Marketing Idea For Soliciting Vehicle Lettering Business

[painperdu]

Here's a novel idea I haven't tried yet but I might do so in the near future:

Pay people to take pictures of business vehicles with shabby, crappy, half-assed vehicle signage so that I may solicit business from them.

 

[rjssigns]

How are you going to pitch it without insulting the owner of said shabby signs? Businesses like that are happy with what they have and more importantly what was paid.

 

[bannertime]

You're not the first to come up with this idea and it's not even a remotely new idea. Same thing works for all other types of signage. We do it when we're doing site inspections or installs at multi-tenant facilities. Ask the customer if there are any neighbors that need updated signage or we solicit it ourselves on site. No need to pay for it, then you gotta deal with people sending you all kinds of junk and asking for money even if their lead didn't work out. Just do it yourself. Four things could happen: they will say no, there's nothing wrong or feel offended (snowflake), they will 100% agree and give you the job, they will 100% agree and give the job to their current sign shop, or they will ask you to do something else instead.

 

[bob]

Be careful criticizing someone's sign. It's around 50:50 that that nasty looking sign was done by someone's wife or nephew or whatever.

 

[painperdu]

There's no need to criticize someone in order to point out that they could be doing much better. You guys know that there are real and profitable benefits to having an optimized sign. If someone is offended by having this pointed out to them then maybe they should be offended. Hopefully they'd rather be richer than offended.

Bannertime, you pay people to take pictures of decals on vehicles and then contact them?

 

[Gino]

Why waste all of those preliminary steps of taking pictures, making a presentation and then contacting them to tell them they need you, instead of what they're already doing ??

When someone comes to me with putting a better roof on my building, painting my building, re-paving my parking lot, selling me new vehicles or just wanna improve my toilets or electrical system, I ask them.... what's the matter, don't you have enough work ??

If you see a sign in bad repair or needs to be updated, then approach someone, but to make a science out of it and go into some kinda spiel..... that ain't gonna get ya much work, not usually.

 

[painperdu]

Don't make a science out of prospecting? Many people would certainly disagree with you.

 

[Gino]

Don't make a science out of prospecting? Many people would certainly disagree with you.

It all depends on who you talk to. Most here, will disagree, like you, just for the sake of disagreeing.

What are you here for..... to letter trucks or find new and exciting ways to get business ?? I realize your title is how to solicit business for truck lettering, but the bottom line is... you wanna letter trucks.

We do on an average of 5 to 7 vehicles a week. We didn't get them by hiring someone to take pictures, create a movie presentation and then go out, make appointments to show our presentation of their trucks and how we can improve them. That is a gross waste of time, effort and money on everybody's part. Any good business person will recognize that and not even let you come to visit them.

For some projects like re-branding a whole company, completely doing a make-over of a hospital or school would necessitate a slide show, but not getting a truck or two. Even if the guy has a fleet, it still won't work. At least 95% of the time it won't. Are you gonna waste all your time looking for that 5% ??

Word-of-mouth, simple advertising and going into a place with a business card and asking to have a chance to bid on their next job, will yield much better results and with a whole lot less time and money invested.

 

[Billct2]

As was said, it's nothing new. The point about criticism of a poor design is a good one, people who aren't asking for an opinion can get mighty offended. Best approach is to stick to vehicle graphics/signs that are obviously past their prime and need replacing.

 

[papabud]

i agree best to stick with what is in the need of replacing. you can ask them, if they are happy

 

[bannertime]

Bannertime, you pay people to take pictures of decals on vehicles and then contact them?

We don't pay random people. Our installers, the owner, and myself will occasionally snap pictures and take measurements on worn out signage. Copy the exact layout and quote it. We explain we were already in the area working on their neighbors sign and that we could do theirs too. We don't touch the "bad designs."

 

[boxerbay]

I have three words for you.

RE MO VALS