Design Ideas

[Robert Lambie]

i cant think of any off hand mate, what i would say though is watch your not wasting your time. i think its a great way to drum up business but what if the guy likes the sign then starts calling round sign companies, faxing or showing your work to them. maybe even giving the cost so it can be undercut? 🙄

if doing this i would maybe say, walk in and discuss it with him, but if he wants the layout for some reason, ask for a deposit of 25 pound, tell him it will be knocked off the price of the sign if he goes ahead.

[Gazza]

Hi Rob, i have been watching the other posts and Nigels in particular about the copyright of photos/work etc. I was intending to keep a hold of the pics and wait for an agreement. I like the idea of asking for a deposit – (never thought about this) and then knock it off the price. This would at least cover some of the costs should the customer decide to ask someone else. I made this post as some of the shops round here are so tatty that i wouldn’t even consider going into them. If i do any work i will post the “before & after” pics.

Gaz

[Phill Fenton]

I think this would end up being a very time consuming way to drum up business. You don’t know in advance if your potential client is going to be interested or not. Surely you are better to speak to the owners of the shops you have identified and ask them up front if they are interested in a new sign – then only if interested would offer to draw up a provisional suggestion for them. Time is money, and you are far better off using your time to identify the most likely candidates for your service rather than trying to give someone the hard sell. Many shops have poor signs for a very good reason – usually it’s because they’re too broke or miserly to pay for something decent. Alternatively, maybe their lease is about to run out or there could be some other very good reason for not bothering about their sign.

My advice is speak to them first 😀

[Gazza]

Never looked at it that way Phill, but then again, thats what the forum is for, give an idea and get advice on it. It has helped me, and as a beginner i have a lot to learn. The UKSG has been very informative, especially the members with their ideas and comments. Meant to ask, did you manage to sell the certificate in vinyl app?? 😉

Gaz

[Nigel Fraser]

Interesting idea Gazza, I think Phil is right with his point though. Best to do at least a little digging 1st and speak to the owner/manager. See if they are about to move shop or close down ! Also keep your eye on any vacant premesis to see if there are signs of people moving in – I try to call and see these shops when ever possible or at least leave a card/leaflet.
When I went through a quiet period about 6 years ago I went and had a chat with a lot of local shops and business’s, most were quite receptive but there were some who obviosly felt like i was “cold calling” like the dreaded double glazing salesmen and were a bit standoffish as a result – so be prepared to take a bit of a knock back too ! Don’t forget to suggest other things you can do for them too, like window graphics, point of sale, labels vehicle graphics etc.

Just some thoughts…

Nigel

[fluidedge]

We try and work on our regulars to drum up extra business for us. Every client will know several other business owners that you don’t.
Regulars will call us to say that a new business is moving in near them, or that a mate is getting a new van or needs a new brochure.
It costs us the odd freebie or rush job at the normal rates but well worth it.

Another thing we do is keep our eyes open for decent sportsmans dinners. A table of 10 at an upmarket one will cost around £250-£350 plus drinks bill. 2 seats for us, 7 for existing and prospective clients, and the obligatory one for the bank manager. We look to rake in extra business from such a do and have rarely been disappointed. Your local football or rugby club usually has them on every couple of months or so. Our next one is the end of feb – guest speaker John Aldridge at Blackpool FC.

Would we be better spending the £500 on an ad campaign in the local press? Anyone with any experience of this?

[Martin C]

Does anyone ever drop a business card in when you see decorators tarting up a shop or ask for the owner and leave him your details?

I’ve done this on a number of occasions, it’s the salesman in me I can’t seem to shake off :cool:, but I rarely get anything from it but aggravation. I think they think that as I’m keen for their business that I’ll work my bits off on a design and undercut other prices which of course I would……..if they called me! 😕

S T R A N G E . . . . . . *hair*

[Martin Pearson]

As Phill says it might be an idea to speak to them first, also you have to be careful what you say. There was a company close t me tried this approach without a lot of success. I think the min reason they failed was that they upset a lot of business owners by telling them their signs were crap and they were charging £80 for the service, when a potential customer asked what happens if I dont like your designs the answer was well its only cost you £80 !!

[Robert Lambie]

quote :

Would we be better spending the £500 on an ad campaign in the local press? Anyone with any experience of this?

This was my last ad-campaign in the sign mags. All three adverts in same magazine.
Within about 3 weeks we had about 150 new fully legit registered users of the site.
Did they all pay for extra access, or join the UKSG? No.. Most of them register to find out what’s going on & learn from the site. Very little participate.. I don’t see this as a loss though, it’s about getting “known out there” being seen, create an awareness etc.. They may not participate today but sure as sugar, when they need an answer, help or want to complain about something. “They’ll be back!” 😉

Ads are very expensive though. It just depends on where you advertise, your audience
& Will the return outweigh the expense of the ads quickly?

[AaSk4Stickers]

Hey Rob

I saw those ads, thats how I got to know about the site!

Because of the content and the people, I stayed and became a gold member.

If the ad initiates a response and the “product” is up to scratch, then it really works.