Consult Service:Opinions

Create a Post
C

Cheryl Crocker CPF GCF

CGF II, Certified Grumble Framer Level 2
Joined
Apr 27, 1999
Posts
369
Loc
Boone, NC, USA
I wanted some feedback on the following. I am considering closing Mondays and offering an in house consultation/delivery service. I am in the third year of this store so it is pretty much a new business. The majority of my seasonal clientele are spread in a three county area in gated communities and come to "town" only once or twice a week, if that. I offered this service before and did very well with it.

I love going into people's homes for the purpose of design. They love the convenience and the idea that they have me on-site, uninterrupted and have a more intimate/person-to-person design service available. This also gives me the opportunity to pick up other items for rematting or reframing. I find that once I do one piece, others must be reframed... creating a wonderfully customized living space tailored to each home and owner. I get a lot of additional business as neighbors and friends see my work.

As I am currently a one woman operation (I anticipate hiring next year), closing on Mondays will also give me the chance to get banking and other things done. I carry around $2,000 receivables on average mainly due to people being too busy to come by (even though I offer to stay late or come in early). Being able to schedule a delivery time would give me more cash flow, too.

What do you think?
 
Sounds like a great plan, for now.
Your business is young and you do seem to have the time, I think you should give it a shot.

As your business grows you may discover that you can't offer that service any longer. Or you may discover that approach IS your business.

Starting a business means a lot of guess work and experimenting, a lot like a marriage. If you don't try them, how will you ever know?

I think that is one of the big plusses of being your own boss, you get an idea, and you get to try it.

John
 
Cheryl,
Great minds think alike. I'm considering something very similar after the first of the year. I do some commercial work and often end up doing pick-up and delivery. Plus our street is going to be under construction for a big part of next year. I'll have some customers that would rather not deal with that, so I'll set aside a day to go to them. I also work alone, so it will mean closed on that day, or open by appointment only. Maybe I can even shampoo my carpet or have somebody do it.

Ron
 
Cheryl, was Monday an arbitrary choice of day? or is it your quietest sale day. I ask because I thought of closing on Monday a long time ago and after looking at the sales figures realized it's second in sales after Saturday. I get calls all the time asking if we're open on Monday as a lot of framers and galleries traditionally close then. Maybe, find a part-timer that can man the shop on Monday so that you can go do your thing? I've got enough employees to cover us Mon. thru Sat. so it's not an issue with us anymore. Anyway, don't be afraid to try a new idea. I've tried ALOT of things over the years, some work others don't. But'cha don't know until you try. Good luck. and don't forget to tell us how well it works and the buckets of money that you make!

------------------
curlyframer, CPF
 
Good question. I have a "traffic report" broken down into categories like: readymades, custom, Rework (remats/new glass, crap work), Browsing, Art, Pick-ups, Quotes, Lost, Solicits, etc... then further broken down into a potential vs. actual sales ratio w/ notes I review to tailor my sales "pitch". Some Mondays are slammin' while others are dead. After 1 1/2 years, no pattern. Only my sales to "walk" ratio increasing...more people coming back even though my prices are usually higher!

I am looking at closing as an opportunity to bring in more business, and increase my visibility via in-homes... Folks will spread the word that their framer is coming for a consult... I picked up a ton of business doing this before, so I know it is a good thing.

The other reason, and not the driving force behind closing on this day, is that I cannot get anything personal done. At all. Not to mention misc. biz related things I have to do between 9:00 and 5:00. Plus, if I stay open late Thurs and Fri, I will get those who can't make regular hours. Mondays will also give the extra day to complete errands/design work in Charlotte. I go down about twice a month and usually come back with frame orders.

Despite having been a framer in my area for 7 years, I was mortified to find myself back to square one when we split the stores and I took over the new one. After redefining and shaping my shop's image, raising prices, etc, I finally have a solid plan of where I want to be and how to get there. Offering one-on-one is where it's at and a sure-fire way to get my designs and work into the homes of the clients I want. No one else is actively offering this, either.

I will report in on this, but will really see results next season (May - Oct). By then, I should have someone in here on Monday.
 
This may seem a dumb question, but while you're alone and closed on Mondays, can you somehow let people know that you're still working? Perhaps some kind of a sign which tells customers that you do housecalls, etc. on that day? Or a telephone answer machine message to some effect like that, inviting them to set up a time for a Monday if they need to do it?

Come to think of it, you might then still have too much to do to accomplish your personal errands.
smile.gif
We all need a life, but do they have to know that? Or is this suggestion all silliness?
 
Wow, based on the post a couple of steps up may I ask.

Are you one person doing all the work yourself?

What happens if you land something really big?




------------------
Timberwoman
AL
I cut the mat, I pet the =^..^= cat.
 
The "at-home" frame or art consulting actually works pretty well. I have one customer that I do framing for that always meets her clients at the job site (either commercial or residential) and helps them pick out art and framing right there. She does about $50K/year in framing sales alone, not bad when you consider that framing isn't her main business. She mostly deals with interior designers put there is some retail too. I know of another company that has a van with a big logo on it all set up with samples and such. Works great from what I hear. Not only do you get the original call but everybody in the neighborhood starts calling you.

I think with the neighborhoods that you are considering it would add considerably to your image to have a van with your logo on it rather than schlepping things out of a small car or something. Even if you just bought a used white service van and had a logo done by a vinyl sign place cheaply it would add to your "professionalism". Good luck!
 
I will put my in-home service on the answering machine and on the hours on the door. If I am at the shop, I will certainly take orders.

And yes, ArtLady, I am the only one. The biggest job I've done was 52 pieces...one week turn around on top of all other regular orders. With my saw at the house, I can cut moulding at night when the kids are asleep.

Also, we have almost no industry or big companies in our area so there's not much contract work available except the occassional bids for the university. The parttime residents make up the bulk of clientele for all of us. I want their business.

A van is in my future. For now, I am going to get one of those magnetic signs for my car.
 
Cheryl...You say that you've "done this type of thing before". If you had success in the past, go with it. Is there any reason why you stopped offering this service in the first place? Was it a time crunch issue in the past or, was it something you offered in a previous business?
It sounds like a great idea and, something you really enjoy doing. If it brings in the jing and you like doing it, I really don't see the downside. The key is that the bottom line doesn't suffer.
As someone previously pointed out though, it doesn't sound like this is going to give you much more time for errands etc. Hopefully, it will give you a little more flexability.

Good luck!
jkol
 
After nine years of consulting, I no longer frame. Actually, I haven't framed unless absolutely needed in about four years. We do three or four offices a month. Just keeping the paperwork straight can be an issue.

Consider getting yourself a digital camera. Those colors and environments can be easily remembered with a nice photograph as well as the areas that need artwork.

Consider making a check list of issues to discuss with the customer. If you visit do you go back to install? Are you making enough to make it worth your while?



------------------
Timberwoman
AL
I cut the mat, I pet the =^..^= cat.
 
Good questions, again. When my one shop was two with many of us running around, I was often asked to come to clients' homes (and eventually started offering). I bought a digital camera at that point and also used it to e-mail images from the gallery priorto out-of-town consults for the purpose of art placement.

Using some of the software available, I can even superimpose an image of a piece "framed" in several differnt options and e-mail or take to clients.

I still do this on occasion, but would like to set aside a day for appointments only. If I go in to consult on one frame, I check out the other artwork, take photos, bring mat specifiers (as digital color isn't true), and let my clients know what else they need done to existing pieces.

It is definitely worth my time and the word of mouth advertising I get pays for the trip, though I will charge for this. I plan on a consult/photos/color samples, then offer a few design choices (if necessary), then do and deliver. Usually, once I've gotten the photos and color schemes, the rest is left up to me.

So, after having read all the responses, I don't know why I even posted since I am already jazzed about having an "official" in-home day!
 
Cheryl,

One more thing to consider about being closed on Mondays. As a local "Eeyore" pointed out when we were making the same decision, "You'll lose all the Monday holidays!" Well, duh... Every Monday is a holiday (if you want it to be!).

Most of the stores in my area are closed on Mondays and this has enabled me to take on several large "location" jobs as well as do banking, run errands, make deliveries, etc.

Good luck!
 
Cheryl,
We've been closed on Mondays since Christmas last year. I use Mondays in the same manner you are planning to. Or, if the need arises, I work on big jobs on that day without many interruptions (never thought I'd call a customer an interruption). However, after Labor Day, I'll be open on Mondays until Christmas.

We post seasonal hours on our door and on our business cards and in all advertising.

Good luck to you. Sounds like you've made some good plans and are excited about them. You'll do well due to your enthusiasm!
 
Thanks for all the responses. I am working on a mailer (really need to take that class in Hotlanta) to go out Thursday, an ad for today, big announcement for the window and will spend most of this coming Monday going personally to as many businesses and shops as I can to hand deliver announcements.

Plus, due to the incredibly high traffic I have, I am adding art related gift items and redoing the store. Maximize my space and get folks to buy when they are "just browsing". I need to take the Diversifying class, too.
 
Folks will spread the word that their framer is coming for a consult...

Smashing idea. Schedule an appointment at a customer's house, and have her invite a few friends. That way you have a captive audience of 3-4 in a cozy atmosphere. The hostess can serve lunch, and you can design for her and her friends. It'll be an exclusive little framing lunch. Ask the hostess to serve Bloody Marys and the money will be flowing like water.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by MiterMan:
Schedule an appointment at a customer's house, and have her invite a few friends. That way you have a captive audience of 3-4 in a cozy atmosphere. The hostess can serve lunch, and you can design for her and her friends.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Oh oh, You're going to be the tupperware lady of the framing trade!
 
I tried this in my second year of business. It worked OK for a few months, but I found I was better off hiring someone to keep the shop open for me on Monday. The two other frame shops closest to me are closed on Sunday and Monday, so I have picked up some great clients by being conveniently open on those days! I was nervous about all the extra expenses involved with hiring an employee at that stage, but it was only 15 hours per week and it allowed me enough free time to create a lot more business. The first step is always the longest leap!
 
Create a Post
Back
Top