Customer Enquiries – "How much is a Sign Please?"

[Phill Fenton]

Some of them are complete nutters.

I once had someone phoned and spoke to Alison asking a price for a van to be done. Alison talked him through one or two typical scenarios to be met with abuse about being too expensive and how we were ripping off customers. On realising that Alison was getting an earful of moaning I took the handset and listened in while he whined on and on. Eventually I lost my patience and snapped at him – gave him an earbashing back and hung up on the blighter.

A few days later I received a visit from a "Trading Standards" officer. He claimed to be in the area and was just calling in on some businesses in the area but I reckon the nutter from a few days ago had put him up to it. 🙄

[Jill Marie Welsh]

Sometimes I deal with these jerks by acting as if they can’t afford me.
Thus making me more desirable.
Other times I tell them I prefer to deal with clients in person and don’t give quotes over the phone as all my work is completely custom.
Or what really shuts them up is to ask "What is your budget?" immediately after they ask "How much?"
love….Jill

[Phill Fenton]

I’ve got a friend who knows how much I get annoyed by the subject. He often phones me up and puts on a silly voice saying "Do you do signs – how much is a sign"

One day it won’t be him that phones to be told "all my signs cost £75 + VAT regardless of how big they are, what they are made off and what’s involved in designing/creating it – now **** off" 😛

[David Rogers]

quote Jill Marie Welsh:

Sometimes I deal with these jerks by acting as if they can’t afford me.
Thus making me more desirable.
Other times I tell them I prefer to deal with clients in person and don’t give quotes over the phone as all my work is completely custom.
Or what really shuts them up is to ask “What is your budget?” immediately after they ask “How much?”
love….Jill

Ditto. It also saves a lot…OK, an awful lot of time, effort & wasted quotes.

I’ve adopted this approach for about 70 to 80% of my new customers. It actually seems to be VERY beneficial as they realize pretty quick that you can instantly tailor a sign to their needs based on a fixed sum…as I say to them "as much bang for your buck as you can get for ‘x’ amount".

I’ve had all sorts over the years, from the "how much are your signs" that we’ve ALL had to the slightly weird "You know, just an average sized shop window…you’re the signmaker", the "educator", "It’s 9 decimeters long and 5 decimeters high"… (had to be a Primary schools teacher). And the chancers "i can get it for half that price in Hong Kong / Liverpool etc." or "How much for cash? / Do you do homers? / I’m not paying VAT!"

Ah, the joys of manufacturing retail!!

[Shane Drew]

:lol1: dave I’m sure we have the same client base!!

I do much the same as you and Jill.

I usually clarify if they are serious by asking them to send me a fax of what they had in mind.

If they can’t be bothered, then I can’t either.