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LegitGraphics

100 small decals

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Guest kenya

Looks like you used 15" vinyl & roughly alittle over 8 feet long.

And 8' of app tape. So in material you probably have $10 in material.

Weeding & cutting them apart shouldn't be too time consuming.

My price would be $40 minimum. But I always give 'friends' a price break.  ;)

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I woulda been at .75 ea probably, 2 hour job tops, probably quicker if they weed as easy as they look, not a get rich job but money in the bank!

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i used 24" roll, i was half way done cutting when i remembered to take a picture

material was  oracal 651 and oracal MT95 mask

used about 24"x42" of each

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I woulda been at .75 ea probably, 2 hour job tops, probably quicker if they weed as easy as they look, not a get rich job but money in the bank!

Yep

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I woulda been at .75 ea probably, 2 hour job tops, probably quicker if they weed as easy as they look, not a get rich job but money in the bank!

right on the mark with that price ;)

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$123 for all 100 on 15" vinyl which is what i use mostly for decals like this.

IMO you guys are leaving a ton of money on the table. $123 is a very fair price compared to other shops...

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$123 for all 100 on 15" vinyl which is what i use mostly for decals like this.

IMO you guys are leaving a ton of money on the table. $123 is a very fair price compared to other shops...

Surprisingly, I quoted my local FastSigns for a similar job, who are likely the most expensive in my area on and they were close to that, for a similar size and qty.  For some reason, people expect a huge qty discount on vinyl.  I understand 1-20, but above that, there is no real reason to go down, but so is life..

It's still +$50/hr, im ok with it.

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I would have been at $100-130 here. $1-1.30 per decal is a very fair price, even if it is for your friend

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Guest kenya

Damn, my friends really get a break.

You guys are charging what I would charge a 'non friend' customer.  ;D

Maybe they arn't really your friend.  ;D ;D ;)

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Normal customer 1.25 ea  a friend  .75 each and a cold beer while they bullshit with me while i make them

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Damn, my friends really get a break.

You guys are charging what I would charge a 'non friend' customer.  ;D

Maybe they arn't really your friend.  ;D ;D ;)

My quote was for a non friend customer.  If it was a friend that wanted a deal I would make them weed them, but I would cut them for a good price! LOL

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I agree, lots of money being left on the table. I just did a job of small decals like that. was for (I think) 125 of them and I charged $2 each.

Dont undercut yourself. You wont last in business very long if you do.

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I agree, lots of money being left on the table. I just did a job of small decals like that. was for (I think) 125 of them and I charged $2 each.

Dont undercut yourself. You wont last in business very long if you do.

I'm not undercutting myself IMO, I am undercutting the sign shops in town that overcharge. Thats probably around $35 an hour after expenses from what I figure doing them at .75 ea.  Sure thats not getting rich, but its work, and the fact of the matter is the guy I did them for for .75 would be much happier than the person you did them for for $2 each....word of mouth and return customers are my bread and butter, and they don't brag about you unless they feel like you do good work at a good price, thats what I strive to offer.

There is a fine line between underpricing, overpricing, and hitting it perfect, and .75 ea might be a little on the low side, maybe $1 ea might be closer to perfect, but I just don't feel like the work I do is so special as to require $50-$100 an hour for my labor for every job, some I can make that, others I can't, especially these small jobs where guys are looking for quantity discounts.

At the end of a day, charge a price that makes you money and keeps you busy, that may be different for me than it is for many others.  I would take my $75, and knock it out in an hour and a half, deliver to the customer with a handshake and a couple business cards, and wait for the next set of referrals to come from him.  You can also bet the next time he needs anything done, this job or another, he comes straight to me.  If I charge $2 ea, he probably pays it, but he might also do some shopping around next time he needs something done, and who knows that might be a $2000 dollar job.  Referrals and return customers keep my business going, not an extra $50 for every job I do by raising prices.

Please keep in mind this is only one guys opinion, there are lots of ways to run a successful sign business.

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I understand your point BUT...

Undercutting everyone else (in my personal opinion) makes one look cheap or as though they are cutting corners and selling an inferior product. Why would you want to be that guy? It also hurts everyone else in the business, big sign shops and small sign shops and one man operations. If you undercut every job the customer is going to expect that kind of pricing no matter what he needs and that does nothing for the economy and makes others go into bankruptcy or close down their business. You also need to keep in mind the overhead of running a business no matter if big or small there is overhead and you must account for it.

I would rather do one $300 job than four $75 jobs to make the same profit. Leaves me with way more time to do more of those $300 jobs in that day and/or spend time with my wife and kids more. Does that make sense?

As far as referrals are concerned I get plenty of them. My company is known as a company that pays very good attention to detail and provides great customer service and that is what keeps them all coming back and referring me to others, not my cheap prices.

I was actually contacted to do a job for a large company across the country from me, they were referred to me by one of my existing customers. Why would they use me over someone that is in their area that they could be in close proximity to? Because they were told about the great service that my company offers. Work Smarter NOT Harder!

I know this is probably going to start a whole big thing on here and that is not what I want to do but I wanted to respond to you.

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OK I SEE YOUR POINT BAYSHORE.  BUT EVERYONE IS ALSO IN DIFFERENT AREAS AND THERES DIFFERENT AMOUNTS OF COMPETITION THAT NEEDS TO BE LOOKED AT.  ALSO  EVERYONE HAS DIFFERENT OVERHEADS.  I HAVE A SHOP AND A PORTABLE UNIT  BUT  MY RENT IS NOT THAT BAD NEITHER IS MY ELECTRIC AND ALL THAT.  BUT I DO A LOT OF THE LARGER JOBS AND ITS NICE FOR A RAIN DAY OR WHATEVER TO HAVE THE LITTE 75 DOLLAR JOBS WHEN I WOULD JUST BE WAITING FOR CUSTOMERS TO COME IN IF I COULDNT GO INTO THE FIELD AND INSTALL STUFF.  75 BUCKS FOR AN HOUR IT WOULD TAKE ME TO MAKE THEM AND SAY 8 BUCKS IN MATERIAL  IS A NICE LITTLE CHUNK OF BEER MONEY. 

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I understand your point BUT...

Undercutting everyone else (in my personal opinion) makes one look cheap or as though they are cutting corners and selling an inferior product. Why would you want to be that guy? It also hurts everyone else in the business, big sign shops and small sign shops and one man operations. If you undercut every job the customer is going to expect that kind of pricing no matter what he needs and that does nothing for the economy and makes others go into bankruptcy or close down their business. You also need to keep in mind the overhead of running a business no matter if big or small there is overhead and you must account for it.

I would rather do one $300 job than four $75 jobs to make the same profit. Leaves me with way more time to do more of those $300 jobs in that day and/or spend time with my wife and kids more. Does that make sense?

As far as referrals are concerned I get plenty of them. My company is known as a company that pays very good attention to detail and provides great customer service and that is what keeps them all coming back and referring me to others, not my cheap prices.

I was actually contacted to do a job for a large company across the country from me, they were referred to me by one of my existing customers. Why would they use me over someone that is in their area that they could be in close proximity to? Because they were told about the great service that my company offers. Work Smarter NOT Harder!

I know this is probably going to start a whole big thing on here and that is not what I want to do but I wanted to respond to you.

Hey, I completely understand where you are coming from as well and respect it, and alot of people misunderstand me when it comes to pricing philosophies.  I understand overhead, and I understand that you have to cover your overhead, and make a good profit.  Don't get me wrong, thats what we are all out here to do, but I see a profit in that job priced where I priced it, I will make $35 an hour on that job (estimate, if I could knock it out in an hour, heck thats closer to $50 an hour), my average is somewhere around $60-75 per hour, which after taxes and expenses leaves me with take home around $25-30 per hour or so, which to me is good money for the work I do.  Sure some jobs come in lower (like this one), but this customer is going to walk out of my door thinking he got a square, or even a good deal, customers who leave my door going "dang that was expensive, but this is really nice stuff!"  Don't come back as often in my experience, or give as glowing of referrals.

The problem I have is just because I have good prices, doesn't meant that I use lesser materials or have inferior service, to assume that or make that correlation is just fundamentally wrong.  Sure an outsider comparing the two will think "how is he so much cheaper?"  Thats where my reputation for good communication, fast service, good prices, and a quality product come in.  Most of my customers were referred by someone who is very happy with the final product.  You ask me why i would want to be the guy who cuts corners for price....but I'm not that guy, far from it actually.  I am the guy who does quality work at good prices......and I am the guy who consistantly has customers who say "man XXX company down the street did these for me last year, and they were 3x as expensive and I like the ones you made better...thanks!".  I do want to be that guy, and it makes me proud to be that guy.  I also counter with being higher than the other guys can give customers the perception that he is high priced, and too proud, and doesn't want to work as hard for his money..etc etc.  It goes both ways.

As far as eroding the industry......I am not in this for the betterment of the industry as a whole, nor do I want to make it easy for the guy down the street to compete with me.  I am in this for myself, and to make money.....if the other guys have a hard time competing, or I put sign shops out of business or hurt their bottom line.....then I am being a successful businessman.  

There may be a time that I am so busy that I can't keep up any more and actually get more than 5 hours of sleep in a night....when I hit that point I will look at my prices again, and probably think about raising them, maybe you are at that point, but I'm not yet.  I am trying to walk the line to grow my business as fast as I can, while still making money, and I am doing pretty good at that so far.

You say "I would rather do one $300 job than four $75 jobs to make the same profit. Leaves me with way more time to do more of those $300 jobs in that day and/or spend time with my wife and kids more. Does that make sense?"  And I don't disagree with that, its a good philosophy, but I am willing to do that $300 job your doing for $200....and my 3 other $75 jobs as well making a solid profit on all of them, and I am willing to do it because I know it competes with you as my competitor.  Sure I worked harder maybe for the same money, but that doesn't bother me I guess.  All I can say is its working for me, my business is growing, and I'm making money....for anyone who is reading this.....both ways can work, there is not one of us who is right or wrong in this discussion, find what works best for you and your market, and go with it.

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I did some similar in size a few days ago 100 pieces and I did em for 1.00 each. Sure its bugger all in material but the weeding time is what kills.

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Guest kenya

All good points...... but this was supposed to be based on it being for a 'friend'. Maybe some of you

want to make more than others off of friends, to each their own.

My prices would be higher for a regular customer, but still not as high as some of you will charge.

But I NEVER use products of a lower standand to make a profit. It's all quality material & if I choose

to give a friend a break- they usually bring me in more work..... today I gave 2 shirts away

& delivered them because I was in the area. My customer's mother was there & I sold a 4' x 4'

aluminum sign to her. Sometimes when you take care of people it comes back with even

better jobs.

Since my heat press was hot & it only took me 15 minutes to design,cut, weed & press the two

shirts, I now have a $175 sign job- which I charged accordingly for.

My husband & I have owned our own glass & aluminum business since 1984 & we run our sign business

with the same standards & practices, so I don't see us running our business in the ground by helping

a few friends. There will always be a difference of opinions on pricing. It's all what your area & our

crippled economy will bare.

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I understand your point BUT...

Undercutting everyone else (in my personal opinion) makes one look cheap or as though they are cutting corners and selling an inferior product. Why would you want to be that guy? It also hurts everyone else in the business, big sign shops and small sign shops and one man operations. If you undercut every job the customer is going to expect that kind of pricing no matter what he needs and that does nothing for the economy and makes others go into bankruptcy or close down their business. You also need to keep in mind the overhead of running a business no matter if big or small there is overhead and you must account for it.

I would rather do one $300 job than four $75 jobs to make the same profit. Leaves me with way more time to do more of those $300 jobs in that day and/or spend time with my wife and kids more. Does that make sense?

As far as referrals are concerned I get plenty of them. My company is known as a company that pays very good attention to detail and provides great customer service and that is what keeps them all coming back and referring me to others, not my cheap prices.

I was actually contacted to do a job for a large company across the country from me, they were referred to me by one of my existing customers. Why would they use me over someone that is in their area that they could be in close proximity to? Because they were told about the great service that my company offers. Work Smarter NOT Harder!

I know this is probably going to start a whole big thing on here and that is not what I want to do but I wanted to respond to you.

Hey, I completely understand where you are coming from as well and respect it, and alot of people misunderstand me when it comes to pricing philosophies.  I understand overhead, and I understand that you have to cover your overhead, and make a good profit.  Don't get me wrong, thats what we are all out here to do, but I see a profit in that job priced where I priced it, I will make $35 an hour on that job (estimate, if I could knock it out in an hour, heck thats closer to $50 an hour), my average is somewhere around $60-75 per hour, which after taxes and expenses leaves me with take home around $25-30 per hour or so, which to me is good money for the work I do.  Sure some jobs come in lower (like this one), but this customer is going to walk out of my door thinking he got a square, or even a good deal, customers who leave my door going "dang that was expensive, but this is really nice stuff!"  Don't come back as often in my experience, or give as glowing of referrals.

The problem I have is just because I have good prices, doesn't meant that I use lesser materials or have inferior service, to assume that or make that correlation is just fundamentally wrong.  Sure an outsider comparing the two will think "how is he so much cheaper?"  Thats where my reputation for good communication, fast service, good prices, and a quality product come in.  Most of my customers were referred by someone who is very happy with the final product.  You ask me why i would want to be the guy who cuts corners for price....but I'm not that guy, far from it actually.  I am the guy who does quality work at good prices......and I am the guy who consistantly has customers who say "man XXX company down the street did these for me last year, and they were 3x as expensive and I like the ones you made better...thanks!".  I do want to be that guy, and it makes me proud to be that guy.  I also counter with being higher than the other guys can give customers the perception that he is high priced, and too proud, and doesn't want to work as hard for his money..etc etc.  It goes both ways.

As far as eroding the industry......I am not in this for the betterment of the industry as a whole, nor do I want to make it easy for the guy down the street to compete with me.  I am in this for myself, and to make money.....if the other guys have a hard time competing, or I put sign shops out of business or hurt their bottom line.....then I am being a successful businessman. 

There may be a time that I am so busy that I can't keep up any more and actually get more than 5 hours of sleep in a night....when I hit that point I will look at my prices again, and probably think about raising them, maybe you are at that point, but I'm not yet.  I am trying to walk the line to grow my business as fast as I can, while still making money, and I am doing pretty good at that so far.

You say "I would rather do one $300 job than four $75 jobs to make the same profit. Leaves me with way more time to do more of those $300 jobs in that day and/or spend time with my wife and kids more. Does that make sense?"  And I don't disagree with that, its a good philosophy, but I am willing to do that $300 job your doing for $200....and my 3 other $75 jobs as well making a solid profit on all of them, and I am willing to do it because I know it competes with you as my competitor.  Sure I worked harder maybe for the same money, but that doesn't bother me I guess.  All I can say is its working for me, my business is growing, and I'm making money....for anyone who is reading this.....both ways can work, there is not one of us who is right or wrong in this discussion, find what works best for you and your market, and go with it.

Very well put.

I thank you for your honesty.

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Very well put.

I thank you for your honesty.

And I thank you for your viewpoints as well, I enjoy conversations with differing viewpoints where things don't get personal or nasty.  Viewpoints like yours can make me look at my models sometimes as well and wondering if I shouldn't charge more.....like I said its a fine line to walk, for all of us.

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Yeah theres so many ways to look at things and i agree with points you both have made,  everyone has different  goals and different ways to run their businesses

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