Stop Feeling Sorry for Yourself

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Greg Gomon

CGF II, Certified Grumble Framer Level 2
Joined
May 15, 2000
Posts
266
Loc
Santa Cruz, California, USA
Now I have a challenge for all of us.
The next time someone comes into the shop or stops us on the street corner and says:
"Framing is SOOOOO expensive!"
Counter with the top 10 reasons why framing is CHEAP(I hate that word) and one of the "Best Bargains Around."
I will provide a few and lets add to the list! How bout it!?

#1. When your friends come over, they will instantly realize what awesome taste you have in art.

#2. When your family comes over for a visit they will fight over who is going to inherit the framed artwork.

#3. When your boss comes into your office and sees your diploma framed on the wall, he/she realizes you are due a promotion.

#4. In the age when everyone wants something collectible, doesn't CUSTOM mean "one-of-a-kind."

#5. Where else can you get a mat made from your drapes.

Your turn.........
 
Greg,
Several of your reasons are what I would consider to be emotional reasons and not actual reasons why custom framing is "so expensive".

#3 Diplomas: Anyone spending the money it takes to earn a degree should have the diploma custom framed so that it will be cared for properly. Custom Framing of a diploma is VERY INEXPENSIVE when compared to the cost of earning that degree. It should be displayed proudly for everyone to see.

#5 Being able to have your framer use fabric or wallpaper or whatever else the customer wants used to cover mats is obviously gonna cost them money. Those customers are not the ones that resist the price of custom framing.

However, I like your upbeat attitude of coming up with reasons (whatever they may be) as they are good selling points to use even if the customer is not resisting the price of the framing. Thanks for some ideas that can push emotional buttons in the customer when designing a job.

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How cheap do you want it to look?
 
Framing is cheap when compared to :
the dinner eaten in a restaurant and digested in 24 hours; the $300.00 outfit worn only once; the $3000.00 vacation that lasted one week.
 
A college diploma may be the single most expensive piece of paper one ever owns; not only in terms of money (about $60,000 these days), but also in terms of time and effort. It's not just a piece of paper/parchment; it represents the greatest achievement of one's young adult life.

6. I ask new customers how often they buy custom framing. Most of them say, "This is my first time ever." I reply, "OK then, if you wanted to make a memorable occasion of dining in a fancy restaurant for the first time ever, would you order the cheapest food on the menu?" (And then remind them that the fancy dinner, which lasts a few hours, probably costs more than the best frame, which endures for decades.)

7. "How important is price, anyway? If price were all that mattered to you, then shouldn't you drive a $12,000 compact car, instead of a $38,000 SUV?"

The real problem isn't that consumers are cheap. They're not. They simply don't understand what they're buying from us. They think it's just four pieces of wood nailed together, but it's much more than that.

We, whose lives are dedicated to custom framing, tend lose sight of the fact that fewer than 20% (some say 10%) of adult American consumers *ever* find their way into a custom framing shop -- in their whole lives. Those that venture in rarely have an accurate vision of what we do, or what's available to them. But they've been bombarded with advertising that tells them cheaper is better.
 
I never say it's cheap - but that it's a tremendous value.

I explain that yes, they could get a readymade and scotch tape but it won't look as good or last as long and will end up in the attic or garage.

Many customers have never had anything truly custom made and don't recognize that we start from absolute scratch. Unlike upholsterers, who have basic forms already and what changes is the fabric. Actually I use this analogy with clients sometimes. When they order a custom covered 72" sofa it's the first level of custom. If they require a 74" sofa, which is not standard, a whole new form and new patterns must be made. Surely there is someone out there who will make a 74" sofa, but not for the same price as a 72" one.

I also use the dinner example, and comparing the cost of framing with the cost of the degree. Many of my customers also wear Prada and Manolo shoes, but flinch at $500 for a real gold leaf frame.

The obstacle is usually the client's own perceived value of the art. Some people don't want to spend over $100 on junior's first finger painting because they see it as the first in a long series. One day I had a client who was very price conscious over 2 local art festival watercolors. To her they were strictly decorative and not worth top shelf treatment. The very next day she brought in her 2 Milton Averys and chose gold leaf, gallery mats, museum glass, and didn't blink.
 
$400 for custom framing? Amortize that over the twenty years you'll enjoy it hanging on your wall; it's only $20 a year. Kit

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Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana
 
Hey, this is supposed to be lighthearted stuff. It is designed to get a chuckle from a customer and put them at ease, not be defensive. Some of the best educational lessons are reinforced with humor. Let's not take ourselves toooo seriously.
smile.gif


I didn't mean to hit a nerve, just tickle it a little.

Let's try some more.....

#6. Don't you have anything cheaper? Scotch Tape, but it doesn't look nearly as nice.
 
#8 Cheaper? How about giving me that gum you're chewing and we'll use that as it's alot cheaper than thumbtacks or scotch tape!



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How cheap do you want it to look?
 
"If you threw a quarter in a jar every time you looked at this gorgeous custom frame job and your heart went pitty-pat you'd have this paid off in no time."
 
Whenever people at my counter start whining and protesting the price of custom framing, I just throw 'em the bird.

Is this not the correct response?

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I don't care what color your sofa is.
 
If a customer starts on why-is-framing-so-expensive, just smile and say nothing. Refusing to play the justification game drives 'em nuts. Kit

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Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana
 
...or just start mumbling about how expensive ammunition is, and how hard it is to find whiny customers...
 
In loo of mooning them, if they don't understand prices. I try to explain to them as best I can why it costs so much. I'll even take them into the back shop and show them our work to be done invoice line up. I let them look at prices their neighbors are paying. When they see the number of jobs we have to do and a few of the prices people are paying, it seems to satisfy them and I go on to complete the sale.

John
 
The Framing Goddess ALWAYS agrees with her customers that "Yes, framing is expensive...

(1)...but you do indeed get every penny's worth."
or
(2)...but it really is like a piece of furniture."

If she is feeling hormonal and doesn't feel like playing the "talk-me-into-it" game, she might roll her eyes a bit, shrug oh-so-slightly and say, "Compared to what...?" Ah, but this is rare, thanks to space-age herbal concoctions, and The Goddess loves the challenge of enlightening her customers about how picture framing is so Absolutely Worth It.
-FG
 
I try to latch on to why the piece is important enough to the client to even bring it in. If it's the history I emphasize the preservation angle. If it is the exact perfect colors with the new dining room wallpaper I focus on how every detail can be adjusted to exactly meet the expectations.

With older family photos sometimes I'll respond to "Yikes! That's a lot of money" with "Yes, and your children and grandchildren wil be so happy that you went to the expense and trouble of having them properly framed"
 
See, Framechica, that sounds lovely, but I just can't say that sort of thing. I feel ridiculous. I wish I could say something like that--something warm and encouraging and musical to owners' ears--but I just can't do it. *sigh* When people whine about the price, I usually just shrug, smile, and say that we charge a good price for custom-work, but that custom-work can never compare to ready-mades in either price or workmanship. I've even encouraged people to come back when they can better afford their designs; a handful of people get offended, but most people agree that they don't want to spend $100 on a piece when $300 would make them happy. I'd rather wait for the $300 sale....and most of the time I get it.

And as for the rest of the whiners....either they're comparison shopping, or they never intended to spend any money anyway.

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I don't care what color your sofa is.
 
I guess I would like to know just exactly what the definition is of a "whiner".

Is it someone who has sticker shock. IN that case I feel it is my job to provide the comfort necessary to allow them to recover and book the order with me.

Is it someone who has met me or used our services for the first time? Then it is up to me to display an professionalism that allows trust to build enough that they are comfortable enought to know we can do the job.

Is it someone who verbalizes outloud and will book the order anyway? Then I guess I would just state my price and wait. I try to always remember to say all the sales information first and the price last. I want to be the winner and keep quiet once the price leaves my lips.

Is it someone who truly can not afford custom framing and would like to use the our services in the future when they can afford it?

Is it someone who will never be pleased unless the price is what they have in mind? Then I guess I give it my best shot and hope for the best.

Perhaps we do not know what is in the customers head and a professional attitude and time will allow some of them to become our "clients". Since the brief period that contact is made with a new client is so important perhaps our only recourse is to do the best we can to make the best impression on them that can be made.
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Timberwoman
AL
I cut the mat, I pet the =^..^= cat.

[This message has been edited by ArtLady (edited July 03, 2001).]
 
That whiner just may be a spy shopper!
Your age is showing if you know of the golden oil dip stick. I'll vote on the side of politeness.
 
Ah Yes, perhaps a spy! Then the nicer I am more the more inclined they are to make a mistake and let me know who they are. It has happened several times. Like the time the spy wanted to know if I carried a certain brand name frame. However, someday that person could be looking for a job. Now I might not want to burn that bridge. Who knows they may be talented and have all the right attitudes to make our shop more successful.

In today's market experienced talented framers with the right attitudes are hard to find.
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Timberwoman
AL
I cut the mat, I pet the =^..^= cat.

[This message has been edited by ArtLady (edited July 03, 2001).]
 
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