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I'm just about at ground zero, Need help with getting things rolling

J

john1

Guest
Thanks for the following up guys!

Business is not dead right now but it's just paying the bills. I had a fast month but it's back to just paying the bills pretty much right now.

I did some cold calling as well as targeted market postcard mailing but with zero success.

I have the knowledge and tools, I just need the clientel.

Thanks everyone!
 
G

Gadget

New Member
I have been in business for 4 months from home.

I have lots of work, word of mouth works great, but 3 main things work well I found.

1, Leave business cards on the counter of friends or aquaintances shops or businesses, chicken shop down the road, etc. Give 5 to mates to keep in their wallets and hand out for you. Reward them with movie vouchers, go-kart rides at the local track, or whatever you feel appropriate when they refer jobs which pay well enough to afford to reward them too. You'll be surprised how much work you get when they get a "kicker" out of it too!

2, Make sure your name and phone number is on every sign you make for 2 reasons, a) it shows you take pride in your work and don't mind "owning" it, and of course b) because it means anyone wanting something similar can call you. Sometimes I ask if I have a good relationship with a customer to put a larger advertisement on the sign or vehicle, normally they're only too happy to let you do so, especially if you make them some extra bumper stickers free of charge or some such thing, a discount or something.

3, Make bumper stickers, small labels, and a couple of small banners you can keep in the car or your wallet or pocket, next time you're at a footy game with the family throw a banner on the fence for a couple of hours. Join a club and "sponsor" them by supplying bumper stickers for members free in exchange for having a banner on the fence. Put your labels and stickers on anything that you can. How many times have you thought, if only I had a sticker, I could put it there!

Best of luck... but really, you have to make your own!

Gadget
 
W

wetgravy

Guest
Any home based business person knows word of mouth is not enough. Especially since you do not have a shop for customers to swing by and visit. You need to do more than just sit at your chair, get out there and talk to new businesses, give out flyers, pens, business cards (uprinting has a sale ... 20% off ... just ordered 1k cards for $30 including shipping) systematically hit restaurants (always needs new specials of the month stuff and table signage ... sold table wraps to a tex mex restaurant that was looking to spiff up their tables under their glass tops they had on them. ) car dealerships always have customers coming in asking about graphics, give the sales people some flyers and business cards ... hell ... offer them a 10% commission on any generated sales. offices always need things around their place of business (wall graphics to boost morale, presentation displays for potential clients, etc) and the list goes on and on and on ...

point is ... even when i work for myself there is always money to be made if you're willing to look for it. so get out there, suck it up and shake that money maker. Can't hurt anything if you try. 99% of businesses will also buy from a real person rather than looking for a place online ... and most businesses are too busy to go sign shopping. While online marketing and social networking is fine for getting your name out there ... nothing replaces a handshake and some free merchandise.
 
signmeup

signmeup

New Member
GraphixCALC said:
EUREKA!!!! Now why didn't I think of that?! It's so obvious now that you say it like that.

If only...
Click to expand...
Hey... I did that a couple months back. Walked it, asked for the owner and said to him, "You need a new sign!". Sold the guy 2 HDU signs 3'x 5' double sided. Turns out he has 2 more businesses (4 total) and they need signage too. A very good cold call indeed. 10 grand easy.

I've also walked in and done the same thing and heard, "You're too late.... "So and So Signs" was just here a few days ago...."
I hate when that happens.
 
C

ChiknNutz

New Member
Yes, I know, we did the same thing and got a mixed bag of results. I'm not at all saying that isn't something to try (as it will work some fraction of the time), but my point is that it is not the ONLY thing that will work. The sense that the OP seems to be over-simplifying the issue was my main point.
 
signmeup

signmeup

New Member
I approched a business that otherwise looked the business... very nice, well kept place..... only the sign was falling down. You could tell they could easily afford a new sign. The guy drove a nice car etc. That is the sort of place to keep your eye out for. Not some dump with a crappy sign.
 
F

Fitch

New Member
I am just curious... if you are professional, know your product inside and out, and a full service sign company...

why in goodness... "The only issue i have is i don't do installations. I can make many flat paneled signs but i don't do any installation work. I really would like to get some fleets of trucks to lettering for trucking companies. "

Health reasons ? Just don't like it ? Inexperience ?

Does not installing deter the client from buying, or does sub contracting push the price up and thus deter the client from buying?

Lust curious... at a loss

Cheers - G
 
J

John L

New Member
I suggest cutting a little deeper than what most sign shops think about.

Get the local building permit info (recently issued permits) on commecial properties new in the area. Find out what properties have been cited for zoning violations regarding signage (business signage, wayfinding, or HC parking, etc etc).

Contact an equipment or supply type company rep that sets up or sells to new businesses in specific industries. For dentists contact the dental equipment seller. For restaurants contact the food supplier. For pizza joints contact the pizza oven company. For your trucking companies, see if the USDOT records are available, contact truck dealers, Ryder Fleet rentals, truck garages, truck tire companies. You are looking for the drop on a new business with a new, immediate need.

Where in MD are you? baltimore? western MD? eastern shore? Track storms online and drive around for the damaged units and replacements. Insurance money always spends freely. Truck body shops and insurance adjusters for the same reason.

Contact property managers for new leases or (as about the last resort) commercial real estate sales/rental people.

To the benefit of all of us, this could go on and on and on. The essence of it all is that if you sell something that is available nowhere else (and this is still actually possible even in the worn out business model of the average sign shop), then you can limit your marketing to the norm. But if you sell something that is available on just about every street corner in the freggin nation, you need to be a very clever marketer.
 
J

john1

Guest
Things lately have been slow. I did get a job doing a 20' wall vinyl on a fitness center wall and a 1 color vehicle lettering this week though. I have another guy who wants about $200 of printed stickers so i'm making it by.

I really want to start a side business doing alot of wholesale in high volumes. I would like to do a merchant account here but i really don't think i would get any business over the guys who have been doing it for years on here.

I can offer fast turnaround time and quality products since i am small and do the order taking as well as production and shipping.

Any tips?
 
iSign

iSign

New Member
john1 said:
Things lately have been slow. I did get a job doing a 20' wall vinyl on a fitness center wall and a 1 color vehicle lettering this week though. I have another guy who wants about $200 of printed stickers so i'm making it by.

I really want to start a side business doing alot of wholesale in high volumes. I would like to do a merchant account here but i really don't think i would get any business over the guys who have been doing it for years on here.

I can offer fast turnaround time and quality products since i am small and do the order taking as well as production and shipping.

Any tips?
Click to expand...

yeah, here's a tip...

do it, or don't do it...

...just don't talk about it like you're already sneaking in an ad for it without paying for the privilege!
 
signmeup

signmeup

New Member
Maybe send a PM to a few of the merchant members that do what you're looking into? If you are some distance appart they may not mind giving you some advice on what's involved. Worst they can do is tell you to sod off.
 
T

Travis Stanley

New Member
Hey John, I also work from home and struggle keeping the jobs comming in. I've visited several sign shops around my area and although some stay quite busy the one thing that I hear alot is that they don't do in house print. It may benifit you to walk in and ask if they do. If not offer your services. Another Idea is to rent a flea market booth. I often drive by new construction sites and leave a card. Also I place coroplast signs everywhere offering services. If you stay busy you don't have time to worry.
 
C

CentralSigns

New Member
What about contacting a few larger sign national companies or Multinational companies. Sometimes large companies don't have a office in your location but get a order for a sign there. You know big industry goes to big industry. They take the order and look for a small shop to install or produce and install it for them. So look around and get on as many industry databases you can. If your sitting at home look some up. We have been getting a few jobs that way and they generally pay as much as if we had secured them ourselves. It's cheaper to them to pay us a little more and not have to send their own people out and put them up for the night.
 
J

john1

Guest
iSign said:
yeah, here's a tip...

do it, or don't do it...

...just don't talk about it like you're already sneaking in an ad for it without paying for the privilege!
Click to expand...

How was i sneaking in a ad? I was stating why i would make a good wholesale provider because i figured someone would ask what sets me from others who do it.
 
iSign

iSign

New Member
I'm not accusing you John.
but if you step outside and look in on this topic from the outside, you can be reached through this forum, and you are considering offering your services as a wholesale merchant. You may be the sort who would never in their wildest dreams consider trolling for business without observing the proper protocol, but others do just that.

We all benefit from this site, and the merchants who DO support this site are by and large the real reason it can afford to continue. those merchants don't want non merchants trolling, and since nobody can ever really know anyone else's motives..

...it's always best to keep appearances where they need to be. That was my tip. I'm just a nobody with an opinion.
 
James Burke

James Burke

Being a grandpa is more fun than working
Wow,

I didn't realize how involved this post was. I made it through the first page and am still working my way through.

While I can't add a whole lot to what's already been said, I'm with Jill way back on page one: find a temporary job to keep the wolves away...even if it only covers a few of the expenses. It's obviously better than nothing.

I find myself in that same boat, and the steady pay check coming in weekly through these (normally very lean) winter months has been a blessing.

Yes...the 12, 16, 18 and sometimes even 20 hour days have been a real stretch both physically and emotionally (working both the full time and my own business). The best part about it is that I have a little more freedom to work on business planning without scrambling to bring in work during this time.

You'd be surprised how far some deliberate and conscious planning goes. Remember, a business plan is just the starting point. A well written plan is a "living, breathing document" that needs to be tended to often.

This is a very timely discussion...thanks for bringing it up. Hope all goes well.

Jim
 
J

john1

Guest
Well i picked up a wholesale job off a guy in Maryland west of me and did 4 banners last night for another wholesale guy up the street who does just offset printing (business cards, flyers, brochures etc).

I appreciate everyones support and suggestions and i will keep everyone updated!
 
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