Discussion Installed ACM Price Check

[Greenlight signs]

So, i feel like the sign industry in my area is priced to not make a dime to compete with other shops in my area. I quoted 3m 1j35c w/ laminate mounted to a 4' x 10' sheet of Max-Metal (ACM) with rounded corners. No illumination. This would be installed overhead to the front of the building. Since my company does not have a bucket truck. i raised my hourly rate to include the cost of a towable lift for 4 hours which turns out not to be much. I sent it over to the customer telling him the price didn't include taxes or permits. Im going to catch hell for this from other people but whatever. The price was around $650 installed and that doesn't include the taxes and permits. I honestly feel like that is too low but i also feel to be competitive with other companies i have to price it like that. Any advice or what do you think?

 

[visual800]

you are right down the road from me I think auburn opelika area you could charge more than I could here in my town I think your price is ok but in the future similiar installs and signage you might want to tack another $150 or so onto it

 

[Greenlight signs]

you are right down the road from me I think auburn opelika area you could charge more than I could here in my town I think your price is ok but in the future similiar installs and signage you might want to tack another $150 or so onto it

I use to quote it toward that range but then i found out other shops were selling it for roughly half the price makes you wonder how can you build a company based on that.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

The price range in my area could be as low as $700 and as high as $1500. I'd be at $1350+tax. If they call around they will get lower, but I'm not starving for orders so it depends on how hungry you are.

 

[Gino]

Hahahaaa..... I thought that was an 'R' at first and thought that was an odd name.

I think it's too cheap, especially when renting equipment. The panel itself is at least 5 bills, plus time, equipment and profit. Y'all are cheap down there, like you mentioned. Is that thing laminated at that price ??

 

[Andy D]

I personally don't think you should spend a minutes thought about what other shops are charging, if you can make your shop rate, material cost plus markup, rental cost plus markup, that's all that matter to me.
If what you need to make is too high and lose the job, that's not a product/service you need to focus on.
If you're lower and get the job, good, you're competitive on a product/service that is a profitable part of your business & you will end up getting more of them.

 

[Andy D]

Too many shops try and be competitive and lowball the least profitable products of their business and
then make it up by "gouging" on the profitable projects.
Focus on the most profitable part, be as competitive as you can, get more of those projects & let you competition
have all the banner and coro jobs they want.

 

[StarSign]

We talk about this all the time, trying to compete with the cheapest guy just to get the work is a race to the bottom. If at the end of the day you made the sign, installed it and then gave the customer $100 just to get the work something is wrong. What is your "nut" to keep the doors open, do your margins reflect that. Every shop is different.

 

[Greenlight signs]

Hahahaaa..... I thought that was an 'R' at first and thought that was an odd name.

I think it's too cheap, especially when renting equipment. The panel itself is at least 5 bills, plus time, equipment and profit. Y'all are cheap down there, like you mentioned. Is that thing laminated at that price ??

yes it includes laminate. the price should be 850+ but if i was to quote that then i wouldn't get the job. Might not get it at the price i quoted either. the market around here seems to be shit for these type of signs.

 

[Greenlight signs]

I'd push my warranty or at least expected lifetime hard if you are priced high. "How long did company x tell you your sign would look good? Did they tell you they were encapsulating the print within a UV protective film to maximize the lifetime of the colors?"
I know you're not asking about art input, but whey adding a border onto a radiused rectangle, do not just copy and paste the first radius and scale it down by 2 inches. You need to do an actual contour inward to keep the corner from looking like it was done by a 4 year old.
Sorry, just my biggest annoyance with other shops around town.

this is not finalized art. most likely the customer will just be doing a white rectangle with the art.

 

[Greenlight signs]

We talk about this all the time, trying to compete with the cheapest guy just to get the work is a race to the bottom. If at the end of the day you made the sign, installed it and then gave the customer $100 just to get the work something is wrong. What is your "nut" to keep the doors open, do your margins reflect that. Every shop is different.

after all of my costs to produce said sign i'm profiting 150ish. but after i take out the time doing the drawing for the city and other things there is not much left.

 

[Greenlight signs]

The price range in my area could be as low as $700 and as high as $1500. I'd be at $1350+tax. If they call around they will get lower, but I'm not starving for orders so it depends on how hungry you are.

im doing this part time with the hope of doing it full time when i can keep steady work coming thru the door.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

after all of my costs to produce said sign i'm profiting 150ish. but after i take out the time doing the drawing for the city and other things there is not much left.

This is not the job for you. You're in the business to make $$. At a very minimum you need to double your costs.

 

[Greenlight signs]

This is not the job for you. You're in the business to make $$. At a very minimum you need to double your costs.

exactly. the only issue i see is with me possibility not doing the job is losing any other job this customer has

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

exactly. the only issue i see is with me possibility not doing the job is losing any other job this customer has

I would go out on a limb and say that would be a limited loss. Usually small businesses order a sign once and that's it. Barber shops, just to be honest, are usually strapped for cash and shop aggressively solely on price.

Most of the clients that repeatedly order stuff tend to be manufacturing facilities or large companies... not mom-and-pop shops.

Don't feel bad about not making money. If you can't make money on them on the first order, what makes you think you'll make money on future ones?

 

[Gino]

Yo.... greenlight. I tried to send you a PM, but you won't allow people to have access to do so. What gives ??

 

[unclebun]

Hahahaaa..... I thought that was an 'R' at first and thought that was an odd name.

Heh. I thought it said Royal Klutz.

 

[Greenlight signs]

Yo.... greenlight. I tried to send you a PM, but you won't allow people to have access to do so. What gives ??

i didnt know that was a issue. how do if fix it?

 

[Greenlight signs]

i didnt know that was a issue. how do if fix it?

i think its fixed now.

 

[SameDay Signs]

So, i feel like the sign industry in my area is priced to not make a dime to compete with other shops in my area. I quoted 3m 1j35c w/ laminate mounted to a 4' x 10' sheet of Max-Metal (ACM) with rounded corners. No illumination. This would be installed overhead to the front of the building. Since my company does not have a bucket truck. i raised my hourly rate to include the cost of a towable lift for 4 hours which turns out not to be much. I sent it over to the customer telling him the price didn't include taxes or permits. Im going to catch hell for this from other people but whatever. The price was around $650 installed and that doesn't include the taxes and permits. I honestly feel like that is too low but i also feel to be competitive with other companies i have to price it like that. Any advice or what do you think?

Im wondering how cost is so high for others? i have avery 2923 ez comparable to ij35 w a 4x10 3mil acm printed laminated and cost for me if roughly $100 plus install...so even if i charge $250 for install that puts me at 350 and 650 total is $300 for 45 minutes for a 4x10 printed lam and mounted..and then 1-2 hours to install all depending on location and height of course...my questions is people say you have to make money ... i have grown 6 straight years by a good margin and yet im able to sell at 650 with a 300 profit in 2-3 hours of work...100-150 pr hr rate so what is the problem?