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I bet you didn’t increase your prices accordingly compared to the auto industry
I’m doing less vehicle signwriting in the past 2 years. (chip shortage / not many new vehicles to buy these days, we are told)
I’m searching for a smaller vehicle at the moment. The prices are high. The prices are in some occasion 10k extra than 1 year ago.
I bet you didn’t increase your prices accordingly compared with the increase that the auto industry did.
I feel this increase is orchestrated, although I understand supply and demand.
Still, when I I put 25 bucks on the quotation, I get questions as to why I’m increasing the price.
Small business are not as untouchable as big businesses.
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5 Replies
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Perhaps not to that extent, but I did put my prices up, for no other reason than if they’ve spent so much on their vehicle, why would they expect to spend little on their signage?
I get two types of customer, those who want to spend nothing and I let them go elsewhere, and those who like the work we do, for a fair/reasonable price.
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I am constantly trying!
Good subject, I will read it with interest. 🤓 -
we have been putting extra £££ on here and there but as you say it is difficult. i would be really interested to hear tips by any of you on how you manage to convince your customer to pay more than he normally does or worse, pay more than he can get it along the road from the next sign company. 😏
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I recently did a piece for a magazine on this subject.
I’ve really concentrated on van signage, I’m geared up for it, got processes and everything in place to make it easy for myself and the customer.
Think sales before signs, the act of making the sign is generally easy, the hard part is winning the right work.
What makes you different?
Why would a potential customer pay more for your service?
What are you offering that the competition aren’t?
Why are they approaching you?
If they’ve had a cheaper quote why are they approaching you? Granted some will always be chasing for it cheaper.
I’ve had many who have a had ‘free designs’ by cheaper companies, and the customers thought they looked rubbish, (or I’ve told them as much) or have seen our work and liked ours better. Suddenly they can see the value in the extra £££’s.
Sometimes the other company blanks the customer, after all they’ve done a free design, if they don’t like it they move on to the next job… I’ve had these customers pay deposits larger than what these companies were wanting for the whole job.
Find their pain point, or problem, and solve it.
Notice I’ve not mentioned a prices yet?
Have a full handle on your costs, know how much it costs an hour, or day to keep your business open, be realistic in how many hours your actually work that can be billed to customers, update it, and have 100% confidence in it.
If it’s costing £150 a day to keep the doors open, and food on the table, whats the point spending £50 in materials and 8+ hours, designing, producing, and installing a van for £200.
When you’ve got a handle on costs, and confidence in your numbers, its really easy to say no to jobs and customers. Have confidence in the product, and service you offer.
I managed to get a NVQ in Sales a few years back, and worked with a business coach with industry experience, and it was an eye opener. This is a small part of what I did through that, I know it sounds boring but working on my business rather than in it has been the best thing I’ve done, hence why I advocate it so much.
Each time you get a customer who wastes your time, or is solely priced focus, spend 5minutes thinking how could you have stopped that happening, what questions could you have asked, or what could you have done differently, then with the next customer try it.
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Vans (low spec) that were 17k now they are 35k.
Mental.
Ended up getting small Hyundai i10.
5 years warranty, dealer garage 5km away from me.
