Mini Monument pricing help

[TopFliteGraphics]

My biggest customer, DR Horton Homes, has come up with a new style of sign for their Sales Centers. It is basically a mini monument sign made from 1/2" PVC. 60"*36"*7" is the size.

I am working on the pricing and it seems crazy to me. I have $654 in costs before I do anything. No cutting, no mounting, no assembly. Their old Sales Center welcome signs were just simple 48*36 2-sided signs on white painted posts which I sold for less than my costs on this new design.

What do you guys think this should sell for?

 

[TopFliteGraphics]

Here are some pics of the actual signs in the field (made by another sign company)

 

[Gino]

How many do you hafta produce ??

 

[Johnny Best]

For the cost of the pvc, your printing cast with laminate, base that $654 sounds about right, your still going to have labor cost for fabrication and installation, so ballpark at doubling your cost $1308 and then the rest, would be $3500 to $5,000 range.

 

[TopFliteGraphics]

Gino, I only have to do one of the large one and one of the small one at a time. Whenever they open up a new sales center

 

[Gino]

Well, whoever made those other two samples did a lousy job. Is that how it landed in your lap ??

We've done a bunch of those kinda signs over the years with all kindsa decorated faces, but never did we use a laminated digital print. We've always used clear acrylic, sprayed them and used vinyl lettering on them. I have some out after 20 years, still looking good. Your digital print idea won't last even 5 years if you're lucky, especially where you're from.

For doing two custom made boxes, decorated using your kinda of graphics would probably be around $4,200 to $4,500 for the pair, installed.

 

[TopFliteGraphics]

Landed in my lap because I guess the regional boss likes the style better than what they had been doing locally. Signs usually don't need to last more than 2-3 years as they generally sell out of a community within that time frame. Longest I have ever seen them having been needed is 4 years. I had been using cut vinyl and my signs look as good the day they take them down as they did when first installed. Another sign shop they have used applies digital print for them and you can really tell the difference after a year or two

Worst part is, I have been doing their local signs for 6 years and kind of have it down pat. Have been bid out against a couple of times and lost some work down south but it came back to me after a little while. The buyer is supposed to be getting bids from "several suppliers" and am not sure how much weight my excellent track record carries with bean counters...

 

[Gino]

Then you'll just hafta be creative in your wording. Give them a 3 tier pricing structure and leave some wiggle room so you can negotiate.

 

[Billct2]

Why PVC? I would build a frame from PT and skin it with ACM, looks the same for less cost and no PVC edges to deal with.

 

[TopFliteGraphics]

PVC is what they specified. What is ACM? Not familiar with that term.

 

[TopFliteGraphics]

Oh - ACM is aluminum composite bond. Heard it called dibond but never ACM. Duh... Thought about doing it that way already and will probably present it as an option..

 

[TopFliteGraphics]

I was able to lower my costs by shopping around to different materials suppliers and got my hard costs down to about $295. Also, a bird whistled in my ear that another supplier (I assume the one that gave them the other less than stellar install) is selling these to another division for $575 plus installation. WTF?!?!?!

 

[Gino]

I was able to lower my costs by shopping around to different materials suppliers and got my hard costs down to about $295. Also, a bird whistled in my ear that another supplier (I assume the one that gave them the other less than stellar install) is selling these to another division for $575 plus installation. WTF?!?!?!

So...... how bad do you want the job ??

I can understand that low cost, just by looking at the quality those others had in them. Without degrading your competition, you need to ask them if that's the quality they desire or something made worth professional craftsmanship ??
You ask the customer if they are simply shopping for low price or quality ??

When they say, both, tell them, that's not possible. You can do it for the low price and give them the same crap they've been getting..... or they can take pride in their own signs and image, by stepping their game a notch or two.

I'd like to know what the installation portion cost, too.

 

[TopFliteGraphics]

Yeah, I wish i could get the installation costs from them as well. That could be a huge difference - I am a small 2-man operation (hope to add a third soon) and my overhead is super low. The "other guy" is a much bigger "national" company with locations in Tampa, Orlando, Charlotte, Jacksonville, and Dallas.

 

[Gino]

Well, we've given you plenty of ideas and possibilities to try, but you keep coming up why nothing will work. You'll eventually hafta take responsibility and either participate and put these people in the right frame of mind..... or go around not getting what you deserve.

Ya know, one cannot win the lottery if ya don't play. If you don't ask for your price, you're never gonna get it. Once you establish what you can do and your worth, they'll all be calling ya.

Good luck............​

 

[TopFliteGraphics]

Gino - thanks, as always for the sage advice. You are one of the main reasons I hang out here sometimes. I truly appreciate your replies.

That said, I am submitting my bids later today

 

[GaSouthpaw]

I would avoid PVC for this completely. It will warp when used this way in Florida- unless you spring for marine grade, and then they're really not going to like your price. It warps here in Georgia, too, when people use it this way.
ACM is probably your best bet- with the bonus that it'll be lightweight (at least half- or more- of what the PVC would weigh) when you go to install it.