Digitizer Advice

Gilligan

Nametags.

I raised my rates because that's what happened in this business. Rates went up. Like I said, no one complained.

If I got outbid on a job with a current client then I would let them walk. We clearly didn't have the relationship that I thought we had. I have a VERY good PERSONAL relationship with each of my "big" clients and most of my small customers. They come to me because they know I can get the work done. That company I was speaking of earlier that was sold to another... they original belonged to a parent company with 1600 employees. They had an entire help desk in the Houston office.

They wanted me in the local office here because they didn't even know this office existed because I took care of them so well that they never called them. As they grew they would be told "call help desk" by some of the people in Houston (that's just how they did it). They would have them go round and round only to say "just mail in the computer and we will fix it". Then they would just call me up. I'd walk in and in under an hour I'd have the computer back up and running. They would go "I don't know why I listened to them... I knew you would could fix it... I should have just called you to start with".

When I walk in the door they often go "Oh, good Kevin is here... he can fix this." If it's computer related (hell, they ask me about phone issues and electrical issues too sometimes) they KNOW I can fix it. If they were to bring in someone else they don't KNOW that they could fix each problem like I have been able to because they have already experienced that their team and others couldn't even fix some trivial (to me) issues.

One joked and said that if I fixed his issue (after help desk spent two hours on it) that he would make a statue of me. I took it in the other room and 10 mins later I walked back in his office and struck a Heisman pose and said "like that?"... He said "you got it? Man... Yeah, we'll put a laptop in your hand (in place of the football) and put the help desk guys under you (like I was pushing them down)." I laughed and said... "Nah, that's ok"

Same can be said for your embroidery work. If you deliver a good solid product every time then they won't go anywhere else. Hell, I do such good computer work my computer clients immediately started bringing me their embroidery work because they said "we know you will be able to do it right". They had never seen anything I had sewn. They just have enough faith in my ability that they know I won't do anything half-a$$ed.

Half the time they show me what they were paying the previous companies so I can make sure I'm right online with their pricing. Which is usually more than what I would have bid the job at.

Gilligan

Just so you know nametags... I'm not trying to pick on you or argue with you.

I like to discuss topics like this.... it gains perspective that I otherwise might not have seen and hopefully brings the same to the other side of the table as well.

No hard feelings when it's all done.

nametags

No problem, dont' worry about it, it's your opinion and perception vs. mine. And, with your computer business, you're lucky to have such a big market and customers with deep enough pockets they can afford a service such as yours and not wince at the cost. You talk as if you're in or around the big city,,,,I'm not. To be able to do as you say with your computer business and clients, most would jump at that chance. Good for you, I hope it keeps up.

For embroidery, then you're dealing with people's personal cash, out of their pocket, not some corporation logos. Your customers apparently make enough money not to care what they pay. You're both lucky. We're just doing business in two totally diffrent regions and demographic areas.

After your explaination of your computer business, and your embroidery sideline, I now understand why you're on the different side of this embroidery digitizer topic than I am. It makes me wonder why you're in the embroidery business. I don't see yourself actually doing that much with it hands on, given your explaination of your time spent with computers. So I guess you have staff working in it, doing the hand work that it requires. If I'm wrong, correct me.

Could you survive here, in my area, with your perception of business? No, they've come and gone by the dozen here. Could I survive in yours, maybe, if the market was that free with their money and customer opportunity.

As far as embroidery goes, it'll be interesting to see where we're both at in a year.

I stand by my original issue. The little guys deserve the same price breaks as the big guys. The old saying "Be careful how you treat people on the way up, as they'll treat you the same on your way down".

I'd say we're about done here with this, we've beat this horse to death.

Gilligan

I don't disagree with you. Just saying that not everyone will jump ship if your prices go up and most understand (just like we do) that when you aren't that big volume customer your price will be different.

You are correct in that my town is based a lot around the oil field and we really weren't hit as hard by the recession. My city usually is one of the last to feel the economic hits. In fact if it wasn't for media hype we probably wouldn't feel anything. I think the media causes this recession more than the actual politics they blame it on. They tell you the sky is falling so everyone runs for cover. When in reality its sometimes partisan hackery or just media hype to sell ads.

That being said... I'm still small time. I'm fortunate to have this inside track on corporate customers that I can use to sell my embroidery. I have been doing surprisingly well. I say surprisingly not because it has been so much but because it has been so much given I haven't pushed it really at all. It's mostly because I mention it in passing to customers are some computer customers come in and see my embroidery machine sitting on the other side of the room.

I've yet to even make business cards for this business. I have been very fortunate in many aspects including my wife. She is the artist and she helps a LOT. But I am still small time. I sometimes hire my daughter and her boyfriend to help with the Cajun Wine Glasses or with pressing t-shirts and sometimes with computers. But mostly we do it ourselves. Our "maid" has also been very helpful, he has been there for us more times than I can count. We gave him our old car and now he goes WAY above and beyond to help us out when we need. He's interested in screen printing so I will probably start trying to teach him that as soon as I learn it myself.

I hope to outgrow myself as soon as possible so I can hire people.

With embroidery, I do most of that... my wife does artwork, Brent (Harleydude777) does my digitizing and I do the sewing. I had to do 120 hats for a customer the other day... whew, I was so tired of hooping hats after that week.

As they say, "more money, more problems"

megrisoft

Very well said!

nametags

We're putting along,,,,I have to say, we're ahead of our business plan we developed when we started, and we want to stay within sight of it.

Gilligan, I hope you do well, good luck to you.

I owe Widners an email too, just rememberd that.

I hope to develop a web page this year, one of the cheaper ones you buy and pick your pages. That's our big thing for 2011 for the year in our plan.

Small towns and rural areas are a pain sometimes, in business's like this.