Thinking of hiring someone... please read.

[kauffman21 32]

So I was thinking of hiring an outside sales person to go to businesses among other places to drum up business. he/she would keep a percentage of the amount they sold (10-15%) has anyone here done this before? Things are real slow here in between sports seasons and I'm hoping this will get more work in and give the sales person a reason to sell more if they got a percentage of the final bill. Anyone have any Input please?

[MadHatterGraphix 1,258]

Actually its not a bad Idea the nice thing is the family is getting into it, my sister in law is more into than my brother which is sad.

[jaybyrd 3,770]

Percentage needs to be higher unless you have a base + percentage. Unless they're selling $1000 jobs several times a week it'll barely cover their gas and time. Sound idea though and depending on the sales person could reap great benefits for you.

[kauffman21 32]

Percentage needs to be higher unless you have a base + percentage. Unless they're selling $1000 jobs several times a week it'll barely cover their gas and time. Sound idea though and depending on the sales person could reap great benefits for you.

Yeah I agree. I just threw the numbers out there to give people an idea of what I was talking about. I do all of our installing, designing, and shirt pressing while my wife does 100% of the weeding and phone answering which leaves us with little to no time to go out and generate new sales... most of our work is by word of mouth. We're nowhere near able to go full time with a store front (currently we use our garage as the shop), and if it wasn't for my VA and Army retirement checks we'd have a hard time doing what we do now. But I was thinking of doing this since we do have a friend who is basically a salesman of ours and all he wants is a few shirts and decals in return. He's a good guy who is a real people person, and I've tried paying him, he don't want it...he wants more shirts lol. Hard to argue with that. Hopefully someone on here reads this that has experience hiring a full-time or even part-time sales person (we live near a few colleges and a huge military base that we could recruit employees from), it seems like a great idea, but I'd like some advice from someone before I dive in and learn from trial and error on this. I'm not the type of person who would just go door to door and sale things, but I am the type that would pay someone to do it for me LOL

[skarekrow 1,842]

You don't actually have to "Hire" anyone to do what you're after...

Just put the word out (as you're doing here) that you're offering a "Finders Fee" of

X dollars or Percent for all the Graphics, Sign, & Shirt someone brings your way.

 

BTW, Jay is right, you're going to have to up the ante to make it worth someone's while

to seriously work at it.

[kauffman21 32]

You don't actually have to "Hire" anyone to do what you're after...

Just put the word out (as you're doing here) that you're offering a "Finders Fee" of

X dollars or Percent for all the Graphics, Sign, & Shirt someone brings your way.

 

BTW, Jay is right, you're going to have to up the ante to make it worth someone's while

to seriously work at it.

Ok, thanks for the advice. so are you thinking like 20-30% of final price? what do you think is a fair price or percentage?

[skarekrow 1,842]

You could certainly initially offer in that range, though I believe it wise to set some minimums.

[jfought 120]

heck my daughter just sold a 150 tshirt job to her teacher at school!! easy 10% commission for her!

[jaybyrd 3,770]

heck my daughter just sold a 150 tshirt job to her teacher at school!! easy 10% commission for her!

Is your daughter for hire? lol Remeber too that a really good salesperson may bury you in work faster than you realize.

[Dawn's Design 403]

You will have to hire help then to help you keep up.

[gcextreme 475]

The best way to "hire" someone without really paying them, is give them free t-shirts (with your business logo/name/website/phone #) on it somewhere....everytime they wear it, they are a walking advertisement for you...

 

I did a skull and flames shirt for my brother and a rose shirt for his gf, had my website address on the sleeve...so now when they wear them, they are advertising for me!

[skarekrow 1,842]

I do it too... those $5 investments have paid of  well.

[xpaperman 719]

heck my daughter just sold a 150 tshirt job to her teacher at school!! easy 10% commission for her!

 

I make plenty of shirts for my daughter to wear to school!  Lots of different type of school related stuff.  She often comes home with  "Mrs. so and so or Mr. so and so wants one of these in an adult large etc.  I actually performed a whole transaction through her (of course I made an initial call to the teacher) she took the order, brought it home to me, I completed it, gave it to her and sent her to school with it.  She returned that afternoon with the money!  She was so excited.  She is in first grade and now want to help me all the time.

 

There is a company here in town that the school deals with exclusively for all the big order stuff and I don't try to mess with or interfere with that.  However, I do have a bunch of my shirts wandering around doing it my way.  A couple here and couple there!

[sspvinyl 6]

Why not send off Flyers as postcards in the mail to local business in the area.  Spent $100 bucks on the flyers and the cost of Postcard stamps are less then a normal stamp.  Print off labels with the address of the business on them and put them in the mail.  We made our money back in 1 job off of it.  

[gcextreme 475]

Thats an ok way..but border lines spam/junk mail. Most places just throw it away.

Plus its alot of work getting all those business addresses and stuff.

A cheaper yet more illegal way is a mass email campaign...lol

[jaybyrd 3,770]

If you go the mail route look up eddm (?) every door direct mail I think. I have looked at this a couple times but haven't pulled the trigger yet.

[sspvinyl 6]

In FL you can look up the new business's that have signed up with the state.  Their address and name are all public info.  You could start mailing to those companies.  Obviously you would mail to people in your own city or surrounding city.  More then likely these business's are going to need something. 

[gcextreme 475]

We have the same thing thru the local City Chamber of Commerce..but u gotta be a chamber member to get access to all that. And the $500 a year membership fee is kinda steep.

[xpaperman 719]

500 bucks to the chamber might seem high now, but I know in my little town, being a member is a secret weapon.  The chamber here seems to embrace those businesses that are members.  They tend to push work and people to those businesses that are members. 

 

I am not a member.  I have visited with them and some businesses in town that are members about obtaining a little work here and there from them.  They continue to use the company in town that IS a member.  It may not be this way everywhere.... I will just stick to my guns tho and do things my way.  So far so good 

[gcextreme 475]

Pretty much the same here..90% of the businesses along the main drag are members...and the ones that arent dont seem to stay open long. Specially since all the local advertising media is controlled by the chamber.

I was denied a business ad in the paper and the radio.

[xpaperman 719]

Interesting info on the radio ad and the paper.... WOW.  At least I got to donate my money to the paper.... didn't (to the best of my knowledge) get any business from the ad.... but they took my money and at least ran my ad.

 

Here is an idea of how I handle it..... for example, youth baseball is just starting up in town.  Now, I know, the local company is in bed with the town to do all of the uniforms, which is fine with me.  For one, they silk screen, I don't. Plus they are set up to do that type of volume all at once, I am not...(I really don't even know if that matters since each jersey has a different number... oh well)...... I play to the parents!  I push my parent shirts!  I can add bling (mom's eat that up) I can add a kids name to shirts and personalize etc.

 

It seems like it is a competition all it's own with parent shirts.  Each mom on the team wants to be different, stand out and have a cooler shirt than the other moms!  Plus, they will pay for it.

 

What? the season starts in 4 days and you have to have your shirt ASAP?  Ok, but there is a fee for "RUSH" 

 

I really don't advertise, I sort of try and stay low key in a sense (somehow that is working for me) and people are coming out of the word work.....I honestly don't know how some of these people (from surrounding towns as well) are even finding me.  My guess....... word of mouth.  Quality work at fair prices!  I have hear of some of the prices the local shops are charging for parent shirts.... OMG

[gcextreme 475]

Yep thats what im gonna do too.

already started with the baseball shirts for family and friends..

[sspvinyl 6]

Chambers Suck.  there are a few sign shops in the ones I been in and one company will request a quote and then shop it around until they get the lowest price.  Once they get the lowest price they take it back to everyone to see if they can beat that price.  I called some of the people out about it and pretty much said I dont have time for these games.  I dont think they like that but O well.  I got 1 job out of it which paid the fees which were about $200 bucks or so.  After that I never went back.  3 years later my name, website and contact info are still in the book.