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Workflow Advice needed please?
I have had a client approach me to have his car signed up.
We had printed his stationary so had an idea as to what the logo was, and gave a ball park figure for the price, and explained it will be confirmed once the final design is sorted.
I put together the artwork, and send over a proof. He asked for the logo to be changed and look more 3d. I then opted to print and cut the vinyl rather than use coloured vinyl. Which is reflected in the price, especially as he has chosen to add numerous other bits of text, and designs, which must all be 3d.
The client is finally happy with the artwork, and i issue the final written quote. His jaw hits the floor.
We negotiate, and a price is agreed, I explain that I will charge more for the first car, and each other vehicle will cost £x amount, as we need to charge for the artwork and it has been known for people to come into the shop saying they have 30 cars all needing doing, haggle on price and never been seen again after their car is done.
Got an e-mail today saying he is going else where the price is too much. I have all the vinyl done and sorted ready to go. I think the client is sulking because he will have to pay the extra charge as his vehicle is first.
My question is what is the best way to handle to workflow.
Really I shouldn’t have said ‘about £150.00’, I now know i should have said ‘any where between £x and £y depending on what your design.’
At what point do you ask for deposit?
I usually wouldn’t have printed anything until a deposit was paid, and the quote signed to agree to my terms and condition… however with easter break I was in a rush to get things finished up for the weekend.
The client has my proofs, and i’m left out of pocket somewhat? I do have his roof sign, which I will retain until he collects it.
Another lesson learnt, but not sure what the usual way to handle payment/design/deposit set up. I don’t fancy asking for cash before I even do anything?
look forward to your responses.
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10 Replies
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You ask for a deposit upfront.
Your problem is your doing two different jobs here trying to quote them together.
Your doing design and then you are producing something.
How can you produce something without knowing the specs of what you are meant to produce?
If your building a house you pay an architect to design the place before you pay a builder to start building it don’t you? A builder doesn’t quote you to build a house without knowing what his doing.
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Very true…
So I am best to quote for the design, and production separately. These can be on the same quote, but separate the two workflows.
I am not sure my clients would support the paying a deposit until they have seen something.
The company I took over was very lacksy daisy with regard to work flow, and had established a reputation for been the cheap sign shop. I have managed to turn it around so I am not so cheap. I think the next mile stone is putting in place a proper work flow procedure, so all clients are treated the same.
I wont get any of the well you didn’t do that for him… I’ve already had the race card pulled when I asked for a deposit! :lol1:
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We tend to charge a flat fee for basic design work. We then tell the client if he goes ahead with the work we will deduct the design fee from the final amount. This helps a little as we do not give a final price until the artwork is finalised. We also make sure the client understands we own the drawings and content at all times and that they are copyrighted.
It is easy to get caught this way as the need for work is always present. I think you have to set your terms out up front and abide by them. You might lose the odd client but it is worth it as the ones you keep know your terms and become good clients.
Just my take on it all.
Peter
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We offer a refund on design work if the client isn’t happy with the design. We own the designs until they are paid for. We also send low resolution versions of the artwork so if someone else is going to steal the design they’ll need to recreate it as well.
Most people who will have trouble paying you or blatantly trying to rip you off won’t want to hand over cash period and are just trying to see designs for free.
Getting a deposit upfront weeds out the customers from the time wasters. That’s what your trying to achieve avoiding the situation your currently in where you’ve worked for free because the client isn’t happy to pay for the production of the design you produced. They never said they weren’t happy with the design so you’ve done that part of the job correctly.
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I will start enforcing this to all clients – except credit customers.
I don’t understand how if you refund the design charge off the final product, you’re really doing the design for free, unless you have included the design charge into your profit?
😕
I will start the deposit scheme, and also highlight the fact that we own the design until paid in full.
Will need to ensure I send the PDF as a low quality and make sure I don’t preserve the editing capabilities!
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The job doesn’t get to production if the client isn’t happy and the design fee gets refunded. We’ve only had one design refund since we’ve had this policy. The client got someone else to do the design and brought it back to us to have it produced.
The purpose of this policy is to give the customer confidence they have a way out after they’ve handed over money.
In business your always going to get people who will try and rip you off and not pay you. But you need to put measures in place in your business to minimise this.
In the end you can’t see it as loosing business but as GAINING valuable time to gain more business.
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I will look at getting some prices together for the design side of things.
IE, design of a car, sign, etc will cost £x. Anything over that will cost £y per hour.
I will ask for that fee up front, and use your policy of a refund.
I do know we need to put together our artwork specifications, as I am getting sick of people bringing word, excel, publisher files in, and wanting them on a car! (hot)
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regardless of all the advice about how why what etc. I want to go back to the fact that he agreed the price and you’ve made his stuff ready to go.
do you have email conformation that he agreed to go ahead? you should. if you do…….
First off, you own the copyright to any artwork, Invoice him NOW for all artwork at £x amount per hour (your usual labour rate, most i know are around £25-40ph).
also show him "quoted" proof in another letter of his confirmation of the order, ie, contract. then include a final invoice to cover all your vinyl and print costs (including time. give him 7 days to pay and collect his signs or you’ll take the matter to small claims court.
DO NOT let him walk away.
me?
I generally do not charge seperately for artwork, except on big involved jobs and insurance work. I usually tell the customer that the initial ideas are free if the job goes ahead. tweaks are free but major changes once agreed are chargeable, as is all time if the artwork is taken elsewhere.with the proof i send out (a copyrighted bitmap on a pdf if i don’t know thw customer)
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The paper trail is a little scattered.
I will certainly be e-mailing them to ensure they are aware that the logo remains my property and that any use will be a violation of copyright law. However, I will grant use of the logo for a small sum… I don’t know, a couple of hundred quid?
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when u said £150, did u mean that your artwork only fee is £150?
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