posted
As we venture into the local sign market we hear the comment "I'll bet your signs are EXPENSIVE" quite a bit. And my honest answer is "Yes they are." But I don't leave it there.
People like our signs. They notice them too! We are situated in a the tiny community of Yarrow and out on the road are two of our 3D signs. Our primary sign is the one with the ship and moon with dimensional gold leaf lettering. Beside the driveway is our new little sidewalk sign - the small red 1930's cartoon truck with a sign in the back advertising our dimensional signs.
Folks driving by notice them... we see them all the time. They stop their cars, often pose beside the signs while they take pictures, and then they take note of the unique architecture of our shop way at the back to the property. Then they tentatively venture back and knock on my door inquiring about signs.
That's when I hear the comment "I'll bet your signs are expensive." And I answer "Yes they are." But that is only the start of the conversation we have. I ask them how many sign shops they have stopped at in the last while... and point out they most likely drove by many on their way to our place - although they can't recall seeing any along the way. Most often they note they have been watching our place for a long time - each time they pass.
This is my cue to point out the effectiveness of the three dimensional signs we produce - how they are landmarks when anyone passes through Yarrow. A tour through our shop and showroom opens their eyes wide to the possibilities of what we could do for them.
In our conversations I carefully point out the VALUE of the work we create. If the signs work hard and are truly memorable this value can far exceed the money they can undoubtably save on a less costly inexpensive sign.
Not everyone can afford or is prepared to pay for what one of our signs cost. I send away a lot of folks without selling them a sign. And that's OK. But the ones I do get are the ones I want... the folks who see the value in our work and are prepared to pay for it.
The end result is that the signs we get to make are fun and challenging. All are pieces I proudly sign my name to.
Making only expensive signs in Yarrow...
-grampa dan
-------------------- Dan Sawatzky Imagination Corporation Yarrow, British Columbia dan@imaginationcorporation.com http://www.imaginationcorporation.com
Being a grampa is one of the the most wonderful things in the world!!! Posts: 8740 | From: Yarrow, B.C. Canada | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
My response is, Yes, my signs are expensive, but they are going to make you more money than they make me.
If an expensive sign makes the client more money than it cost him to buy it it is a cheap sign.
If a cheap sign sign doesn't work and doesn't make the client any money then it is an expensive sign.
Anything that works well, does what it was intended to do, makes more money than the purchase price, and lasts a long time is not expensive, no matter what it cost.
-------------------- Chapman Sign Studio Temple, Texas chapmanstudio@sbcglobal.net Posts: 6306 | From: Temple, Texas, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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Raymond, I like that. I like it enough to print it out and put it in the show room. I'm sure the client will be totally confused, confused enough that they'll have to buy an expensive sign that becomes a cheap sign when the sign makes them alot of money and hopefully they'll be back to buy more expensive signs, knowing they're really are cheap, and on and on and on and the circle of life is complete. Thanks
-------------------- Tom & Kathy Durham House Springs, MO Posts: 654 | From: House Springs, MO | Registered: Apr 1999
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We don't like to think of our signs as expensive but appropriately priced for the quality received. Like Raymond we also feel that the customer will get full value from the use of those signs.
-------------------- Kent Smith Smith Sign Studio P.O.Box 2385, Estes Park, CO 80517-2385 kent@smithsignstudio.com Posts: 1025 | From: Estes Park, CO | Registered: Nov 1998
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Ray You should print a t-shirt with that "quote" on it. I'll buy one, cus it'll make money. Mark Baty
-------------------- Mark Baty Mark 1 Studio 1980 SE Leeann Drive Waukee, IA 50263 Posts: 45 | From: Waukee, Iowa | Registered: Aug 2008
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Words of wisdom from the people who really know what they are talking about. Bill
-------------------- Bill Riedel Riedel Sign Co., Inc. 15 Warren Street Little Ferry, N.J. 07643 billsr@riedelsignco.com Posts: 2953 | From: Little Ferry, New Jersey, USA | Registered: Feb 1999
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I have had some of my New car dealers tell me I am more expensive than their attorney. I ask them who their attorney is and they usually mention his or her name. I then ask him to call him the next time he needs wis showroom windows painted. That usually get him to pipe down and a chuckle out of him.
I then switch it to how effective his news print, radio and TV advertising is compared to my showroom window painting. He usually thinks about it a second and agrees with me that grabbing eyeballs is the game and cost per view really is dramatically less with my work. How much is a three month ad in the newspaper and exactly how many people are reading that ad as they drive by? How many are watching the right channel on TV as they drive by? How many are listening to the right station on the radio? How about that billboard for $15,000 a quarter down the road? A seventy foot wide fluorescent window splash grabs eyeballs and the cost in neglible, compared to the results.
Now here is the real price objection nullifier: When exactly did you want this sign, Mr. Customer? Switch it to when, not how much. It always works. creat urgency and you create control. Price is just a state of mind.
-------------------- Preston McCall 112 Rim Road Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501 text: 5056607370 Posts: 1561 | From: Santa Fe, New Mexico | Registered: Nov 1998
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