How do you help customers will low budgets out?

[john1]

Hey, I have a new potential customer who came to me wanting signs and the whole nine for their new fitness center. The fitness center just opened in January and apparently there is no signage of any kind from what they explain.

The fitness center does zumba, yoga and that sort of service rather than weight training.

They asked for a logo to be designed, banner and yard signs. I told them typical pricing and they asked if i had any packages to put together as they need everything but can't afford everything.

I emailed them back asking a realistic budget and they said they will get back to me on that later this afternoon. Let's hope it's not $5.00 lol

So my question is, How do you guys go about helping these types of customers even though their budget is low? I know i haven't been given a accurate number but i can imagine it's probally only a few hundred dollars. I don't want to blow off the client as i understand it may be truly tight just opening a business but then again, They can not afford NOT to advertise. I guess i can just water down the order according to their budget.

Thanks!

 

[CheapVehicleWrap]

Help them right out the frickin door! Saving the customer money will ALWAYS cost YOU money.

 

[Gino]

Tell them there is a package for every budget.

Explain to them what they can get for the top one, the middle one and the low end one, but reassure them that even the low end budget will get professional signs,,, just not as fancy or colorful.

When someone comes in with this problem, try to compare your pricing structure to that of what they do in their line of work. In their case.... I'm sure they sell programs where you can get just yoga or zumba for different prices according to how many classes you want to take. Perhaps if someone takes both classes 5 times a week vs. the person taking yoga twice a week there will be a price difference for how much they want to use the facility. If you join as a family or group plan, that will be different from a single membership. There are always ways to break your costs down and you can then tell them if they go with lesser grade substrates it will be X amount of dollars. Go with one color vs. digital printing it will be another price.... plus the total amount of signs they want. So many things come into play.... just ask them what they can afford and you will deign a package around that number..... but be fair and give them the most you can, without giving away the farm.... or bad karma will come back to bite you.

Helping someone always paid off for me... and it continues to do it... to this day. I'm working on a very similar project right now.

 

[Pat Whatley]

I know i haven't been given a accurate number but i can imagine it's probally only a few hundred dollars. I don't want to blow off the client as i understand it may be truly tight just opening a business but then again, They can not afford NOT to advertise.

They opened a business before they had the money to open it. They opened a business without a budget for advertising or signage. They opened a business without a well thought out plan. Now you're considering taking the penalty for that? Why?

Find out the budget and build them a package around that. You know where their best value would be based on you capabilities, just show them what you can do with what they can spend. Don't forget to show them how you can do it better for a little more money. The best help you can offer it to help them spend their limited budget wisely.

 

[Bigdawg]

Find out the budget and build them a package around that. You know where their best value would be based on you capabilities, just show them what you can do with what they can spend. Don't forget to show them how you can do it better for a little more money. The best help you can offer it to help them spend their limited budget wisely.

Very good advice and that's the way we do it.

 

[Billct2]

I offer something that fits the budget, can't afford window lettering, OK... paper signs, can't afford aluminum belt sign, OK... banner. Can't afford ground sign..OK...real estate frame

 

[threeputt]

I get a really bad feeling about your client. Opening a business without a sign? Hmmmm.....

Don't think they'll succeed. Get your money up front.

If you really want to fool with them, then offer signs that can be done quickly but still pack a punch. (with respect to layout and color)

Keep your involvement to a minimum so you can offer as low a price as possible.

But unless you're a start-up company yourself, I wouldn't fool with them.

Let the competition take a chance.

 

[Bigdawg]

I get a really bad feeling about your client. Opening a business without a sign? Hmmmm.....

Don't think they'll succeed. Get your money up front.

If you really want to fool with them, then offer signs that can be done quickly but still pack a punch. (with respect to layout and color)

Keep your involvement to a minimum so you can offer as low a price as possible.

But unless you're a start-up company yourself, I wouldn't fool with them.

Let the competition take a chance.

I have to disagree... and here's why.

Few years ago a guy walks into my shop with his nephew logo. Didn't really look like he had two dimes to rub together. Asked what I thought of it - and I was honest with him (he didn't expect that) and told him it basically sucked, but in much nicer words. Asked how much to redo and I quoted him a price. Wow he says... that's a lot of money... I then tell him I could do this and that to the logo he has to improve it and that would be about half the cost. He still was very hesitant and said he'd get back to me... he was opening a new construction company and that was a lot of money to spend. Then he left - figured I'd never hear from him.

Couple weeks later I get a call from the secretary of a major bank's regional president. Could I make some time to meet with the president of the bank?. He would like to come to the shop and talk about a few things for a company he owned... yep... it was nephew logo guy... he ended up being my biggest sign customer for a very long time - but he didn't start out that way.

My original business was built on making advertising and signs affordable for the every day new business. Not by low-balling prices, but by finding ways to make them look good within their budget. We did very good business that way... and probably still would be if hubby's health hadn't become an issue.

The shop I work at now is somewhere in between. We never forget that most businesses start on a shoestring budget... but that doesn't mean they don't grow...

 

[WildWestDesigns]

Find out the budget and build them a package around that. You know where their best value would be based on you capabilities, just show them what you can do with what they can spend. Don't forget to show them how you can do it better for a little more money. The best help you can offer it to help them spend their limited budget wisely.

That's exactly what we try to do for people as well. I have one company that I still do a lot of design work for and they are budget conscious and I do the design work around what budget they have at the time. The owner is perhaps my biggest supporter and I've gotten a lot of jobs based on her recommendations and she does work for some very financially stable people in the area.

Does this work every time.....no. However, I don't believe right away in turning someone away. Give them the cheaper option(if you have one that fits their budget) if they don't want that then you tried. How ever you do it, try to make sure that you don't have them leave with a "bitter taste" in their mouth. Sometimes you never know who they are or who they know even if they are cheap people. I've known a couple of very well off people that are as stingy as they come with money. You just never know.

 

[baxter gamble]

Give em directions to my competition????

 

[CentralSigns]

Half upfront and the rest in postdated cheques for 3 equal payments. You'll cover materials and they will slowly pay off the rest. Give them 3 months?

 

[threeputt]

Stacy, my advice to the OP is based upon experience. Yes, your anecdotal client worked out good for you. Hurray.

But for every one of those, there are a dozen outcomes like I'm suggesting might happen.

If the OP wants to go for it, I offered my best advice.

 

[Bigdawg]

No slam threeputt... I just don't agree with the "if they are a start-up company" line of thinking - your other advice was pretty rock solid as to how to deal with them.

 

[threeputt]

Ok, no offense taken. By the way, I do not in any way want to create the impression we take the stance I outlined with all "start-up companies", as you put it.

Start-up companies can be well funded. Or at least have access to money, as your client apparently did.

But this particular scenario that sounded pretty iffy to me. Given the type of business too. I mean, how much capital investment do you have to have to start up a yoga, zumba, etc. workout place? A few rubber mats, stereo, and some towels?

See what I mean? The guy can easily "fold his tent" and walk away if things don't go well.....and leave you and other creditors holding the bag.

 

[Fanaticus]

Tell them there is a package for every budget.

Explain to them what they can get for the top one, the middle one and the low end one, but reassure them that even the low end budget will get professional signs,,, just not as fancy or colorful.

+1

This is what we do. We have several levels of quality... from good to better to best.... and offer several additional add-on's so the customer can get a product that fit's their needs and budget.

So the cheapies get what they want (something cheap) and the spenders get what they want and expect.

 

[ddarlak]

if you go out to dinner and want the lobster but can only afford fish and chips, do you ask what can be done about it???

can't really understand the question, i'm not out to help my customers....

i provide a service and expect to get paid what i ask, if they can't pay it, they are not really my customers.

 

[jiarby]

I am with darlak on this one.

Lets say you go to the grocery store and want to buy food for your superbowl party... BBQ Ribs, beans, beer, the whole 9 yards... but you only have enough money to buy hotdogs & potato chips. Would you expect the store to "cut you a deal" or "put together a package"?

Nope. They wouldn't.

The only thing you CAN do is determine what their budget is, then list what they want and offer substitutions that may be more affordable. Maybe a banner instead of an electrical sign. Door magnets instead of a wrap. Maybe you can put together a roadmap... Prioritize their sign needs and start with a building sign.. then vehicle wrap, then yard signs, then... etc... as they can afford it.

Be sure that they understand and believe that signage and advertising is CRITICAL to increasing visibility and sales. Signs make you money.... They can't afford NOT to buy them. If they think they are saving money by not buying signs then they are going to just slowly starve the business because they can't build sales.

Increasing sales is the cure for not having money. To a business money is energy. You need to use it to make it work for you. Money in the bank can't increase your sales. Money in the sign can.

Remind them that you take credit cards and they can charge it.

Maybe you can make a deal with a local finance company... and start offering financed jobs. You can double or triple the price because they are just going to pay $xx/mo. for 3 years.

 

[Jillbeans]

I agree wholeheartedly with Darlak.
I don't want to be known as the sob-story-give-a-break sign shop.
I tell them what I charge, for a good design, decent layout, quality materials which will bring in business.
If they don't understand that budgeting for a good sign (which is their best form of advertising) will help their business, they are not going to value my services.
I will give them the best sign I can based on what they can afford.
Often offering a three tier pricing suggestion helps.
But just as often, they are merely price shopping their way around town, and end up with corosh!t or worse yet, a mailbox letter sign or teacher-laminated prints from Word.
Love....Jill

 

[Tim Aucoin]

if you go out to dinner and want the lobster but can only afford fish and chips, do you ask what can be done about it???

can't really understand the question, i'm not out to help my customers....

i provide a service and expect to get paid what i ask, if they can't pay it, they are not really my customers.

+1 (oh yeah, that's +2, cause Jill also agrees! :Big Laugh) Gino & Pat offer excellent advice here!

 

[Colin]

I'm always amazed at how many people will have their logo & signage as the very last thing on their list, and usually when all of their money is spent on other stuff. Stupid.

 

[Billct2]

i'm not out to help my customers

I am