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How do you approach a customer to go for Vehicle Wrap?
hi, was just wondering a few people in the company are going on a vehicle wrapping course, just wondering how do you guys approach a customer and recommend going for a vehicle wrap?
Many Thanks
Chris. -
30 Replies
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You dont necessarily approach them walking in off the street. offer it as an option to a customer that comes to you looking for their van/s to be lettered but want something a bit different.
also, have you ever done a wrap?
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wrap your own vehicle first.
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They’ll usually ask you first. And then quickly change their mind when they find out the cost!
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quote jonm01:They’ll usually ask you first. And then quickly change their mind when they find out the cost!That’s the thing, I have had a few enquiries that run away when I mention the costs involved.
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i deal with sales, but all the actual sign makers in the company can all vehicle wrap.
Its just something that people dont seem to be interested in. Due to the costs involved. -
Chris, going from previous posts – you’re new to sign sales…well all aspects of signage and guessing probably not a salesman by nature or you’d be out there already at every van dealership or companies with fleet managers with a portfolio & prices instead of asking us for ideas on how to flog your merchandise.
This is NOT a criticism on my part, just that I would SERIOUSLY suggest you spend at least a week or two on the shop floor helping the designers & manufacturers and see what is & isn’t possible – time scales, techniques etc. If you don’t know your products you can’t sell or promote them effectively.
Find out what makes the money…there’s no point in you selling something that everybody goes "Aw, no…not another one".
It’s any salesman’s job to sell products that generate revenue, if wrapping vans will ADD to the income rather than be at the expense of other more profitable jobs then push it. Run ‘special deals’ – 3 for 2 offers if all the same van…get KNOWN for doing them. Nothing makes a sale easier than recommendations & examples of previous work. I get asked a lot "what other stuff have you done like this" and it’s ALWAYS better to click on the gallery & go…"this, that & the next thing" instead of "trust me, it’s my first one…it’ll probably be OK"Dave
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Thanks David
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Im new to all of this and it takes time to learn things, i will be spending as much time getting to know all our products.
Many Thanks -
Chris,
To say your father has an established business with a workforce who can all wrap, your asking a lot of questions that may be asked by someone on work experience. Sorry mate but I’m starting to doubt your credibility. -
nearly all of our business comes from past clients, and referrals this is why i have been hired as i have had a sales past with previous companies, but learning a trade takes time. I have all price lists etc, i am seeking sales advice as there isnt alot of it around im guessing!.
When learning trade the best knowledge you can get is from people within the industry that is what i have been asking thats all.
Purely our business is based around big contracts with Construction companies,providing Health & Safety Signs. Vehicle wrapping is something we are not big in, and that is what i was purely asking. Due to our lack here of sales expertise i want to exhaust every possible way of creating revenue.
Thanks anyway!.
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So these signmakers who are purely making safety signs know how to wrap vehicles too?
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our business is split into two sections. Inhouse and manual outdoor workers. Inhouse create safety signs, normal signs, basically they create all the signs that the outdoor/Sign fitters/Deliverers then either install or, deliver to the customer e.g. A-board signs, Labels etc.
All our inhouse and outdoor workers are qualified in Vehicle Wrapping, our company is not big it has 2 indoor and 2 outdoor, then there is my father who is M.D and me who is in sales.
This is a basic break down of our company structure.
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Got a website?
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Chris you say you have a sales past…this does confuse me as you’re asking very ‘novice’ questions irrespective of the industry…
Upping the size of your YP and looking at web development* is maybe only 10 to 20% of the strategy…the rest comes from building a relationship with clients new & old. They should want (rightly or wrongly) to buy from YOU the person, not YOU the company. A salesman makes or breaks the sale…keeps or loses the client…and can generate loyalty and faith in the service.
Just get out there – you DON’T need to know all the product just yet…"Hi, I’m Christopher – I’ve just joined ‘XYZ’, you local sign company in the sales department, if you have any requirements or just want a comparative quote just give me a call…blah, blah…" present business card…and await response…
*might want to check your site for spelling mistakes (job gallery) 😉
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Cheers, this Site was set up by 123-reg we just simply want the domain name the site came free, we are currently having an online shop created were we will sell all our health & safety signs, aswell as safety gear and will be a great way to show testimonials, jobs etc.
My sales past has been simply cold calling, but i have noticed on a few of these forum posts that not all cold calling works, in my past jobs we were never out there getting to know the customer, hence the reason why on a few questions i have asked what the best way to approach the customer was.
Again Many Thanks for your help.
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regarding wraps… well they dont like to spend money but when tell them that the van can cost thousands, you can say that part-wrap the back of a van is much cheaper option and really looks affective.
Still a lot of labour thou
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quote David Rogers:They should want (rightly or wrongly) to buy from YOU the person, not YOU the company.I’m not sure about that David.
On the one hand my business has been built up through personal relationships, which maybe proves your point, but I want to try to get away from that now and have our customers buy from the company.
The danger I see is that if my company relies on me one hundred per cent then, by definition, without me my company could not function. That would make it unsaleable when I want to retire, which would be a shame because I think there is some value in what I have built up and I want eventually to be able to take that out to provide some of my retirement income.
The way I see it is that, to maximise the value of my business, I need to make it self supporting, and thereby saleable as a going concern so that a new owner could walk in on day one and the business would carry on as usual.
Of course that’s the nuclear option but, if I can achieve it, it will give me the less drastic option of just reducing the hours I work.
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John, I can see the point you are making but you have already built your Company up and it is well established.
If you hadn’t taken the personal route you may not have got to where you are.
As long as you have trained the right people to do things your way I am sure that there won’t be a problem in the future when you look towards retirement. -
Yeh, John, I see entirely where you are coming from. But in the growth stage – not the retiring / selling phase – personal relationships are vitally important (as I said, rightly or wrongly…and you’ve seen yourself).
By way of example, I’ve refused to deal with some highly reputable suppliers because I thought their rep was a (insert colourful metaphor) and not fit to darken my door step…upon them leaving for whatever reason, I’m prepared to deal & spend with a new, fresh start as they rep was more pleasant & willing to deal.
To build ‘brand loyalty’, you’d have to step back & introduce others to the front line to ‘wean them off’ being so dependent on you and associate ‘the brand’ with the level of service they get rather than ‘John the sign guy’.Having reps or employees in this HIGHLY valuable & powerful position may be a worry…if they leave – they might migrate the client with them…or they go looking for them, but the flip side is – if they don’t have a strong bond with the client – ANYBODY could come along & snaffle the business. For me, there are few things more satisfying than clients joking that ‘so and so’ was sniffing round for business and was ‘promising to be cheaper than you’ and they told them in no uncertain terms that they are barking up the wrong tree if they think they are getting the business…
Dave
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quote martin:John, I can see the point you are making but you have already built your Company up and it is well established.
If you hadn’t taken the personal route you may not have got to where you are.You might be right Martin, but is personal involvement a pre-requisite for success? If his bid is successful, you’re not likely to find Richard Branson behind the counter at Northern Rock. Well, maybe for ten minutes as a publicity stunt, but that’ll be tops.
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I’ve found in the past when I’ve employed people if I went out everything stopped. If a customer came in and I wasn’t there they’d be asked to leave a number for me to call them back, when the staff talking to them were more then capable of dealing with them. The graphic designer would hold a design to check if I liked the type face and do no more till I returned. With this I felt like I was doing everything myself which in reality I was.
On a daily basis I do the sales, designing, running around, fitting, printing, cutting, accounts and oh yes……making coffee.
In reality I could do with someone to help me run the business and instead of working for ££’s per hour work for the business instead and show some inclination they want to do the job instead of joining the "I want the money but don’t want to work gang!"Karl.
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It’s so hard to actually hire someone who you genuinely think want to have a future with you. Help you build the company and gain alot of experience themselves. It just doesnt happen, because people don’t want to learn, simple as!
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quote Karl Williams:On a daily basis I do the sales, designing, running around, fitting, printing, cutting, accounts and oh yes……making coffee.Sounds like the crew might be a little intimidated by the way you oversee (i.e., micromanage) the details. Perhaps encourage them to gradually take initiative, and let them know that mistakes happen when they’re learning.
On a side note, some people can be intimidated about how to prepare the coffee, such that everyone enjoys it.
Cheers,
Rod
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John, I don’t think that is a comparison you can make, Richard Branson has proved himself time and time again to be a successful business person so although you may not see him personally behind the counter people will know that the Company is now being run his way by people who he would probably bring in.
I bet in his early days as a Business person he got far more involved at a personal level than he does now. Same with you really, you have built the Company up and need to ensure you employ the right people for the right positions and more importantly Train them how you want them trained to show the same values that you have built the Company on. If you can achieve that then the business will carry on the same even after you leave until someone else comes along with a different set of values and decides to change things.
Karl, don’t take this the wrong way but I can see how people could be intimidated by you and rather than make a mistake would wait for your return. Not an easy job employing people and some people just don’t really want to work anyway so you are always going to have problems when a business reaches the point when you are looking at increasing your workforce.
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Rod & Martin,
No chaps you have got that one wrong. I’ve employed both experienced people and newbies. Some can’t get to work on time at all which is a pet hate of mine. The graphic designer made too many mistakes. He was left by himself many times with written instructions but still manged to c0ck it up. You no I don’t really have to explain myself here. If they can’t or won’t do the job then they’ve got to go.
And just to add to the point I’ve never had any member of staff state they are intimidated by me.
Let’s put it another way regarding people not wanting to work.
The job centre send people to the shop for an interview. Turns out they aren’t interested. They only want to show they are actively seeking employment so they can carry on claiming the dole. -
quote Karl Williams:Rod & Martin,No chaps you have got that one wrong. I’ve employed both experienced people and newbies. Some can’t get to work on time at all which is a pet hate of mine. The graphic designer made too many mistakes. He was left by himself many times with written instructions but still manged to c0ck it up. You no I don’t really have to explain myself here. If they can’t or won’t do the job then they’ve got to go.
And just to add to the point I’ve never had any member of staff state they are intimidated by me.
Let’s put it another way regarding people not wanting to work.
The job centre send people to the shop for an interview. Turns out they aren’t interested. They only want to show they are actively seeking employment so they can carry on claiming the dole.Karl, sorry mate but cannot understand why you would need to leave a graphic designer, with written instructions?
people who feel intimidated seldom tell the person, and I have to agree with Martin and Rob
Perhaps you do come over as a bit of a tyrant, (i think you are probably just the opposite) but it’s how others perceive you, and sometimes, it may be worth a stand back and look in.I would avoid people from job centres, if you want people who are worth their salt.
Its just my opinion,
And no, I am not having a go at you,
Peter
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Maybe instructions was the wrong phrase to use.Lets put it this way. A client comes in a says he’s interested in a 4ft x 4ft foamex x 10mm thick sign with red text on it saying "fantastic deals on new & used cars!" he also wants a picture of a car on the sign as well. He is giving me his instuctions and I write them down. These instructions – job details are then passed over to the designer who is also briefed on the clients requirements. The artwork is done, customer clarifies he’s happy….great….get the sign made and put the money in the bank! No. Customer turns up and the signs been made on 3 mm foamex instead of 10mm. Designer decides he doesn’t like the typeface so changes it without asking the client or myself.
Printing out metres of vinyl and then realsing everything is the wrong size so he decides to chuck this in the bin and do it again telling no one what he’s done. He gets found out and says "oh well never mind!" Never mind? you tell me what you’d do? Intimidating my backside. -
Karl, we may be talking at cross purposes here
My definition of a graphic designer, is someone who liases with the client to come up with a design that promotes the clients product or services.Your employee just looks like he was left to lay up a pre-determined sign, and then print and apply to the substrata.
So maybe you were expecting that person to be as knowledgeable as you in all aspects of the trade?
If you had said you had employed a skilled sign maker, then I could sympathies, and agree that the person wasn’t what was expected.
I suppose its really down to job definition, and making sure the employee is aware and capable of carrying out what is required,
I will agree, its very hard to find the right people, that’s why, like you I tend to do it all myself….
apart from all the important stuff, Lynn does that
Peter
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Peter, It’s difficult to explain in full on here mate. when I started someone else took the details then passed them on to us. Simple and no problems.
Did this for years and never had any probs. The problem as I see it is today we live in a world were you can’t pull someone up with out being accused of harrasing them. Some people can’t thinks for themselves.
As for the designer discussing things with the client you and I both know that’s not always possible.Hagar The Horrible.
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Going back to Johns point, i think that it is important to get the business to the stage that it can run itself without the creator / owner of the business being there 24/7. What happens when you want a family holiday? What happens when you are sick? The business should not stop.
I am not going to build a sign business over the next twenty years or so and then not be able to sell it because i won’t be running it no more. At least thats the plan!!
I think Johns point is bang on.
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