What do you do???

[MatthewTimothy]

What do you do when a potential client is running your price offer to other shops and asking if they can beat it and then coming back to you and saying i can get it cheaper at X place. Its so annoying.

 

[AnotherSignManiac]

Tell them theres the door and let them go on their way. Not worth wasting my time on

 

[MikePro]

sounds like a client i'd love to work with... at my regular price.
don't give them any artwork until you get down payment.

 

[MatthewTimothy]

no for an order that large i already told her full payment up front, thats how i only do it these days. rather loose an order than be stuck anymore.

 

[The Vector Doctor]

Yeah I just had a very regular customer do something similar. I priced a job for $6 (my minimum) and he said my competition would do it for $4!

Really? $2

I know for a fact I have done several jobs and given him a good deal. Or quoted x number of dollars and ended up charging him less. I could have kept the quote but I thought I was doing something nice

 

[MatthewTimothy]

this is why im glad im migrating to all eCommerce sales.

 

[BobM]

"Please call me last next time so I can still quote my price for quality work". Bye bye.

 

[njshorts]

Tell him to go play in traffic.

 

[petepaz]

are they a regular customer? do they do this on all orders? what's the difference in price?
what is the job? how busy are you?

if it's a new customer or not such a good customer i would say no right off the bat.

 

[Sticky Signs]

Make sure your client is comparing apples to apples. I've had this happen many times only to find out the the competition is selling them on inferior products and may be cutting corners like not using lam or something like that. Show your client what you are giving him but make him show you what the competition is giving him.

 

[MatthewTimothy]

Make sure your client is comparing apples to apples. I've had this happen many times only to find out the the competition is selling them on inferior products and may be cutting corners like not using lam or something like that. Show your client what you are giving him but make him show you what the competition is giving him.

its a new customer, they said that someone is offering i a lot less, so i requested a quote with materials.

 

[Gino]

So now, let me get this straight..... ultimately you're bidding against yourself in the end.

Like others have said......

• How badly do you need the work ??
• Is it a good paying job at your now new unbeatable price ??
• Are they comparing apples to apples ??
• Do you have it in writing from the other company ??
• Was yours originally in writing ??
• If you give them a new offer, will they take it on the spot by signing and paying or are they going to shop it out again ??

How far are you willing to go with this kinda price war ?? There are shops which thrive on this kinda dealing. They just want to get work at all costs. Are you like that, too ??

Either be firm and tell them they are getting a top quality product or they can skimp and go with lesser quality materials and less skilled labor making their sign and that is the major difference. You sell quality while the others are basically just selling anything they can at any price.

So, ask your potential client this.... are you just shopping for the best price or the best product for your money ?? If you substitute quality elements, you can probably match or beat the other guy's price, but be aware, you can't give a quality product when using inferior materials.

 

[Craig Sjoquist]

I raise my prices,..if I say $100 ..I'm at $100.. if customer says $80 gets it done, not happy,.. comes back...it's $120 now.

WHY I was selling my work to cheap then, I know what I do for a decent paying customer, bend over backwards to get it right.
So they go someone cheaper, they are not getting what I put into it or as good, so I must be to cheap to even try someone else, don't you pay to go to a better restaurant with better service and food.

 

[Colin]

The problem here is that they are shopping in a retail fashion. this doesn't work when shopping for an item that is custom-made. As others have stated, they need to be sure that they're comparing apples to apples, so you need to make sure that they are going to be getting the same materials, but more importantly, they need to understand and appreciate the value of superior design.

 

[Jane Diaz]

Is he REALLY getting them for less...or just trying to force you to bend to what he THINKS you should charge him. Stand your ground! You know what you are worth!!

Just had this correspondence with a customer last week. He sent me what he wanted colors, sizes, etc. and said he could get them elsewhere for $4/each. I worte back and said:
"I priced these out...for 100...with High performance prints & laminate they are $11.60 each
Same material, but no laminate (protective clear on top on the print) they are $7.35
Sorry I can't get it down to $4.00 but whoever you are getting them from must be using a different method or cheaper materials or something. We only use High performance and the best inks, slower speed for better coverage, etc. If they are screen printing them, that is probably the cheapest way you can go but we don't do that.
Hope that helps....
Jane"
Later that day I received:
"Jane – I’ll drop one of these off so you can see what it is….I assume that there is not a laminate….at $7.35, that’s close enough. I’ll drop one off in the next week or two and we’ll go from there.
Thanks! Kyle"

Do you really want the job if you are going to lose money on it?

 

[HulkSmash]

What do you do when a potential client is running your price offer to other shops and asking if they can beat it and then coming back to you and saying i can get it cheaper at X place. Its so annoying.

Nothing.

 

[Locals Find!]

I just had someone do this same thing to me 10 minutes ago with Name Badges. I told them simply I only offer the one product and its the best available product. If your shopping on price alone. Your better off going to someone else.

Don't waste anymore of your time on someone that is going to just be shopping on price alone.

 

[Custom_Grafx]

"Quick go get em before they change their mind"

And next time they ask you for a quote, give them a good quote, and fine print "valid for 30 seconds from when you leave my door".

 

[binki]

I priced a job for $6 (my minimum) and he said my competition would do it for $4!

OMFG! You do work for 6 bux? :U Rock:

He wants a 30% discount?

 

[Techman]

Do what I do.
When they used to come back with that crap I would tell them the price just went up a little more.
Why because I have to spend extra time dealing with this order.

 

[visual800]

my comment?..."Sir that is one hell of a deal I understand if you take it" and then hang up. apples to apples it rarely ever is. When a customer wastes this much time trying to beat down a price I do not participate.