by MyVinylDesigner
21. May 2009 04:43
When there is a church, school, scout, or other organizational activity where making a vinyl project is the main activity, may we suggest a few pointers ... for you, the event coordinator, and the people involved. Most often, you will need to courageously "coach" the coordinator with tips for running a successful vinyl event.
1- If people are looking to make a vinyl project inexpensively, AVOID suggesting that they "weed" their own vinyl. People will inevitably lose dots, commas, or other design elements and ask you to recut them. It will save you a LOT of heartache!
2- Suggest that people do not paint, stain, or sand raw wood at the activity. The process generally takes too long. Projects should be simplified so that people have a positive vinyl experience. It will influence their decision-making in future vinyl projects.
3- Suggest that people bring their own prepared surfaces to the event ... this way, everyone likes what they have. For instance, if someone is providing raw wood for people to paint, send that wood home with people a few weeks prior to the event. Or let people bring their own tiles, glass blocks, holiday plates, etc. Alternatively, event organizers can bring the non-prep surfaces to the event and distribute everything in "packages", which is sometimes the easiest.
4- Suggest that project samples be the exact replicas of what people will make. It is beyond frustrating to receive something smaller, larger, or different than the sample. People want to get what they see.
5- Suggest that people prepay before attending the event. Otherwise, people tend to "forget" their money and it creates more work for the event organizer. You should not assume the responsibility for collecting everyone's money.
6- Request that you receive one lump sum payment, not a bunch of little payments, at the time the vinyl is picked up. You don't want everyone trying to individually pay you ... too much time involved. Try not to cut too early, because orders generally change at the last minute.
7- Request that the final order be submitted to you a couple weeks before the event, but be flexible with last minute changes. Again, it's all about creating a positive vinyl experience for everyone, including the event organizer.
8- Quietly decide in your mind to offer free replacements for mess-ups. You don't need to announce it, but this act of generosity will carry you a long way in the vinyl business. This can be done the week AFTER the event.
9- Offer easels in vinyl tile projects as another way to increase revenue. You can buy the easels at wholesale prices, then offer them for twice as much. They'll still often cost them less. Remember, you run a business! Here's a link to a company we buy easels from. Be sure to call them and ask about their wholesale pricing. http://www.easels.com/
10- Offer discounts on volume orders. When people know you are offering a special savings for a particular organization, they will generally buy more. People like to save money. And, you will still make good money if everything is priced right. (The pricing shown on our Group Pricing Sheet example is the actual pricing we charge for most groups.)
11- When the event organizer first approaches you about doing vinyl, offer a one-page sheet of suggestions (if they don't already have an idea) ... like the one shown here ... that she can take back to her committee for selection. Suggest that they offer a few designs at different price points. Some 12x12 designs could cost $7-$8 and others could cost $13-$15. This allows more people to participate in the project.
12- Once they've determined which designs they want, then offer to lay them on out on a sign-up sheet ... like the ones shown here ... and print them off for the event coordinator. She will LOVE you for this! It will be her tool for gathering information and collecting money in a neat, orderly way. It will also save you a TON of time and ensure that you get all the info you need.
13- Lastly, ask for the sign-up sheets at the time of the order (you can always return it when the order is picked up). This sheet will become your right hand in making sure such a large vinyl order is properly done.
So, tell us your thoughts. Any extra tips?!! Congrats for reading through this very long post!
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