Meeting with corporate buyers

[Inks]

If you have the space it is good to have an area in your shop with samples of prints, channel letters etc. that you can show customers.
Examples of installations on your computer screen via your website, powerpoint or facebook also good. Testimonials from past customers also a bonus.

 

[Johnny Best]

Pepé Le Pew was French!

 

[Gino]

His name was french.......................

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

His real name is "the frensh"?

 

[binki]

How did it go today?

 

[Boudica]

View attachment 158050
Perhaps you heard him wrong? Coulda just been Frenchie?

I was going to throw in Frenchie... But I didn't have time when I thought of it, then forgot.

 

[Stacey K]

Update...it went pretty good. They made it very clear that they are going with the lowest bid, but they would like to keep it local lol...I imagine in part to get my best price. They are looking for the following and then I should tell them discounts etc. The CEO comes from the printing business so he said he knows it's just pressing a button to duplicate a sign...hmm. The reason for the change is they updated their logo. Now instead of solid colors it's a gradient and they have all the "color percentages". It sounds like he is fine doing the installing through their maintenance department. None of the signs are difficult to reach. He was very adamant about me not lying about my process and if I farm something out I have to tell them. He asked if I had an in-house printer and what kind it was, how big, etc. I told him I would have to order out roll labels...he said if I got their business I could afford to buy my own roll printer - must be a lot of labels.

It was quite unorganized and he was busy when I arrived so a lady wandered me around all over I'm trying to take notes, pictures and not trip on anything...crap everywhere. They recently hired a lean guy...I can see why!

3 exterior ACM signs around 4'x16'
1 replacement lighted sign - ground level, I install
5 interior ACM signs 24"x8'
3 acrylic signs with logo around 4'x4'
Some small aluminum signage

 

[Gino]

Good for you. Don't be put off with his ordering you not to lie, but that is very unprofessional for him to say at a first meeting.

As for lowest bid...... my answer would've been merely, you get what you pay for. Just be careful, frenchie.

That farming out BS is just they don't want an extra middleman/woman in there to hike up their costs.

Question for you...... what kind of company is this and what do they do ??

 

[GAC05]

Sounds like a good project - not too big - big enough to make money on.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

Sounds like the customer is being overly aggressive with you... its a decent sized order but not big enough to start telling you how to run your business.

 

[Stacey K]

Good for you. Don't be put off with his ordering you not to lie, but that is very unprofessional for him to say at a first meeting.

As for lowest bid...... my answer would've been merely, you get what you pay for. Just be careful, frenchie.

That farming out BS is just they don't want an extra middleman/woman in there to hike up their costs.

Question for you...... what kind of company is this and what do they do ??

OK, I'm glad you said that, I felt like that was all a bit rude as well. Maybe that's how they operate in France. They make the machines that are used to make paper bags.

 

[Moze]

Update...it went pretty good. They made it very clear that they are going with the lowest bid, but they would like to keep it local lol...I imagine in part to get my best price. They are looking for the following and then I should tell them discounts etc. The CEO comes from the printing business so he said he knows it's just pressing a button to duplicate a sign...hmm. The reason for the change is they updated their logo. Now instead of solid colors it's a gradient and they have all the "color percentages". It sounds like he is fine doing the installing through their maintenance department. None of the signs are difficult to reach. He was very adamant about me not lying about my process and if I farm something out I have to tell them. He asked if I had an in-house printer and what kind it was, how big, etc. I told him I would have to order out roll labels...he said if I got their business I could afford to buy my own roll printer - must be a lot of labels.

It was quite unorganized and he was busy when I arrived so a lady wandered me around all over I'm trying to take notes, pictures and not trip on anything...crap everywhere. They recently hired a lean guy...I can see why!

3 exterior ACM signs around 4'x16'
1 replacement lighted sign - ground level, I install
5 interior ACM signs 24"x8'
3 acrylic signs with logo around 4'x4'
Some small aluminum signage

I wasn't there so maybe he's not as arrogant as he's sounding in your post, but the items in red wouldn't sit well with me at all.

In my experience, customers looking for the lowest bid usually turn out to not be worth the time.

Demeaning your experience and abilities by stating you just 'press a button' probably would have made me extend my hand and tell them 'thank you for your time, I don't think we're a good fit for what you're looking for'.

Him insinuating that you would lie about something on an initial meeting, fits right into the arrogant and demeaning attitude mentioned above.

So he just assumes you can't afford a roll printer because you don't have one currently...? Another arrogant comment.

Him not being available for a scheduled meeting would be another red flag for me. It shows a lack of respect for your time, or at least poor planning by not keeping the appointment.


Maybe I'm reading him wrong, but all of those things by themselves and especially combined would make me walk without a second thought.

 

[Stacey K]

I wasn't there so maybe he's not as arrogant as he's sounding in your post, but the items in red wouldn't sit well with me at all.

In my experience, customers looking for the lowest bid usually turn out to not be worth the time.

Demeaning your experience and abilities by stating you just 'press a button' probably would have made me extend my hand and tell them 'thank you for your time, I don't think we're a good fit for what you're looking for'.

Him insinuating that you would lie about something on an initial meeting, fits right into the arrogant and demeaning attitude mentioned above.

So he just assumes you can't afford a roll printer because you don't have one currently...? Another arrogant comment.

Him not being available for a scheduled meeting would be another red flag for me. It shows a lack of respect for your time, or at least poor planning by not keeping the appointment.


Maybe I'm reading him wrong, but all of those things by themselves and especially combined would make me walk without a second thought.

You are right, I felt the same way but I wanted to see what others said before I voiced my opinion.

The office lady also scolded me for not getting a PO from the last couple orders (nobody ever told me they needed a PO over the last year and around 10 jobs) then she tattled and made a big deal out of it to Frenchie. She told me I needed to tell the order guys to call her specifically because she is their buyer. I said, "I'm happy to request a PO before I move forward but I'm not telling them who to call, that's on your end."

The whole thing was a bit of a turn off but it would still be a nice job so I'll move forward with the estimate etc. My BF works there so I know it's very unorganized and they've had many people retire the last couple years. New management growing pains and they are trying to get union workers of 30 years to change and get organized, get lean to attract new hires. I can see they have a challenge ahead.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

It sounds like a typical micro manager with a little mans complex. They usually lay off once you get a few jobs done for them but their nature is to assume every one is incapable of doing anything without their guidance. That's why he was too busy to schedule a meeting, he can't manage his own time because he's too busy worrying about what everyone else is doing.

 

[Johnny Best]

You did good, you listened. Everything will work out for the best. I do not know you but you seem to be an honest person, especially when it is about work. I would have told him that I would not like a roll printer. He runs his business the way he wants and you would like to do the same. Besides roll printers would require hiring a helper and then a bigger place to accompany that.

 

[gnubler]

I agree with Moze's comments. The arrogance and disorganization would be a big turn off for me, but like Stacy I would probably bid the job anyway and see what they say. While it sounds like a decent and easy order in itself, sometimes the customer can turn it into a freakin' nightmare job.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

I agree with Moze's comments. The arrogance and disorganization would be a big turn off for me, but like Stacy I would probably bid the job anyway and see what they say. While it sounds like a decent and easy order in itself, sometimes the customer can turn it into a freakin' nightmare job.

Yea, and charge for that nightmare. I don't mind a difficult customer if they are paying me well.

 

[Scotchbrite]

Anytime I go to meet with someone I don't expect them to actually be ready to see me at the agreed time. It's very rare. I figure their thinking is "oh it's just a sales guy, he can wait for me." I also stopped making appointments for Monday. Seemed like every time I did that, people had completely forgotten about meeting me and often times weren't even in the facility.

I can't count all the times customers have said they're going to buy so much from me that I could buy a new printer or whatever. The most recent one was a guy that buys prints on banner material. He wants it as cheap as possible to the point that he has us just print them all in a gang run, and he cuts them all apart and finishes them himself, we're talking 40 to 60 little banners. We've been doing this for for him for 5 or 6 years now. But just a couple weeks ago he was telling us all about how he's going to give us so much business we can buy new printers and hire more people.

 

[gnubler]

I got stood up by a customer a couple weeks ago. Arrived at the site at 9am, nobody there. Called the customer and she said "10". This is when I should have told her we'd have to reschedule for another day, but instead I went to run some errands for an hour. Then 10 became 10:30, and then she couldn't make it at all. Complete waste of my time and so disrespectful, and if an order comes to the plate I'm adding in a couple hours of shop time. PITA surcharge.

 

[Gino]

For that kinda stuff, it's still polite, courteous and professional to send an e-mail the afternoon before the scheduled event. Also, you can call on a telephone and leave a message if they don't answer. People are way too busy doing nothing to be insulted by a sign person or plumber or whatever. Just try being late for a doctor or a lawyer........ or your auto repairman. For some reason, if you don't look the part, you'll never get the respect or acknowledgement you think you deserve. Like anything else, you hafta earn it. Ya either have it or ya don't. Ya generally don't learn it.