you "Oh Smart One", where/how do my numbers indicate I'm at 1/2 price ?? 50% of $1,500 would be $750 oh great math lord, not just under a grand.

I merely said, don't get greedy or the clients might leave you. Sounds like good advise to me. The other guy was at $1,500 for something worth a lot less, so I stuck to my guns, even though I knew I could go in higher and still get the job.

This is nothing new for us. This actually happens quite a bit. It's how we conduct business. Fair prices, good money and great turnaround. Evidently, unlike you, who said you've done your share of underbidding, that is not something we/I do. I quote what I need and want and they can take it or leave it.

So, let's see, we've established you're an under-bidder when necessary, your math is poor, your can't read or comprehend well and you 're jealous of someone who can make a good buck, be fair and cultivate a good customer without having to be devious.


Ya know, I hope the mods don't delete your post so people can see how petty you really are.​

 

[Christian @ 2CT Media]

No one pissed in my cheerios except for HP this am...

I guess I jumped on you too soon without knowing the parameters of a job, but $950 to $1500 is a huge deficit or a I don't want you to be a client price from the other guys. Everyone underbids projects at one time or another, That just seems like a large difference to me.

 

[ColoPrinthead]

No one pissed in my cheerios except for HP this am....

as is tradition for HP.

 

[Christian @ 2CT Media]

you 're jealous of someone who can make a good buck, be fair and cultivate a good customer without having to be devious.

So just to get your take on your statement: We just made over $100,000 on one order in profit and I "underbid" my competitors by over 40%.... is that me being devious and underbidding the market or them being Greedy? Keep in mind the established shop I bid against has had this clients business for 10 years and has 30x the capacity and buying power as us. So to you am I still greedy or am I maintaining this professions ability to not be a commodity?

 

[Gino]

So just to get your take on your statement: We just made over $100,000 on one order in profit and I "underbid" my competitors by over 40%.... is that me being devious and underbidding the market or them being Greedy? Keep in mind the established shop I bid against has had this clients business for 10 years and has 30x the capacity and buying power as us. So to you am I still greedy or am I maintaining this professions ability to not be a commodity?

Well, ya f*cked up this thread with your pettiness, so let's see...... how can I tell what you did ?? You didn't give any details to make an educated decision.

I'm not here to judge or decide who is making too much profit or not enough. We're all based differently. As long as your bid was enough, more than enough to keep your doors open, then you did well. If you knew going in what it was, then you still did well. Nothing changed. However, had you gone up 30% higher, knowing ahead of time, then I'd say you would've been greedy, but lucky if you had gotten it. I have no idea what this particular job entailed, but suffice it to say, that's exactly what I'm talking about. Making what you need, not getting greedy and cultivating a customer into a good satisfied one with your company. We did exactly that about 10 years ago, something like yours. We did a job which was almost 1/2 of what our competitor was and we still made out great. Higher than your $100,000 grand, but it sure was a boost in our arm. It came outta nowhere. Again, that's what I'm saying..... be fair and not greedy and this sorta thing can happen routinely..... maybe not for $100,000 grand but many tens of thousands.

This was simply an exercise in.... If others don't get greedy cause they know something ahead of time, they still can make a great living. Getting greedy can lead to no job at all.

 

[Johnny Best]

Sounds like the company that Gino outbid reads his posts and jacked up the price as he always suggest for some people here.
I just try to give a price I feel is profit making and no words like greed or underbid gets put in with it.
And I am sure when someone gets outbid the expression from that someone is "how can they do that so cheap".
Jillbeans use to call them "hacks from down the street".

 

[Gino]

Or polished "Turds".

 

[Christian @ 2CT Media]

I'm totally in the wrong on this one... What Gino explained to me "off air" does go to show how some people do rake clients over the coals. That was a good deal you gave them and a healthy job for you guys.

In my example it literally is just printing rolls and rolls of the same pattern. Here is the process: Open Box, Load Printer, Hit Print, Watch Grass Grow, Unload Printer, Rebox, Palletize, Wave Goodbye!

So I'm sorry Gino for ruining your thread with my dumbness!

 

[Gino]

Off the air was good enough for me, but maybe we can get this one turned around to help others.

 

[ikarasu]

We went in for a bid with about 6 others. We were all within $1 per SQFT of eachother, except one guy... who was about half of what we were at. He won the job... A few days later when I drove by, I saw this.

I wanted to E-mail them and offer to fix it for our original quote... But my boss thought it'd be snarky and wouldn't let me

I'm sure the client (A big one) Now knows cheaper isn't always better. Or maybe they don't care that it was half-assed.

Anyways... It's a fine line between greedy, and too cheap. There were jobs we wanted to bid low on, but raised our price because of everyone elses bids. I don't think we were under charging... But we try to be decently close when it comes to new clients, in fear of being passed over for being "Too cheap".

Our companys been in business for a long time though, so if we dont get a job because of that it doesn't hurt... and most of the places we bid on know our quality, so even if we come out cheap by quite a bit, it just makes the client happy.

 

[SkyHighJK]

That escalated quickly, and then de-escalated quite nicely! Cheers all around **raises a glass**

-jk

 

[mfatty500]

Where is Jillbeans, I miss her..

 

[Gino]

She was a Merchant Member here, but didn't get much support. If enough people inquire, maybe we could get her to come back. She always had great insight and answers.

 

[tomence]

Few weeks ago I lost a long time client because of my high raping prices in his mind, job was to do 15 semi trailers to be lettered in Oracal 751 both sides at 3' x 10' plus a back door that was 3' x 4'
My prices were at $500 total including installation at his premises, and this would either be 1 trailer at a time or sometimes up to 5 at one given time. These are my best prices that i give to customers that have been with me for a long time, and I think that is low too, but one day he left and started saying that i was price raping him. Later on I found out that he got the same job for $200 less than me. Is there still profit to be made at $300 - yes, but is it a fair market price?
So, was I raping him or was I giving him a fair market price?

 

[njshorts]

She was a Merchant Member here, but didn't get much support. If enough people inquire, maybe we could get her to come back. She always had great insight and answers.

She's still around and kicking... she's made a few signs for me recently. She has some of the best brushwork I've seen!