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Do you fire clients? IF so how?

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Old November 23rd, 2015, 04:11 PM   #1 (permalink)
Robert Young Robert Young is offline
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Default Do you fire clients? IF so how?

Do you let clients go? send them to your competitors as retribution? lol


What do you do when you have a client that is just simply unreasonable but still insists on having you do their orders?


As an example. I can think of clients that request change after change on a design.. they run a sample on a singlehead and then say this letter needs this and that letter needs that..... they run another sample and say OH, now this other letter need this and another letter needs that.

I get it. they are trying to provide a "perfect" sample to show their client to receive permission to run the order.... not caring that the 6/12/18 ect head that actually sew the order will provide a slew of different images if you are worried about 2 stitches here and 3 there.

They are not wrong, they are trying their best to provide quality to their client. BUT the time it takes both them and us to provide that first sample for the initial cost is it really worth it to the digitizer? We get our fee once, you as the embroiderer get to use that file for YEARS and make profit each and every time. we dont.

So you have one client that takes 5 times touching their file to get it to their idea of acceptance... but throughout the week you have 200 clients that the first time works for them?? what do you do? We are human... it comes to a point where no digitizer wants to take their orders because the perception is they have an unrealistic idea of what embroidery is... and the 200 other clients just reinforce that perception

again, I agree and like the idea that those clients want the best for their customer.... but at what point, if any, should the digitizer just say... Hey just do it yourself, then you will learn?
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Old November 28th, 2015, 05:50 PM   #2 (permalink)
Wildgoose Wildgoose is offline
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Default Re: Do you fire clients? IF so how?

[QUOTE=Robert Young;167593]Do you let clients go? send them to your competitors as retribution? lol

BWAAHAAHAA! That's funny right there! I am completely new to the embroidery world but have been running a side business doing HTV for about 5 years and I TOTALLY get you! I have a couple people that I really don't care if I ever see again but they just keep coming back. The little I have deduced so far from this new world I have entered is about 300% more technical in the design side than for cutting vinyl. Which to me spells 300% less enjoyable to re-do work on a whim. I'm planning to just lay down the law going forward and either charge them or just let them walk away on some of these things. My business is part time and I can't hardly keep up so an occasional PIA gone won't cause lost sleep.
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Old November 29th, 2015, 12:01 AM   #3 (permalink)
AlisonB AlisonB is offline
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Default Re: Do you fire clients? IF so how?

Before embroidery I was an optometrist and a similar type of patient exists. The reading distance is "wrong", and if they look to this side "it blurs", and to that side "it stretches", complaints on and on............As mistakes can happen we always gave the patient another examination. In the majority of cases there was no need to change the prescription. Some finally admitted to wanting a different frame but a lot of others got "shelf treatment" Their spectacles were taken away from them and they were told that an adjustment was going to be made. Those then lay on a shelf at the back for a week or so. Lo and behold - when they got their "adjusted" spectacles back they could see clearly.
If you know that a design runs well then it may also deserve "shelf treatment".
But - back to firing clients - I might just tell them that as they are never satisfied with what we do then they should think of trying a different digitizer. I have clients that complain about what I charge - I have provided them with names and telephone numbers of other digitizer/embroiderers in the area. I have enough work that I don't have to put up with their cheap attitude. In most cases I will give a "heads up" call to let the embroiderer know a PIA is going to call. On the other side of the coin I have had calls from the other local embroiderers warning ME of difficult customers who may be on their way. Fine - prices just went up!
Maybe not so nice - but you did ask.
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Old December 2nd, 2015, 01:56 PM   #4 (permalink)
minimalist minimalist is offline
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Default Re: Do you fire clients? IF so how?

A couple of months ago I sent an older guy and his younger female companion packing. They came in and wanted a template. Explaining the process I deduced that they wanted a digitized design. I then ask if we were going to do the embroidery, response was maybe. I responded that I wouldn't be interested in creating and digitizing the design, there are numerous sources on the internet for that. Older guy wanted an explanation. OK, I don't digitize designs for other embroidery shops. I'd be happy to create a design and then digitize it if we are going to do the work. Man gets bent and leaves while popping off the retort, I hope you get some customers. OK, bye.
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Old December 6th, 2015, 05:58 AM   #5 (permalink)
gnizitigid gnizitigid is offline
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Default Re: Do you fire clients? IF so how?

Hi Robert

With all respect to you, i want to say that sometimes i do as clients say because they want to win their clients business.

Than, after that i can guide them about how to place the order.
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Old December 9th, 2015, 07:49 PM   #6 (permalink)
Robert Young Robert Young is offline
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Default Re: Do you fire clients? IF so how?

Quote:
Originally Posted by AlisonB View Post
If you know that a design runs well then it may also deserve "shelf treatment".

Maybe not so nice - but you did ask.
THANK YOU! in my 26 years of digitizing, and all that comes with that... I cannot tell you the number of times that we have SHELVED edits.... a few hours later send the EXACT same design to the client and the response is: "THANK YOU!!! this runs so MUCH better!!!" seriously...

OK , so those reading will now confirm I am an A hole... but many clients do not have experience... and those of us that do can easily spot an edit request as simply a machine/operator issue... so sending them the same design WILL provide a different outcome.

I cannot tell you how many trade shows I have attended where the salespeople blurt out: "hey , do you have a spare bedroom or garage? why not MAKE TONS OF MONEY in embroidery.....? " they sell them on a singlehead, a digtitizing software package.... and JUST LIKE EXERCISE EQUIPMENT ... 6 months or less later they are in moth balls!!
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Old December 10th, 2015, 08:51 AM   #7 (permalink)
Lee's Custom Tees Lee's Custom Tees is offline
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Default Re: Do you fire clients? IF so how?

There is no set way to send a client/customer packing as the reason you are doing so is likely not the same. Especially with majority of customers knowing nothing about sewing, there is no better explanation than "That just won't sew." But they never want to hear anything besides yes and a price.

Only on a few occasions have I had trouble with a digitizer and it is usually a language barrier. I have noticed other people at the shop struggle with designs I sew with ease, which is an operator issue. Anything from them hooping it looser, using different backing etc. can play an affect. General lack of embroidery knowledge is always a big issue.

A lot of the time when one of the other embroiderers asks why it is sewing like bunk, I investigate. What kind of garment was it sewn on/was it digitized for that garment? Was the garment shifting/pulling when sewing? How did you hoop it? What backing did you use? Tensions checked (bobbin/thread)? Last time needles were changed? Thread weight and needle gauge used? Was the design edited at all?

I also digitize myself and have found that most of the time, if there is an error in a design it is because I didn't overlap enough or didn't put underlay. This happens only on things I do for myself as I am not paying as much attention as I do to clients, go figure. I have only ever once seen this from a digitizer though, but all his work was sloppy.

You could use umbrella statements of "Letters .30" or less should be sewn with a #9 needle. 60wt or 75wt thread is also recommended for small detail. Blah blah blah" to cover issues that come up again over and over from clients. Killing people with information is usually the best option. People will usually back down / listen when they realize you know more than they do haha.

Either way, god speed.
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Old January 21st, 2016, 02:07 PM   #8 (permalink)
digidana digidana is offline
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Default Re: Do you fire clients? IF so how?

i've been digitizing for almost 20 years and i've only had to "fire" 3 customers. one was because they were an extremely slow pay and when they finally did pay, the check bounced half the time. the other two tried to nit pick me to death on edits. what i said was "i'm sorry, but i just can't seem to make you happy. i think it would be best if you find another digitizer". its been years and years since i've had to do it. these days when it happens, its one of two scenarios. 1. either its the embroiderers customer that is picking THEM to death. i will do a couple of edits but if they come back a second time, i tell them to tell their customer that the next edit will be a $25 editing charge. 100% of the time, they decide they're happy with the design. 2. is usually an operator error with the embroiderer. i get a lot of new embroiderers sewing their first designs and if they have trouble with a design i ask them to send me a pic of their sew out and 9 times out of 10 their tensions are WAY off and they have no idea of how to adjust them. i send them instructions and a tension test design that i came up with and they usually get it worked out. if they fight me on it, i have the same design stitched out and email them a pic of what the file looks like on another machine.
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Old February 11th, 2016, 09:47 PM   #9 (permalink)
SunEmbroidery SunEmbroidery is offline
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Default Re: Do you fire clients? IF so how?

In general if I want to "fire" a customer I either say either we no longer do that type of work, we won't be able to do their job until some extended date in the future or raise the price until its worth it for me. If requesting multiple edits is a problem you can allow however many you feel are okay and charge for additional ones. One problem I have is all proofs are sent via email so sometimes the size of the proof (and every little imperfection) is viewed at a size much larger than the actual design. If the proof isn't acceptable to my customer then I do a sewout, send a scan and mention that embroidery should be viewed from at least a three foot distance.
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Old February 12th, 2016, 08:38 AM   #10 (permalink)
Robert Young Robert Young is offline
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Default Re: Do you fire clients? IF so how?

Quote:
Originally Posted by SunEmbroidery View Post
In general if I want to "fire" a customer I either say either we no longer do that type of work, we won't be able to do their job until some extended date in the future or raise the price until its worth it for me. If requesting multiple edits is a problem you can allow however many you feel are okay and charge for additional ones. One problem I have is all proofs are sent via email so sometimes the size of the proof (and every little imperfection) is viewed at a size much larger than the actual design. If the proof isn't acceptable to my customer then I do a sewout, send a scan and mention that embroidery should be viewed from at least a three foot distance.
Thanks for your post, especially the last line! 3 ft for left chest/hat logos and about 6 for a jacket back. I totally agree.

Since we are a digitizing house for mainly corporate logos it would be hard to tell a client we no longer do that type of work, ha.

We cannot delay the date as we have posted lead times and most designs fall within those time limits...so they would not buy that excuse either!

And in our line of work there is NO way we can charge for an "edit" IMO. revisions, yes... but to me an edit is just a quality improvement move not a design change move. Design changes, revisions, yes, we charge for them, but NEVER for a change that is mean to improve quality.

I have sewn samples sometimes to show them that the design DOES work.. but honestly that just makes us feel better, it does little to help them.. they need it to look the same on THEIR sewout. So they are frustrated and now we have to try to find out whether it is their machine, threads, burr on needle, operator error, etc... Without the sewout though they would just think we were passing blame. So that is good, but they just want to plug and play. I understand that.
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