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AZ How do I go about getting jobs to bid?
- Thread starter Orlando
- Start date
Adam Vreeke
Knows just enough to get in a lot of trouble..
As any marketing 'guru' will tell you: "Get some boots on the ground, and go to the school of hard knocks.".
Sky Bryan
I like LED's and wraps.
I was in the same boat 2 years ago and I sent emails to all the sign shops in the area letting them know I had 27 years of experience installing signs and would love to quote on any install. Found one shop that has sent me a lot of installs. Also get some business cards and ask sign shops if you can leave some on their counter. Many shops don't do any installing.
As Adam said, boots on the ground is the best way to get your business going. We sub out a good chunk of our installations to two different installers. Both initially came to our shop, introduced themselves, and left cards. We've now been using one of them for over 15 years. We keep using him because he and his team have great communication and they do good work. They do what they say they will do, when they say that they will do it. And, I get good feedback from my customers about their professionalism and attitude. Consistency is the key. We've only had a hand full of problems over the years and they've always worked to take care of it. If you make a good impression, face to face, with owners and managers of sign companies and, do those other things consistently, you'll do well.
Good luck in your new business!
Good luck in your new business!
Johnny Best
Active Member
You have to listen.
gnubler
Active Member
I would love it if I was contacted by a professional sign installer and would send them some jobs to bid on immediately. Qualified installers don't seem to exist in my area and I have to pass on some jobs.
Visit or contact sign shops in your area and introduce yourself.
Robert Mowad
Sign Man of
I cab add you on our contractor list at our company. We manufacture and ship nationally. We are investing in a 50,000 sq ft facility to manufacture in Mexico with three shifts. 24/7.
I will tell you the best marketing decisions I made. for installs. We get a great amount of installation for franchises and large companies. Also, service calls, etc. SignSearch.com I think i pay 2 grand a year. Not sure but its worth it.
Any certified installer or manufacturer can join. It's a nationwide direct contact to members. this is our site we have a great digital sign that we ship everywhere we can. Www.iSignDesign.com
Are you just an installer? Do you have a full electrical license or a signed license?
I am currently looking for sign shops to resell our digital signs if you have any referrals
Robbie M
Sign Design El Paso Texas
I will tell you the best marketing decisions I made. for installs. We get a great amount of installation for franchises and large companies. Also, service calls, etc. SignSearch.com I think i pay 2 grand a year. Not sure but its worth it.
Any certified installer or manufacturer can join. It's a nationwide direct contact to members. this is our site we have a great digital sign that we ship everywhere we can. Www.iSignDesign.com
Are you just an installer? Do you have a full electrical license or a signed license?
I am currently looking for sign shops to resell our digital signs if you have any referrals
Robbie M
Sign Design El Paso Texas
The_Graphics_Group
New Member
We would love to apply to be one of your contractors as well!
ADASignLady
New Member
One type of special installer that is needed is installers for ADA sign projects. Many of these jobs are for schools. I would be happy to train anyone in California who is interested in learning the special rules, above and beyond actual installation techniques, that a correct ADA installation requires. There are many situations where you may need to be a signatory to one of the unions. You don't need to actually be a union member, since we are normally talking about a very small installation company -- maybe the owner of the company is it, perhaps with an assistant. Much of the work is on the ground. Some large school districts, like LAUSD will have a PLA (project labor agreement) and a specific union will have "snatched" the signs. You have to register, get a DIR number and go by a prevailing wage list. You would think it would be straightforward to do the installations, but you almost always run into locations where you show up, and there are electrical devices right where your sign is supposed to go. It is up to the installer to be well trained about ADa rules so they know how to handle it. That is where I come in with my training. It would really be wonderful to have a resource of a company that really understood this very special installation need and would fulfill it.
CanuckSigns
Active Member
This is good advise, we do a ton of interior wayfinding signs, and finding competent installers that can read a floor plan map and not look like they spent the night smoking crack under a bridge is getting more difficult. The installers around me that do interior sign work and dress professionally are flooded with work, booking months out some times.
The nice thing about this industry is that there are so many niche markets, if you find a type of install you want to specialize in, and market accordingly I'm sure you'll do well.
Just make sure you do what you said you will, when you said you will. Don't double book yourself, I've had a few installs for clients that had a bunch of pre planning involved, one involved shutting down the ambulance bay of a hospital and diverting ambulances to another area to install some channel letters, only to have the installer not show up, the client was pissed and I looked like an idiot.
The_Graphics_Group
New Member
We are located in DFW if you need help with any way finding installations. We have been in the sign industry over 20 years and can read floorpans, scopes, planograms, blue prints, you name it.
ADASignLady
New Member
As far as finding jobs to bid, there are special services (you do pay a fee) that do the work of finding projects of all kinds. One quite good one is Construct Connect. You can find projects, for instance, that have not even gotten an architect yet, but if you want to be part of the team that plans the early stages of the project, you can contact the architect as soon as they are assigned to the job and make your proposal. You can also concentrate on the point when the bid goes out with the date and all the specs and plans for you to look at, so you can send in your bid for the sign work. Once you do a good job for some specific construction companies, you will find bid requests coming to you. We get too many bid requests to even respond to all of them. Also, you can get to be part of the specifications. Our sign company is at the top of the specified list for sign companies on Los Angeles Unified and some others that tend to follow their lead. Also certain architects spec us as well. That comes with getting out there and showing up. You can go to job walks and introduce yourself. It all counts toward having many opportunities to bid.