You want me to teach you what!!!

[showcase 66]

Yesterday I got a call from a guy who I do small signs and banners for all the time. He has 4 restaurants and is always changing something on one of them. I met with him and he wants some banners for the newest place he opened 2 months ago.
Not a problem told him I would order the banners sizes he wants after he gives me half down which he does. I order the material yesterday and today he calls me up and says hold off on the banners and I need to come see him really quick, its very important.

I get over there and he shows me this old vinyl cutter he just got off a guy and he wants me to teach him how to use it so he can make his own signs.
Seriously... WTF...

I started to laugh turned around and walked out. Halfway back to the shop, He calls me up all upset that I left and wants me to come back and talk to him. Told him I didnt have time to teach someone that is going to stop sending me work. Not happening.

 

[natedawg9640]

some people's kids

 

[Jet Fast Printing]

Do people think before speaking anymore?

 

[Marlene]

wow, that is balls at it's best!

Told him I didnt have time to teach someone that is going to stop sending me work. Not happening.

did he even get it? makes you wonder if people are just stupid or think you make signs for "fun", not profit.

 

[Rick]

I wish I could come up with a mature and lengthy answer about using this as an opportunity, but really, you should have kicked him in that nads before you left....

 

[showcase 66]

Maybe I should have asked him how to make my favorite dishes from his restaurants so I could just make them at home instead of going to his place to eat it. He always wants a deal and thinks he should get one all the time yet he has never once offered me a discount on food. Have a feeling I will hear from him again soon.

 

[CheapVehicleWrap]

OR you could have charged him $125 hr. and ran him in circles until he gave you the plotter. 2-4 hours max should do it. Wouldn't worry too much, with 4 places even if they're slow do you think this guy has the patience to learn every little thing he needs to do? With a little effort I think you can actually raise your prices for him and even have a little fun with the old chap.

 

[SignManiac]

I had a customer ask me to teach him the business when I was leaving New York. I asked him if he was joking? He said no, I'll pay you and he asked what I would want? I said $10,000 for nothing but my knowledge. He said great and paid me the $10 grand. I also sold my phone number for $5k to my competitor in the next town over.

He's still making signs in New York after eighteen years.

 

[jiarby]

Call him up and tell him that you bought a cheap skillet off craigslist... and he needs to come over right away and show you how to cook the dishes he makes at his restaurant.

 

[petesign]

I'd go put a taco stand in his parking lot and call him and ask him to do some cut vinyl letters for it. See how he likes that.

 

[GypsyGraphics]

one of my regular clients, a fairly large company, does some junk work in house and uses a small quickie print place for that kind of stuff. the lady who does the junk work is actually in the records department. anyway, she was calling me so often for help and eventally called and said "i hate to keep bothering you so often, can we just plan a day for you to come down here and teach me InDesign and Illustrator, so i can get this figured out once and for all"

:ROFLMAO: :ROFLMAO: :ROFLMAO:

i did, sorta

 

[showcase 66]

OR you could have charged him $125 hr. and ran him in circles until he gave you the plotter. 2-4 hours max should do it. Wouldn't worry too much, with 4 places even if they're slow do you think this guy has the patience to learn every little thing he needs to do? With a little effort I think you can actually raise your prices for him and even have a little fun with the old chap.

That actually crossed my mind after leaving his place.

I had a customer ask me to teach him the business when I was leaving New York. I asked him if he was joking? He said no, I'll pay you and he asked what I would want? I said $10,000 for nothing but my knowledge. He said great and paid me the $10 grand. I also sold my phone number for $5k to my competitor in the next town over.

He's still making signs in New York after eighteen years.

And to think, I only pay $50 to tap into yours and everyone elses knowledge. Man I love this place. I swear, 3 months on here reading and having things critiqued on here is way better than most of the classes I took in college about graphics and design.

 

[signage]

CSDD when he called you to come back you should have said fine and walked in with whatever your favorite dish has in it and said show me how to make it!

 

[signmeup]

I'd go put a taco stand in his parking lot and call him and ask him to do some cut vinyl letters for it. See how he likes that.

I'd go put a taco in his heating duct.

 

[Fatboy]

 

[Graphics2u]

Just hand him the shirt off your back, your car keys and your wallet and ask - "Anything Else?"

Some people just don't get it, 10-12 years ago I actually had someone ask me to teach them how to tint windows so that he could start doing it for his friends.

 

[Tim Aucoin]

one of my regular clients, a fairly large company, does some junk work in house and uses a small quickie print place for that kind of stuff. the lady who does the junk work is actually in the records department. anyway, she was calling me so often for help and eventually called and said "i hate to keep bothering you so often, can we just plan a day for you to come down here and teach me InDesign and Illustrator, so i can get this figured out once and for all"

:ROFLMAO: :ROFLMAO: :ROFLMAO:

i did, sorta

I had this happen also GG with a customer last year! They didn't even have the software... wanted to come to me to learn. I tell them that I'd be happy to give them lessons, but I'll be charging $350 per hour and both Illustrator AND InDesign require at least 10 hours each to teach someone to just get familiar with the concepts. Then I told them how much it was going to cost them to purchase the software and upgrade their antiquated computers in order to install it...
Well needless to say, I'm still getting their Word, Excel and Powerpoint artwork and charging them my standard rate of $95 per hour to do design it correctly!

 

[geb]

..

 

[wetgravy]

At least once a week I have people who bought cricuts come in asking me to teach them how to use their machine. I tell them that my time is worth $100 an hour with a four hour minimum. ... none have taken me up on it.

 

[BigfishDM]

Maybe I should have asked him how to make my favorite dishes from his restaurants so I could just make them at home instead of going to his place to eat it. He always wants a deal and thinks he should get one all the time yet he has never once offered me a discount on food. Have a feeling I will hear from him again soon.

That would have been great lol!!

 

[showcase 66]

At least once a week I have people who bought cricuts come in asking me to teach them how to use their machine. I tell them that my time is worth $100 an hour with a four hour minimum. ... none have taken me up on it.

I have had a couple of people ask me to show them how to use theirs. Had a lady want to trade me it for some magnets on her truck.
The worse was when I was down in Anthem for a Bridal/Wedding shower thingy for my brother and fiance. My soon to sis-in-law's mother came up to me(have never met her before) and said she makes stickers like me. Told me she just got her cricut and couldn't wait to make all the decals for her car and just married sign for the back of my brothers truck. Then wanted me to show her how to use it better. She had to show me where she had it set up and everything. I said first you have to have it set up in the right spot. Unplug it and I will show you the best place for it. She unplugged it, I opened the sliding glass door and said now chuck it over the wall and you should be good. walked back into the party to get another drink. Probably shouldn't have done that but I blame my brother. He was the one who was making the drinks.