Hey Guys,
About to have some signs printed for my cabinet business – should have done so long ago. I’ll be able to place them in customer’s yards as well as a few in strategic places around town.
There is a lot of competition here since hurricane Katrina – so I am looking for suggestions to make the signs stand out. I’m not talking about neon green with pink letters – what I mean is what specific wording would any of you suggest to:
Make a professional first impression on new clients
Make the customers understand that my product is of the highest quality
Etc, etc,…..
Thanks in advance for the help,
Lee
Replies
I'm not certain this is useful to you, but yellow, black, and red are colors that stand out. I learned this years ago when the team colors were y/b/r. I asked why. "Because, whether taken in B&W or color film, they will stand out."
Mention 'affordable'.
High end woodwork may not be at the top of folks' list who have just lost every possesion in a hurricane.
Expert since 10 am.
Lee,
Something you would have to work out with your current customers, but something like "Ask me about my cabinets from Lee ###" and include your contact info. If your customers are willing to promote you in this way, it is the most trusted form of advertising. An incentive I believe would be in order for placing the signs. Doesn't have to be much. I'm sure you can find some way to reward your customers and reap benefits at the same time.
Earl
I going to do out on a limb here and say that no sign will convince people to buy cabinets. However if someone is looking to replace their cabinets and they see your sign they will want to know something about you and your company. As briefly as possible (maybe 4 words) explain why they should consider you. For many contractors it is price and speed. Maybe you don't use any contract work, then you could say that they will talk to the "craftsman that will build and install your new kitchen". For me I stress design. I am willing to go the extra mile to make the overall design something that will set it apart from most kitchens. And I know that some will be turned off by that. I would caution you against using words that are too obvious, such as "quality". Of course you build "quality". Every one says or implies that, so mentioning it is wasting the oportunity to tell them something memorable.
An effective technique is to offer them a deal. "free appliance install", "free estimate", "free custom finishing", "free countertops"; any of these will generate calls. In some cases you might be offering something that you do anyway. Like "free custom finishing". Well, every finish I apply is "custom", and maybe I've already included that into may base price. I would, of course, charge extra for a multi step of antiqued finish. The same for the countertops, if you already do laminate tops then factor them into the linear foot price and don't add the cost as a line item in the estimate. Of course they will likely want granite or solid surface anyway, so you can give a $12/sqft allowance. At that point it dosent matter, it gets them to call you.
If you are after a higher end clientele your web site is the most importaint thing. Make sure they see it, and entice them to visit it. "Visit http://www.mysuperphatcabinets.com to see how we can beautify your home.
Pardon my spelling,
Mike
Make sure that your next project is beyond your skill and requires tools you don't have. You won't regret it.
Mike,
Thanks for the candid reply. I know no (randomly placed) sign will convince people to buy - I'm hoping more or less to get some word of mouth referrals from individual customers with a sign in their yard (is that the guy that built your cabinets? etc...) I also have a contractor friend that I build 80-90% of his cabinets (I pass on the "cheap, particleboard" jobs and he gets them from a manufacturer). I have had other contractors ask him "who does your cabinets" - and foolishly, I don't have a sign out front of the new construction. So I feel like I may be missing out on a few opportunities. As for the signs themselves, I am only planning to get a few (25 or so) to test the waters.
As for the website, that is another facet I am missing altogether. I would like to have something done professionally, but am trying to upgrade some of my equipment at the present time. Do I buy a new planer or drop $XXXX on a website? Not sure! The website will help seal the deal on some new prospects - I don't think a lot of the custom guys around me have websites. So I know that is a future (soon) need.
As always, your advice is spot-on. You have quite a bit of business-savvy for a 29 year old. Thanks, and good luck with your endeavors,
Lee
Hi Lee,
Just a thought, but have you considered a WEBsite that each of you might share the cost of, knowing that someday either of you may want to split off on your own?
Might be another way of minimizing the costs..............
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Maple,
Thank you for your kind words. I assure you that I "talk the talk" far better than I "walk the walk". lol.
I can tell you that a nice web site of 5 or 6 pages should only cost $200 to $300. And hosting with domain specific email costs like 60 to $100 bucks a year.
Check godaddy.com they are the cheepest and they are good for domain regestration and hosting. They also have design services that are very cheep, but I haven't used them. Dont fall for all the extra crap they try to sell you, just regester the domain and nothing else. No options, aditional domains, etc. Costs about $20.
Then if you are in a hurry steal someone elses site format that you like (write down the url), gather up some pictures, write some brief captions that corespond to the site you want to copy, then go the the nearest comunity college, ask your kids, go to Fry's, Comp USA, Best Buy, Game Stop, where ever there are geeks making $8 an hour. And make a deal favorable to you.
If you want to do a little better, and you know what you want the site to look like, Get some paper, and your kids art set out. Paste your pictures where you want them and write the captions in as needed. Add the navigation links and what not with crayons then make sure you have all the images you used in the "paper web site" on a disk along with your business logo in gif or bmp format. Once again go find a poor geek to make it for a couple hundred bucks. The local college is the best place. Post a notice on a bulletin board mention that you want to see examples of their work and wait for the calls. You could get this done on a lazy Sunday.
Pardon my spelling,
Mike
Make sure that your next project is beyond your skill and requires tools you don't have. You won't regret it.
Hi Mike,
I have actually registered a domain name with go daddy once before for a different venture. I did the web site through them as well, but found their templates to be a bit, well, lacking. Amatuerish.
They do have about the best price for domain name registration, so I will go that route when the time comes. And the advice about finding a young kid to do the computer work is great as well. Posting pics here on knots is about the limit of technical computer skills ;)
Thanks again,
Lee
I agree that the "fill in the blank" templates are lacking. But really that is as good as it gets for the html ignorant, and I include myself in that lot. I have Front Page, but even it is too hard to use, for me. I am done learning new things, so I don't mind giving that task up.
Good luck shopping for your new machines.Pardon my spelling,
Mike
Make sure that your next project is beyond your skill and requires tools you don't have. You won't regret it.
<<Once again go find a poor geek to make it for a couple hundred bucks>>mudman,So, lets say I'm a graphic designer in need of a reception area desk, and bookcases and a credenza for my office conference room. Should I look for a hobbyist working out of his garage to build my stuff for the cost of materials? Or perhaps a high school kid taking first year wood shop? Or maybe go to IKEA and get it off the rack for even less? It seems to me that you're recommending exactly what pro woodworkers find most frustrating about dealing with a shrinking demand for professional-quality work at professional-quality prices. Why would you not, as a professional, seek the services of another qualified professional for web or print design? Is the image you present to your market so unimportant that you would trust an inexperienced "poor geek" to design it for you? Or is it just that graphic design requires so little skill, talent or experience that any $8-an-hour geek working in a Comp USA can provide you with professional design? You may want to consider other disciplines in the same way you view professional woodworking.Mike
You make a great compairison in theory. But there is a huge difference between wood working and web design.
Wood working is not cool. "All the kids" are not doing it. Hobiest wood workers are not trying to emulate the work of profesional wood workers. They tend to make the kinds of things you see in the magazines; fine woodwork, tables, end tables, beds, etc. So if some one desires an heirloom quality bed, yes the amature or hobby wood worker could be a good choice when cost is an issue. For commercial work (your reception desk) or for standard residential builtins a pro shop would be faster and likely cheaper. I doubt many hobbyist would even be interested in commercial work. There are very few, I might be so bold as to say there are NONE, highschool kids interested in building cabinetry. There are many who are interested in the internet!
Web design skills are very common among the youth today. The colleges are full of students who are learning professional web design. Many of these students learned the basics of web design in high school. If your web site requires realtime inventory database cross reference, e-commerce, applets or java forms (especially those that require encryption and database translation), or needs to be supremely hacker proof then you better find an experienced professional, better yet a large firm with onsite hosting and dedicated realtime support. That is the scenario that more closely resembles your hypothetical reception desk. Most wood workers only need a simple website that looks pretty, shows their work, and provides means to contact through email or phone. That is child's play for even a college kid with only a couple courses under their belt. In fact most of these kids could have designed such a web site before they even started college. The complex things that such a college kid could not handle would only be found on Craftmaid's or Armstrong's web sites. Remember there are several hundred of the web savvy kids at the community college near your home. There are very few kids apprenticing for commercial cabinet design!
Your Ikea reference is a stretch, because web sites do not really wear out of fall apart the way cheep knockdown cabinetry does. The closest comparison I can see is the "fill in the blank" web template packages such as those offered by Yahoo, Godaddy, Google, and the like. These are simple templates where you plug in your pictures and text and the code is automatically generated and the images are properly formatted for you. As the poster mentioned he felt like they produced lame looking results.
The only problem with using a web savy college kid is that you will have to make sure they can prove they are capable. But that is as easy as having them list the sites they have already done. Believe me they will have them. Then you pick the one that gives you the best impression. You don't pay until they deliver the finished site, they are protected because you can't use the site until they are done. Keep in mind it will not take then more than a day and $200 is a lot of cash to them.
So perhaps your demands for a web site are too sophisticated for the average motivated web geek, but most small and medium sized shops are not going to need that.
Pardon my spelling,
Mike
Make sure that your next project is beyond your skill and requires tools you don't have. You won't regret it.
I will argue that the difference between woodworking and Web or print design as they relate to this discussion is not huge -- anything but, and that each requires talent, skill and experience to produce a quality product. A novice woodworker will produce lower quality work than a seasoned professional. The same holds true for a designer, Web or otherwise. And I disagree with your statement that hobbyist woodworkers are not trying to emulate the work of professional woodworkers -- perhaps not architectural shops, but certainly professional furniture makers, and that some of these hobbyists compete at "not in it to make my living" rates. You may be correct that Web design skills are common among many young people today. But simple Web building skills aren't communication skills. Knowing how to run the software that builds Web pages will pretty much just get you a Web page. Communicating a message and compelling a prospect or customer to take an action that will benefit your business is what's needed to move it forward and let it grow. That is what the talent, skill and experience a professional brings to the game, and that makes a HUGE difference. Following your suggestion to "Once again go find a poor geek to make it for a couple hundred bucks" leads me to think that when asked to recommend a good cabinet maker, I should reply, "go find some wino with a saw who will work for a bottle Thunderbird." You say that "Most wood workers only need a simple Web site that looks pretty, shows their work, and provides means to contact...". If your goal is to have a pretty site with a phone number, then I guess you're right. But if you want your marketing and sales initiatives to work hard for you (and if you're paying for them, they had better), simply "pretty" doesn't work. I'm not sure just what point you were making with your response to my reference to IKEA, but I disagree with your statement that Web sites don't wear out and fall apart. The collective attention span of our population has plummeted in the last 30 years, and without ongoing graphic tweaks and periodic redesigns, people lose interest. But I'm getting away from the point I made in my first post and the reason I jumped into this originally. I'm surprised that, as a professional woodworker, you would have so little regard for another profession (one that could benefit your business), that you would recommend seeking out an inexperienced "geek" to develop a key piece of your promotion effort. In light of recent discussions here on Knots regarding the shrinking demand for professional quality work at fair prices, I just don't understand your position. When the mindset of potential customers is such that your work, while very nice, is not worth the cost when compared to low-priced, lesser quality products (perhaps made by a high school "wood geek" or hobbyist siphoning off work from legitimate pros trying to make a living) your future in the business is in jeopardy. Your premise that because "all the kids" are doing it, they are doing it well makes no sense to me. I can't think of anyone who was as good at doing what they do when they first began as they are after some years of experience. If "all the kids" WERE doing woodworking, I wouldn't go looking in that talent pool for my desk, credenza or kitchen cabinets. So why would I for a Web design? I guess it comes down to the fact that everyone wants to steal a deal when they're buying, but get frustrated if those rules apply when they're selling.Mike
As a profesional wood worker I have to make decesions that will allow my company to be successful and profitable. I do not need a $1000 web site. I really doubt that any small shop needs a thousand dollar web site. Perhaps I am cheating the profesional web designers out there with my " little regard for another profession" (as you put it) by seeking out young people just starting their career. But I also gave a young man a great oportunity to gain experience. He did not feel cheeted. And because I am a business man I am glad to have gotten a good deal.
If I understand your arguement you are sujesting that, as a responsible profesional wood worker I should not seek out the best value for the product that easily meets the needs of my company? I assure I did not compromise anything. I just spent less than I would of had I opened the yellow pages.
As to the whole comunication skills angle. I would sujest that you find someone who has examples of their work, as I mentioned before. If you like what they have done in the past then they will likely meet your expectations. It is not up to the web designer to write your words for you, they will expect you to have the message you wish to display. If you feel that you cant do that you will need someone with marketing experience and the will cost a whole lot more than a small shop should be willing to pay. Unless they find a talented young marketing student..... But that would be undermining the marketing profesion. ;-)Pardon my spelling,
Mike
Make sure that your next project is beyond your skill and requires tools you don't have. You won't regret it.
<<you are sujesting that, as a responsible profesional wood worker I should not seek out the best value for the product>>I think that value is relative and that very expensive products/services can often be of greater value than those with a lower price tag.<<I would sujest that you find someone who has examples of their work>>I couldn't agree more -- for anything you purchase.Perhaps I misunderstood the intended meaning of your original post. I took it to mean that you thought little enough of the design discipline to imply that any kid with minimal training and experience could produce high quality design, Web or otherwise. I simply don't believe this to be so, and have seen throughout my career that just anybody can't do it. It starts with talent (which many simply don't have), and develops with acquired skill and experience. I do understand that many a small business operates with limited budgets and needs to consider how to spread the money around.But, as we aren't going to see eye to eye on this one, we should agree to disagree. I wish you continued success in your business.Mike
I see that you were looking at it from more of a design aspect than a technical aspect. If you already know what you want (I glued pictures to paper and wrote in the captions and sujested a theme/color) then you really only need a technicaly savy person with the skills to write the code. If you simply want to turn over the entire project over and tell them "I need a web site, here are some pictures" then you definately will have a much more dificult time. It is harder to find some one that can effectively capture your business and speak for you using their own vision.
Sounds like we dont disagree. We are just aproaching from two different levels. I readily admit that I always look for the best deal and I refuse to pay the going rate unless there is no other option. Most small shops need to be creative to maximise their advertising dollars as well.
The "how do I get more clients" question comes up a lot on this forum and on other pro oriented forums. I am always impressed with the creativity and persistance that the responders share.
Pardon my spelling,
Mike
Make sure that your next project is beyond your skill and requires tools you don't have. You won't regret it.
In addition to sings for your shop and customers you might consider a sign for your van or truck that you use to bring your work to clients. If you use a rental truck get a magnetic sign that you can put on the truck when you rent it. Also be sure to have your phone # and website or e-mail address.
Good luck
Troy
Troy,
Yes, yes good idea. I will check on the magnetic signs from the guy I am buying the others from. I am also going to look into having my trailer (7 X 16) lettered as well.
Thanks,
Lee
I saw a sign that bragged about being (in business from 2003 and getting over 900 jobs from referrals of very satisfied costumers).
I do not know if he could back that up but it did get my attention.
Thinking about that statement it either means his customer liked his work, or they hated it and hatted the people they referred to him.
Lee:
Yours is an interesting question because it is deceptively simple, yet requires depth of thought to come up with a helpful answer.
Marketing communication, also known as "Marcom" is the most visible and obvious element of the marketing discipline. Many non-marketers think of it as the only element but that would be a mistake. Marcom consist of all the things we might do to communicate our message to our target customers, a.k.a, target audience TA. This includes all the obvious things such as advertisements (print, radio, TV) but includes websites, blogs, etc, etc.
It is best to think of all this as the visible part of an iceberg, but the most important elements are the one's you don't see. There is a lot of ineffective and wasteful advertising and most often the reason is that they started designing ads, without really thinking it through.
Here are the steps that comprise that "iceberg" I mentioned:
Step 1: Identify the target audiences
Step 2: Position the product
Step 3: Develop communication objectives
Step 4: Design the message
Step 5: Select the communication vehicle(s)
Step 6: Plan and schedule communications vehicle(s)
Step 7: Develop implementation plan
Step 8: Develop budget
Step 9: Measure results
Identification of the target audience and your positioning really define who you are and what you stand for. These are the foundation of a successful business and effective advertising. Without these elements, customers have nothing to respond to, you either end up stuck in the pack or try to be all things to all people.
If you could only make one simple, declarative statement to prospects about your business, what would it be? Well that's the essence of your "positioning". A useful format is the Convince…, That…, Because…. Your positioning statement is not ad copy, but is the blueprint for developing copy.
Advertising objectives can be summarized:
If your TA is unaware of your product then the CO is awareness
If your TA is aware, but uninformed of your product then the CO is knowledge
If your TA is informed but lacks a positive attitude then the CO is liking
If your TA is positively disposed but not ready to buy then the CO is preference
If your TA prefers you over others but not ready to buy then the CO is conviction
If your TA is ready to buy, but not committed to act then the CO is purchase
If your TA is has purchased but not repurchased then the CO is loyalty
Clearly, your idea to throw a few signs around are about creating awareness. But before you do that, I suggest you give a little thought to the earlier steps in the process. If you watch enough ads, it's very easy to tell who did and who didn't do their homework.
Finally, I apologize for this lengthy post. It was probably more than you wanted or needed, but I was up early and in the mood and your question is intriguing.
Regards,
Hastings
Hastings,
Thanks for the in-depth analysis. You bring up quite a few things I had not thought of. I will try to come up with more of a "plan" rather than just throwing signs about.
BTW, sounds like you might have a career in the advertising field?
Lee
Lee:You will find that a few moments of reflection will go a long way. It doesn't have to be terribly formal or elaborate.My background is in strategic marketing, which is everything up to, but not including, advertising.Regards,Hastings
Hey Lee,
After Hastings’ comprehensive and accurate reply, I almost hesitate to wade in, but I wanted to tell you what works on me. Back in 2002, we were doing a major remodel, and I saw a white van with a silhouette of a spiral staircase and a phone number on the door. Nothing else was on the door or truck. I was writing down the phone number when the owner appeared. A brief conversation, he made a good impression on me, we met at my jobsite to get a rough preliminary estimate (if his price was out of my reach, I didn’t want to waste his time in nailing down all the details). SWMBO and I went to one of his just-completed jobs—a new multi-million dollar home that was for sale, and then went to his current jobsite to meet with him, another Street-of-Dreams-type home. We now have a custom Tim Swan staircase in our sub-$million home.
I was looking for a staircase guy. A quick glance at that truck told me everything. I figured that if he did spiral stairs, a straight one with a landing would be in his skill set. In your case, if you do the design as well as the finished work, I could see a line graphic that started on the left as a sketch and finished on the right (that is ‘morphed’) into the finished cabinet. Add a URL (that doesn’t have AOL in it), post photos of your designs and completed work, and a contact form for interested parties.
Oops, used up my $0.02.
Best of success in whatever you decide!
Bob,
Glad you weighed in.
I could see a line graphic that started on the left as a sketch and finished on the right (that is ‘morphed’) into the finished cabinet
That's scary! That is exactly what I have planned for my business cards - I didn't think of using it on the website though. They say great minds think alike! The signs will be 1 color and a little more simple - however steering prospects to the website is starting to sound more and more like the way to go.
Thanks for your input :)
Cheers,
Lee
Hey Lee,
You got a lot of good information to your post, and I could add no more value than the others.
So, along the lines of what the news calls 'sound bytes', how 'bout a sign that would read something like..
AFFORDABLE CUSTOM CABINETRY BY _________ DESIGNED TO SUIT YOUR NEEDS. FOR FREE CONSULTATION CALL OR VISIT___________ . your phone# or website when you get one.
This may generate calls for ya, then, of course, prices would reflect what their needs are; straight forward easy to make utility would be less, extravagance would be more.
my two cents, good luck,
Chris.
If you would send me an email address, I have an idea that might help work for you.
[email protected]
Lee ,
You might want to consider using the phrase " remodel specialist " .
good luck dusty
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