Tips
- Take signs with you wherever you go as samples to show - proud of & great feedback suggestions
- Take pictures of everything you do
- Make a portfolio of work, examples, patterns, shapes etc.
- Give out business cards or have available during carving sessions
- Place signs in businesses of big ticket items for the customers
- Use material that are copyright approved and indicate on the sign as "approved and licensed by..."
- Relax - have fun & enjoy the work! Do what's fun for you
- Wear relaxed clothing & always wear a hat for baldness and managing eye contact for those that just want to watch
- Use eye protection / magnifier but no shades
- Open occasional chances to have questions & answers every few minutes
- Limit conversation to questions and answers
- Keep chat easy to break off suddenly
- Make and use business cards to expose what you do to as many people as possible
- Watch body language and allow distance for those who only want to watch. Some people are shy and private
- Keep the tools on and moving! Make blanks and dummies as demos
Sign Stocks
1/8 Birch Plywood
- Live To Ride / Born To Ride:
- Font: Clarendon, Western
- SM; 4 or 5 x 9.75 = 15
- ME 6 x 15 = 20
- LG 8 x 20 = 25
- Ribbons
- LG 5 x 23
- ME 4 x 16
- SM 3 x 12
- Bones
- LG 3 x 10
- ME 2.5 x 9
- SM 2 x 6.5
- SM 1.5 x 4
- Scrolls
- Gone Fishing
- Clock Face
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Pricing
- L x W / 144 x 40% - 50% puts small signs at about 6$ or 7$
- Add for photos, art work and paper tracings, layout complications and detail work
- Adjust scale for dealers and stores then sell at 40% so they can make a good profit
- Use pattern charges for extra art and detail work or postage
Pricing Levels
- Have 4 - 6 standard sizes
- 4 x 18, 4 x 24, 6 x 18, 6 x 24, 6 x 30
- standard shapes
- sanded and / or sealed
- edges done
Pricing depends on the venue, the material costs and the detail involved
The faster the layout the more competitive your pricing can be:
Pricing has 3 tiers based on how much control the customer has over the design of the sign. (L x W / 144 = ft2) x charges
- Volume pricing = lower prices to move product - commissions to businesses etc.
- Use pre cut patterns, letters & shapes
- Use pre cut arches
- Use templates and stencils
- Level 1- Stock: = 30 - 50
- Least expensive
- The price is on the sign
- Anything made over and over and you can batch them out
- Impulse items
- Pre designed patterns
- No special wording
- bunches at a time
- Layout at a minimum - less time involved
- Level 2 - Personalized - 50 - 65
- On site
- Their words on your standard sizes
- Customer adds name
- Artwork / pattern is on hand
- Totally Custom: 65 + complexity
- Customer has most input on what you are doing
- Special sizes, shapes, materials, art
- Special wood>
- Power carvings, special effect and techniques
- Resin, paint, Specialty requests
Base price considerations
- Wood and materials used. More for special wood
- Glued / laminated boards
- 2x4, 2x6 = 50 and up
- Large = 150
- Amount of copy;
- Base price includes ? letters
- Over = .50 to 1.50 per letter
- Artwork
- Logos; let them supply it to you
- Base = 25, bigger or difficult = 75 - 100
- Painting
- 10 extra
- Multiple colors and intricate 50 minimum
- Finishes
- Standard finish = base
- Epoxy or resin = 20 ft2 more
- Inset / outset
- Inset is 1/2 the time of outset.
- Inset price can be reduces 10 ft2
- More cope = higher price
- Delivery or customer pickup?
- Shipping is completely different
- Who are you selling to?
- Don't know them
- Friends and relatives
- Neighbors and local markets
- Commercial businesses
- Charity / events
- Free signs
- advertising at foot traffic locations
- Frequenting businesses gets your name out there
- Bulk signs
- Multiple signs in one location; directories
- 10 - 12 signs, toss a couple in for free
- Add for:
- Time & materials
- Photos, art work and paper tracings
- Layout complications and detail work
- Adjust scale for dealers and stores: sell at 40% so they can make a good profit
- Use pattern charges for extra art and detail work or postage
- Do not give out pricing formulas
- They want to know how much for what they want
- Do not give pricing on the spot
- I will take your info and get back to you later
- Get contact information phone and email
- Clear shipping address
- Follow through
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Sales
Business Cards
This is what I do. If you have any need of .....
- Businesses - take a sign and make one for them
- Top Sellers
- Flower Boxes
- Window Boxes
- Live to Ride
- Ride On
- Let's Have A Hoot
- Welcome
- Another Day In Paradise
- My Favo(u)rite Hangout
- Name Ribbons
- Pet names on bones and ribbons
- Mottos, sayings, titles
- Good friends, cold beer and campfire
- Welcome, Home Sweet Home
- Home owners with names
- Garlic Breath is Sexy
- Top selling sign ideas:
- Tourists, camping, sales tables
- RV parks, unique camp sites (display in RV stores)
travel wit portable sign shop: they will sell for you
- Gifts, gift shops
- Restaurants, barter meals etc.
- Outdoors, hunting, fishing, rustic cabins, bait & tackle
- Clubs, lodges, sports
- Boat shops, docks - customers' boats
- Sports: softball teams, little league, team logos
- Bowling leagues, yacht clubs
list of team players and some proceeds donated back to clubs
- Business signs
 (Inset)
- Contractors, Landscapers for customers
- Military bases, platoon- entire personnel
- Schools, mascots, pennants, club logos, alumni
- Shows, pets, stables, kennels, dog houses, tack shops, feed stores, barns
- Families, pets, welcome, house warming
- State signs(outset) with names, animal stats - remember the catch
- Real estate agents as gifts to clients
- Car dealers for customers
Name of new owner on the front, dealer on the back
- Bankers as unique gifts
- Weddings, anniversaries, (Always give them a gift of a sign)
- Gift and bridal shops etc.
- Etsy
Themes and ideas
Search 'funny signs'
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