How do we compete with this?

[anotherdog]

I love these promotions.
If a customer comes to me and wants a banner stand for $100 I tell them to go buy it elsewhere and only come back to me if they aren't satisfied.
I saw this banner stand in the store; it was laminated paper, curling almost double at the edges and even the store demo unit was broken.
Things like this help my business. This is the crap you get when you cheap out on anything.

 

[john1]

dontcha love it when the pot calls the kettle black??? hahahahahaha

Yep, and i love when old people overreact like they know it all to the younger generation that is trying to learn.

I can't believe you actually made a post and didn't use CAPS THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE POST OR A MILLION STUPID )))))))))))))))))))))))))).

The staples stuff is all cookie cutter and doesn't take hardly any skill to run that production. I know someone who used to work at the print area in the one close and they said if they have to do anything that's not cookie cutter they outsource it to a larger company. The way some are talking, I'm not sure if they are for Staples or against it.

 

[Techman]

who cares if they are for it or against staples or office max. who cares if they outsource their products.
What they do has no bearing on the results what we get.

We can learn form them. First loss leader. Get the client to call you and get into your place. Then up sell them. Just as staples or any other box print shop does.

Go in there and price out a real job and see how much it is. I did and sound it was very high.

Then we can spend 30 minutes a day on learning the psychology of selling. We will quickly see that people are all the same very where around the world. We will soon find out that people will pay what we want. All we have to do is meet their needs.

After that we will have the confidence to arise and overcome. We will soon completely ignore the low ball express and have a much higher peace of mind because of it.

For that matter.
Who cares if someone posts a million smile icons ))))))))))))))))). Blasting away at other members will do nothing to add to our ability to sell a product and get a high price for it.

 

[john1]

who cares if they are for it or against staples or office max. who cares if they outsource their products.
What they do has no bearing on the results what we get.

We can learn form them. First loss leader. Get the client to call you and get into your place. Then up sell them. Just as staples or any other box print shop does.

Go in there and price out a real job and see how much it is. I did and sound it was very high.

Then we can spend 30 minutes a day on learning the psychology of selling. We will quickly see that people are all the same very where around the world. We will soon find out that people will pay what we want. All we have to do is meet their needs.

After that we will have the confidence to arise and overcome. We will soon completely ignore the low ball express and have a much higher peace of mind because of it.

For that matter.
Who cares if someone posts a million smile icons ))))))))))))))))). Blasting away at other members will do nothing to add to our ability to sell a product and get a high price for it.

Good points made, as for blasting at other members...he started it lol

 

[HulkSmash]

First you said...

I beg to differ honestly, All the ones i have ever been to have some young kid behind the counter not knowing much more than to push a button and hit print. Large company across the nation or not, they should staff themselves with people who know more than just click>print. I mean for $8 a hour what do you expect eh?

Then you said...

Yep, and i love when old people overreact like they know it all to the younger generation that is trying to learn.
The staples stuff is all cookie cutter and doesn't take hardly any skill to run that production.

Wouldn't the young generation start out at something like a staples print shop? Hardly any skill? Why would anyone pay top dollar for someone to hit print? What are you like trying to get at?

 

[john1]

I can't imagine anyone wanting their career to be working at Staples with a max pay of $8 a hour, $9 tops.

They have junk machines which shows in their crappy quality and there is really nothing else to say.

 

[Locals Find!]

I can't imagine anyone wanting their career to be working at Staples with a max pay of $8 a hour, $9 tops.

They have junk machines which shows in their crappy quality and there is really nothing else to say.

From your posts I am sensing some kinda jealousy here against staples. Are you upset that there $8/hr employees get to run the same equipment you have for more than 4 hours a week? I mean you really have a hard on against staples. It doesn't seem very logical.

From what I have also seen posted on S101 most sign shops pay production employees about the same as staples. So I really don't see much difference. Whether your getting $8-$10 an hour to bust your hump in a regular sign shop or sitting behind a counter pressing print at a Staples. If I was an Employee less work for the same money seems pretty obvious choice.

 

[GAC05]

"How do we compete with this?"
Outsource to Mosh - bank the 40% profit......?

wayne k
guam usa

 

[john1]

From your posts I am sensing some kinda jealousy here against staples. Are you upset that there $8/hr employees get to run the same equipment you have for more than 4 hours a week? I mean you really have a hard on against staples. It doesn't seem very logical.

From what I have also seen posted on S101 most sign shops pay production employees about the same as staples. So I really don't see much difference. Whether your getting $8-$10 an hour to bust your hump in a regular sign shop or sitting behind a counter pressing print at a Staples. If I was an Employee less work for the same money seems pretty obvious choice.

Not really, Staples just sucks.

They don't have the same equipment, I have no idea where you get that they do.

Sorry to hear people are only being paid $8-10 a hour. Even as small as my business is and in the tough times, i make way more than that. You simply cannot call making $8-10 a career in my book anyway.

I really don't care if they run their printers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and i am running mine 4 hours a week. I outsource a good bit so your stab at my low printing time per week isn't holding any water.

 

[Locals Find!]

Not really, Staples just sucks.

They don't have the same equipment, I have no idea where you get that they do.

Sorry to hear people are only being paid $8-10 a hour. Even as small as my business is and in the tough times, i make way more than that. You simply cannot call making $8-10 a career in my book anyway.

I really don't care if they run their printers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and i am running mine 4 hours a week. I outsource a good bit so your stab at my low printing time per week isn't holding any water.

That wasn't a stab as I print ZERO hours a week. Just trying to figure out the problem you have with them that's all.

 

[EricRamse]

Do you really want the customers that go into Staples and Depot because it's cheaper? I tell them if price is their main concern, then go ahead and get the work done there, I can't compete with an international chain. If they want service, quality, options, follow-through, and experienced staff stick with me.


FWIW, I cut my teeth first at OMX and then with Orfelea's band of merry pirates. They have very large regional print centers that focus primarily on Docutech type work, usually supported with small format digital color coming off of a Xerox 6060 or an iGen in the larger markets like LA. These regional shops are no joke, we were running 24/7, millions of impressions weekly with on-site Xerox/Canon technicians, hundreds of thousands in revenue monthly. Exclusive contracts with the largest companies in each region. They do small format/digital very very well. Most of the people in our production facility had 10+ years experience, the "Top Gun" of the company, which at that time was actually still very talented and cared about their people. Since FedEx took over, well...

I believe FedEx Office maintains a national large format shop in the Denver area still. They have sales teams dedicated to marketing their products, but it's mostly banner/vinyl work.

 

[anotherdog]

With places like staples producing signage, and I'm betting Costco soon, professional promotion of an idea or product has become mass-market.

I have been noticing over the last couple of years that all promotion from store signage to people selling from a space in city fairs has become more professional, that the standards and expectations are higher.

It used to be that you could just put up a 2x3 sign on an easel. Now I have even seen cookies being sold with banner stands and a booth.

Staples selling banner stands means that banner stands are not exotic, but just another selling aid. More people will buy banner stands and more people will want better stands than Staples produces.

If this grows the market it must be a good thing.

 

[genericname]

Staples selling banner stands means that banner stands are not exotic, but just another selling aid. More people will buy banner stands and more people will want better stands than Staples produces.

If this grows the market it must be a good thing.

That's a good point I didn't think about. People are generally more brand aware, and sensitive to marketing nuances as well now; no doubt some will get weeded out, but that's just a good excuse to step up our game.

 

[DTFuqua]

There is one good thing to be said about working your equipment and self for wages. The amount of money most customers spends is so small, it's easy to tell them to take a hike.

 

[TyrantDesigner]

The shop I started at in Orlando did a lot of banner stands and prints (on opal jet mmm) ... people would come in asking for that sort of special ... we would pretty much laugh them out the door ... we charged more to fix and clean a good high quality banner stand (people do horrible things to them ... like dump soda in them or other equally gross thinggs ... I mean seriously ... who the heck shoves cheese into the banner stand.) Don't worry about those p.o.s. office despot ones. Might as well be 'magnetic signs' from kinkos ... which btw ... they print on that inkjet magnetic sheet stuff that is slightly thicker than card stock. ... with an inkjet printer. saaaaddd state of affairs.

 

[petepaz]

Staples ?? Who really cares ??

There are so many people/companies that have their fingers in our pie.... why narrow it down to Staples ?? Lowes, ad agencies, brokers, hot shot stickers shops, internet companies…… and the list goes on for miles. Today, our competition is basically anyone with a computer.

Hold yourself to a different set of standards and those bottom feeders won’t be cable of keeping up with you.

Price should not be the key ticket. Professional service, quality and fairness is… if you have good customers. If you rely on price, you’ll be bidding against yourself in no time.

Good lookin’ ad, though.
​

+1
don't get scared by that it won't last and unless that is all you do is posters w/ banner stand you should be ok

 

[slappy]

How do we compete with this?

.

you go into staples and request some samples.
it's crap, i've got the samples before when i was there.
then you can show your customers your quality over it

 

[300mphGraphics]

Our black and white laser bonds are .15 cents a square, how do they compete with us?

 

[Billct2]

I think it does matter and it does kill our market share. Those sales are still sales that some independent (or even franchise shop) didn't get to make. A lot of good customers used to start off buying a couple magnets or yard signs, now we don't get to see them.
We survive because we have been here long enough to build a solid base and reputaion, most work is repeat or referral....but nowadays I don't know how a new shop can survive long enough to get there.

 

[Colin]

I think it does matter and it does kill our market share. Those sales are still sales that some independent (or even franchise shop) didn't get to make. A lot of good customers used to start off buying a couple magnets or yard signs, now we don't get to see them.

Yes, I think that sums up my feelings.