so, first of all I want to say again that you have a ton of great looking signs.. I just looked at at least 100 and maybe 200 samples of your work, which I enjoyed seeing.
Regarding the opportunity to customize a portfolio page, I have some questions or suggestions.
With that much work behind you, and a domain name like sandblasted.com I think it is safe to assume you are pretty well entrenched in this industry, have established yourself solidly.
That said, I know the point in allowing smaller sign shops to show off your portfolio is for them (me) to be able to show their (my) clients something they (I) can't produce, but would be able to outsource to you, if that is what my client needs.
What you don't really want to do is let people use your wealth of accumulated portfolio pieces simply to lend credibility to our small company, & help give ourselves & our clients fabrication and design ideas, if we would then be able to produce the sign ourselves.
So, my thoughts are about that second scenario. I don't think you have much to fear that people would abuse your intentions here, even though some might. In fact using myself as an example, I would more easily be able to sell monument signs (of yours) if I was able to showcase so many samples & examples, while on the other hand I wouldn't be as likely to sub out any CNC work, because I have my own CNC router. On the sandblasted signs, I might sub some smaller ones your way because I don't do them, but shipping to Hawaii would keep me from subbing larger ones.
Anyway, the question I have to ask about those screenshots you posted, and the fact that you mentioned "if a client is over my shoulder" ...the portfolio looks like it is mine...
I remember some of the architectural suppliers I met with when I attended my first sign convention in 1990. They had nice 8-1/2" x 11" glossy portfolio sheets we could slip into a sales binder to take to meetings with clients or flip to on our own sales counter to help make a sale. They had no markings from the vendor at all, but a nice corner area left blank for my own logo sticker.
So here is my observation. Clients these days usually aren't driving over to request bids on large expensive dimensional signs, and if they did, professional sign companies are not saying "here, look over my shoulder, I can bring up images on my computer that I didn't direct you to when you called"
Your screenshot shows a "get estimate" button, and we will never be able to use this service you want to offer, the way it is now, because of that last paragraph. The clients shopping for expensive signs are using the internet. The shops selling high end signage are using the internet. As I understand it, what you are offering will not be useful on the internet, because I have to log in to get my logo to come up, and if my customer liked your one of your monuments, he would see "get estimate" and his contact information all gets sent to you, not to me. I'm not saying that was intended, I'm just saying you intend for us to use this offer in our own shop, with the mouse in our own hand. I'm saying that will never happen here & I'm quite sure that will make your personalized portfolio useless to 90% of the people you would benefit most by aligning yourself with.
Maybe some peeing calvin noob in some remote backwoods shop would get the odd request for a nice sign & let the client "look over his shoulder" but for the rest of us, you're going to need to come up with something better.
So, I'm not wasting all this time on my Saturday morning just to criticize you. I think it is constructive criticism, and I think it might open up a dialogue that could lead to a good solution for yourself and a lot of your potential clients. First, I'll state up front that I may be misunderstanding this, so if nothing else, maybe you just need to here that folks like me are not understanding your offer, and then you can clear up my confusion.
Otherwise, I would say this. Those guys giving out the nice glossy sample sheets for our sales binders back in 1990... they had no guarantee that we wouldn't use their sheet to make the sale, and then go buy somewhere else. They knew there would be times that happened.. but that wasn't so much a lost sale as it was the cost of advertising to many, knowing the sales would go to the few.
This is the internet age, and those glossy sales sheets are no more. You are almost offering the digital equivilent of those personalized sales sheets, and with a few tweaks, I think it could work really well for you.
Here's what I think you might want to consider.
Using the breakdown you already have, of signtypes categories, you could provide code to embed in a web site, or a blog, or an e-newsletter. Make that available to people, and then we can really use the power of the internet to sell for you. You have to have a little trust, and you have to know some people might abuse that, but I think it is an innovative twist on an old wholesale tactic & I think you are the right guy to take it to the next level, because you are already trying to do that... but I think there might be an even more effective way to do that right around the corner.
I also want a bid on a sandblasted sign, so I'd like to call you on Monday. Can I speak to "you" whoever that is? Maybe send me a PM, or I'll send you one.
Thanks
