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OldPaint
New Member
i was serious with my 1st post. most starting a sign business today know only CUT VINYL OR PRINT. this is just a tip of this business......THAT EVERYBODY WANTS, because it take no real experience other then knowing how to hit PRINT on computer program!
SO IF YOUR NEW KID ON THE BLOCK, you have nothing BUT PRICE to offer. nobody know what you can do, and really the market today, buyers of sign DONT LOOK FOR ANYTHING ELSE.........due to the fact of so many "prior lowballers" that trained the public that anyone in this business....PRICE IS NEGOTIABLE!!!!! so your 1st fight is PERCEPTION.
2nd thing you meed to have is as the jewish people call it is "houtspa." this means you are not afraid to have have your felling hurt when people blow off you sales pitch.
3rd..........YOU GOT TO HAVE A LIKABLE PERSONALITY........with out that, your screwed. i dont care how good at this you are, if you cant or dont have "personality" YOU WILL NOT GET ANY CLIENTS.
i to did a start over after 19 years in sarasota fl. i moved here to pensacola in 1998. only thing i had here was wifes family has been here forever. i set up a store front, and did well for a couple years. but the economic downturn in 2000 business fell off and i closed the store, which i was never happy paying rent. i moved back to the house and set up a MOBILE SIGN SHOP with a step van. i built my own 24' X 30' metal building shop on the property and it cost me what i paid in rent in 2 years with the store front. ican work anytime i want to and all i gota pay is the electric for it. best thing i could have done.
AGAIN.....with out the ability to sell yourself...........you might as well get a job flipinn burgers.............
SO IF YOUR NEW KID ON THE BLOCK, you have nothing BUT PRICE to offer. nobody know what you can do, and really the market today, buyers of sign DONT LOOK FOR ANYTHING ELSE.........due to the fact of so many "prior lowballers" that trained the public that anyone in this business....PRICE IS NEGOTIABLE!!!!! so your 1st fight is PERCEPTION.
2nd thing you meed to have is as the jewish people call it is "houtspa." this means you are not afraid to have have your felling hurt when people blow off you sales pitch.
3rd..........YOU GOT TO HAVE A LIKABLE PERSONALITY........with out that, your screwed. i dont care how good at this you are, if you cant or dont have "personality" YOU WILL NOT GET ANY CLIENTS.
i to did a start over after 19 years in sarasota fl. i moved here to pensacola in 1998. only thing i had here was wifes family has been here forever. i set up a store front, and did well for a couple years. but the economic downturn in 2000 business fell off and i closed the store, which i was never happy paying rent. i moved back to the house and set up a MOBILE SIGN SHOP with a step van. i built my own 24' X 30' metal building shop on the property and it cost me what i paid in rent in 2 years with the store front. ican work anytime i want to and all i gota pay is the electric for it. best thing i could have done.
AGAIN.....with out the ability to sell yourself...........you might as well get a job flipinn burgers.............
If you have everything but customers, beat the streets everytime you go out. Stop at every place that you see potential business. Meet people, meet people, meet people.
Local organizations, county meetings, etc....The internet is great and reaches many people, very time consuming. Get a few under your belt and have them write reveiws about you, word of mouth is always great. Do great work and offer specials to get you in the door.
Local organizations, county meetings, etc....The internet is great and reaches many people, very time consuming. Get a few under your belt and have them write reveiws about you, word of mouth is always great. Do great work and offer specials to get you in the door.
lexsigns
New Member
:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
TopFliteGraphics
New Member
I started over about a year ago after moving out of town for several years. Found a decent space in an industrial area and am sharing it with a friend to keep overhead low.
Installed graphics on my truck which lead to a few jobs immediately. Also tossed a couple of magnetic signs on my truck advertising magnetic signs. Posted some ads on Craigslist and then started knocking on doors. I went to a lot of my old clients first and then hit everyone in their immediate vicinity - using their names as references. A lot of my old clients have moved or closed down but again, while I was there, I knocked on all of the other doors and left my business cards. I got some business right away but did have to lowball a couple of times to keep food on the table.
My biggest success came when I dropped off a card at a builder for whom I used to do a bunch of printing. They were my #1 customer when I sold my business and moved out of town. The guy I sold the business to did not know the meaning of the words "Customer Service." He lost them as a client less than 6 months after I moved. About a week after I dropped off my business card, their Marketing Person called and said that the Buyer raved about me from her previous experiences. Turns out, they were just starting to look for a new sign guy! The first sign job they had me quote was bgger than any I did for them before. I priced it fairly and was given the work. They are once again my #1 customer and I am already making as much money as I did before I sold the business 6 years ago. Matter of fact, I just told my wife that yesterday I made as much money in one day as my entire week's paycheck used to be at the job I was working when we moved.
Now, if I could figure out how to have that kind of day 3 or 4 days a week, that would be awesome!
Installed graphics on my truck which lead to a few jobs immediately. Also tossed a couple of magnetic signs on my truck advertising magnetic signs. Posted some ads on Craigslist and then started knocking on doors. I went to a lot of my old clients first and then hit everyone in their immediate vicinity - using their names as references. A lot of my old clients have moved or closed down but again, while I was there, I knocked on all of the other doors and left my business cards. I got some business right away but did have to lowball a couple of times to keep food on the table.
My biggest success came when I dropped off a card at a builder for whom I used to do a bunch of printing. They were my #1 customer when I sold my business and moved out of town. The guy I sold the business to did not know the meaning of the words "Customer Service." He lost them as a client less than 6 months after I moved. About a week after I dropped off my business card, their Marketing Person called and said that the Buyer raved about me from her previous experiences. Turns out, they were just starting to look for a new sign guy! The first sign job they had me quote was bgger than any I did for them before. I priced it fairly and was given the work. They are once again my #1 customer and I am already making as much money as I did before I sold the business 6 years ago. Matter of fact, I just told my wife that yesterday I made as much money in one day as my entire week's paycheck used to be at the job I was working when we moved.
Now, if I could figure out how to have that kind of day 3 or 4 days a week, that would be awesome!
TopFliteGraphics
New Member
Yup - already have several others I am working with but you know how it goes; some days you are slammed and others you have time to sit and type on a web forum...Go to three or four people just like that one.....
SignManiac
New Member
I'll be moving in the next few weeks to the new digs. I'll be doing retail again and many in town don't know I'm still here. I wanted it that way. Now that I'll have someone running the day to day retail I plan to market the business locally.
We will run a few ads in the paper letting people know where we're at. Will throw an open house party to every business in town listed with the Chamber and other business related orgs. Open house will be free booze and catered food with live rock and roll band. Oh and since we're across the runway from the DZ, get some of my buddies to skydive into the parking lot, maybe carrying an American flag!
I'll probably hire a full time sales and pr person to just go out and pound pavement. Just so long as its not me. I don't want to spend my time on that end of it. I'll be focusing my time on adding new product lines and creating other new companies. I still enjoy design and will handle that part only. It's easy for me. We have really great employees and I don't have to watch over them anymore. They like that I trust them and give them opportunities to make decisions on their own. You can't grow if you have to micro manage every detail that comes along.
Delegate to the right people and move on to other things. It's all fun.
We will run a few ads in the paper letting people know where we're at. Will throw an open house party to every business in town listed with the Chamber and other business related orgs. Open house will be free booze and catered food with live rock and roll band. Oh and since we're across the runway from the DZ, get some of my buddies to skydive into the parking lot, maybe carrying an American flag!
I'll probably hire a full time sales and pr person to just go out and pound pavement. Just so long as its not me. I don't want to spend my time on that end of it. I'll be focusing my time on adding new product lines and creating other new companies. I still enjoy design and will handle that part only. It's easy for me. We have really great employees and I don't have to watch over them anymore. They like that I trust them and give them opportunities to make decisions on their own. You can't grow if you have to micro manage every detail that comes along.
Delegate to the right people and move on to other things. It's all fun.
JR-Folientechnik
New Member
Before, you start: Know your competitors, who are they, what do they sale, what are their prices, and what is their rep. in town. Then set down and discuss your thoughts with someone you trust. If you then decide to go ahead, set up a business plan with fixed goals for 2 , 5 , and 10 years to start. The first year you will have to pay your dues for being the newcomer....but then...O Yes,,,,when you have proven to your customers that you are a dependable partner...then word of mouth promotion , your quality and fair prices will also speed up referals. I wish you the all the best! JR
FireSprint.com
Trade Only Screen & Digital Sign Printing
TheSnowman
New Member
You get a lot of business up there on Mars, Maniac?
Fatboy
New Member
TyrantDesigner
Art! Hot and fresh.
I feel that one.