How old are your clients?

Create a Post

How old would you say your average client is?

  • Total voters
    68
Mike Labbe

Mike Labbe

Administrator
Forum Support Team
Forum Donor
Joined
Jun 25, 2002
Posts
20,063
Location
Lincoln, RI
Business
Get The Picture
MAY 2005 Grumble Survey & Discussion

HOW OLD IS YOUR AVERAGE CLIENT?

Your input and discussion are greatly appreciated!

RESULTS from previous surveys: www.custompictureframing.com/poll_results.htm

Mike

Note: your poll answers are confidential. (discussion is public) This is strictly for fun, entertainment, comparison, and discussion. The results shouldn't be used as a primary business planning tool.
 
Do you know how hard this is to answer? Not only do I have a hard time guessing the age of people, but my customers do not fall in to any one age group.

My customers are from all walks of life. Some are retired, and some are still in college. The sad part is that sometimes I can't tell the age of the customer. Some people just don't look their age. (Me and my Mom included.)

We had one man come in and told us all about the woodworking classes that he teaches, and all the classes he is involved in at the Seniors home. We thought that he looked around 60-65 years old.. He then told us that he was 91 years old. Still driving, and teaching woodworking. (And he still had all ten fingers!)

Good question though.
 
Good response, Sue. But more importantly, what do you do with that information if you knew it?

For example, is there an age group that is more likely to shop with us than say a Craft Store or Home Based or a Big Box?

Now, you know I know this answer (and I ain't telling unless you are a PPFA member), but what did/can/will you do differently with this info?

How do you attract more 30 somethings or less 50somethings?

It might be nice to know, but I doubt if it will change one thing we do
 
Originally posted by Bob Carter:
what do you do with that information if you knew it?
Click to expand...
I'd say it would influence where and how you advertise - but beware the "tag line."

Betty
 
Originally posted by Bob Carter:
How do you attract more 30 somethings or less 50somethings?
Click to expand...
I'm sure you have an answer, that's why I'm going to ask. Why would you want less(sorry Less) of any group?
 
Originally posted by Bob Carter:


How do you attract more 30 somethings or less 50somethings?
Click to expand...
I guess it would depend if the 50 somethings were retiring to Florida to live in a trailer, um, fabricated home, near Ocala, or if they are down at their second home ($1M+ ocean front condo) to catch the Players Championship.
The same is true of 30 somethings, but the questions are different. Are they raising a handful of kids on a single income middle management, or ???
I'm not sure that age demographics is as important as disposable income, but there might be some correlation between age and budgeting of said disposable income.
 
Originally posted by wpfay:

I'm not sure that age demographics is as important as disposable income, but there might be some correlation between age and budgeting of said disposable income.
Click to expand...
Wally, if you're not paying attention, then you may be dieing and not know it yet.

50+ have the higher income, and are spending significantly less and working harder on their retirements.

the 18-25 year olds have a $86 BIllION budget, with almost no overhead... and they ain't thinking about retirement or babies.

30 somethings are higher educated than babyboomers, are settling into their careers and new homes and are looking around to feather their nests.... Which they are starting habits of buying that will continue for the next 20-30 years.

If you want proof of what I am saying, and want to pay more attention to those that make the Billion $$ decisions....

JAG and Startrek Enterprise will not be back next year because their audiance is 50+. The hard spending 20 & 30 somethings are watching......

and THAT was the Quoted reasons they were pulled.

Watch for Westwing to go for the same reason.
 
NOOOO!!!
not the westwing! say it ain't so, baer!
i, absolutely, positively, love that show!!
imho, it's the best tv program, EVER!
mash, law and order, all in the family, eg., notwithstanding.
kaffeetrinker_2.gif
 
Originally posted by Susan May:
Do you know how hard this is to answer?
Click to expand...
Actually, its pretty easy to find out if you have a customer database, especially tied to sales in a POS system. LOTS of companies out there that can help you learn exactly who your customers are, where they come from, what they spend, and even whether some age groups in one part of town spend differently than the same age group from another part of town spends.

Mine is currently an almost perfect Bell Curve, peaking at 45-49; 60% of them between 40 & 59.

Originally posted by Bob Carter:
But more importantly, what do you do with that information if you knew it?

How do you attract more 30 somethings or less 50somethings?
Click to expand...
Target my direct mail prospecting list VERY differently than I have in the past (Not just based on age; Income demographics and Average Ticket by Zip Code was much different than what I had thought.)

Definately not wanting LESS 50somethings...but sure wanting MORE 30somethings. Could attracting them have anything to do with products offered? Incentive to come in? Appearance of the store and the mail that I send to them? Hope that soon I can tell you "Yes".
 
I think that this thread would fall under the heading of "Needless Information Gathering".

Lets face it guys, we are not Wall Mart or General motors, we are little bitty framing business's.

We are not running target advertising programs. We go after absolutely anyone who might spend money in our stores. We advertise in order to get the most bang for our very small buck, so we try to find mediums that will hit the most people, regardless of age, for the least amount of money.

Lets find a topic for a pole that would have a real impact on our business's, like do you think micro mini dresses are coming back?

John
 
John,

Frankly, I'm running out of ideas and some suggestions would be great.

Any ideas for future polls that may be useful?
 
Mike, I kind of figured as much. My suggestion of mini skirts could even be taken a tiny bit seriously by some folks. There is an old whatever that goes something like, "The higher the hemlines, the better the economy."

Lets face it, there are only so many things that are going to be worth taking poles on as they apply to our industry. Kinda like trade magazines, after you have read them for a few years, they start becoming redundant. Yet they remain of interest to the newer people coming on board.

Perhaps you should just start putting some of the older poles up again, add new ideas as they come up.

Asking for pole ideas is logical, perhaps that would help.

Try running a pole on pole ideas.

John
 
How 'bout a poll on favorite ways to spell poll?

A handle on the age demographics of your customers might influence what (if any) kind of music you play in your showroom. If I see a customer mouthing the words to a Joni Mitchell song that happens to be playing, I can guess they're about my age.

If I wanted my father's contemporaries to come in (if there are any left) I'd be playing Mitch Miller all day.

If I wanted my kids' friends to shop in my store, I'd just kill myself.
 
Ron, you've got it, a great pole idea! How loud do you play your background music?
What kind of music do you play?

Wait, I think this may have been done before, but I'm not sure.

John
 
That's easy. I don't have a showroom and I play Packers games, Brewers games and talk radio.

****, I could play the Dandy Warholes if I wanted to!
 
Ron, if it wasn't for spell check, I couldn't even spell my name. I think I have demonstrated that if you look in the archives during pre-spell check days.

I do not have much of a formal education. At one time I felt bad about it, then I started reading and listening to some of the fine examples of our educational system. Now I don't feel so bad.

John
 
John, don't ever feel bad. No matter what Capt England says. Or does with her riding crop.

Us Charlton males have always married our spell checkers.

But we may be breaking with tradition.. my two brothers and I all married Stoffer's Queens that think the first thing to do about dinner, is make the reservations.

I is amazing to some or many, I don't care which, that Home Improvement Magazines evey May is Deck Month, Nov is making wood orniments. year in and year out.

There is a reason that PFM and DECOR have "Annual _____ Issue". There really is something new to say. New information to impart.

So I would think, Mike, if you go back to some of the original Polls/poles/pools and rework them just a little... Oh year I could have asked this too.... or THAT was a DUH....

I think it would really be interesting if you could post after the poll time has run.. what the results of three years ago and today. Somehow side by side.
 
I think most of my customers are older than me because they act older, look older, think older, listen to older music, move like they are older, and I respect them.

The real question I want answered as a single man is...How do you attract more of those thirty-somethings and less of the fifty-somethings?

...
icon21.gif


Dave Makielski
 
How about how many times your nearest Michaels has a

50% of mldng
50% off everything
70% off everything


I would really like to know cause ours is quite often!!!!
 
HB:

I think the local ones around here run the sale about 51 weeks per year, and the price is inflated so the sale price is within $5 of the local market average price.

It works well for them, but when clients price shop and realize what's going on they often have a lower regard. Most people probably never figure it out, though...

Hopefully we'll get more participants in this thread and in the poll before the end of the month.

M
 
I believe that to call it a "SALE" and state that it is "50% off our regular price" you must sell at that regular price a certain percentage of the time. Of course, what I believe, what is actual law and what large firms with on staff attorneys or law firms on retainer are able to get away with have absolutely nothing to do with each other.

I had someone bring in a Michael's quote and asked me to quote the job. There "50% off" price was about 6% lower than my "Every day everybody gets the same price" price.

Did I match or beat Michael's price for framing these two maps? Many (if not most) might disagree with my decision, but I pulled a Gen. Douglas MacArthur and said "Nuts". I expressed appreciation for allowing me the opportunity to quote...explained that this is the type of work that they can be extremely competitive on...pointed out that their "everyday price" was close to 90% higher than my "everyday price" and let them walk. They received a bit of education on quality custom framing and said they would be back when it was their money and not their company's and when they had items which needed professional framing.

Maybe I did make the wrong decision...?...but I think the talents I've developed over many years and the offerings I provide command at least 6% more than the big box guy who may or may not have been hired yesterday. Besides, I wasn't twidlin' my thumbs in back looking for work.

You are right when you say the general public doesn't get it and catch on to marketing hype. My customer is not the "general public" though. I am happy with targeting my guesstimated 20-30% of the population who appreciate the craftsmanship of quality custom framing and will pay accordingly.

If I stooped to matching the lowest prices I would resent working on the job and feel like I sold out...might as well go work for the big boxes...at least they will let you have benefits after working long enough to be more than part-time... :cool:

Dave Makielski

"NUTS"
 
We're down to the final hours. This poll ends 5/31

If you haven't, please vote now.

Thanks
Mike
 
Create a Post
Back
Top