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LIFE

This I like. still needs some refinment, but I think it might be a direction worth persuing.

"Local. Independent. Framing. Experience it."

actually, another word for Independent might be better......
 
Our price is true,
Our work is too.

No pricing games with our frames.

Our prices are true,
We promise, you won’t get screwed! :icon21:

Hehe--couldn't resist!
 
I'll go again

While I like the "Pick Me" campaign it may be a little whiney.:party:

So...

Custom Picture Framing

It's fast, it's fun, it's for Everyone!

See your local independent Picture Framer Today!


Smile Away
and Pick Me!
Nancy
 
Here's my twenty-five cents worth.....

Price isn't everything.....creativity is. Support your locally owned frame shop.

If you liked in the closet, you'll love it on the wall.

A custom cut above the rest.

Got art...frame it.

Got memories....frame it.


 
FrameMakers said:
Paul, I am not saying that an awarness campain is not nessecary. Just that bashing the BB while doing it could backfire big.
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We don't need to bash the competition, simply enlighten the consumer.
 
On my business cards and ads, I have:
FAMILY OWNED AND OPERATED


That has helped many people make the choice to come here, rather than the BB, and they have told me that. We're big on "support your local business owner" around here.

and

what Ellen mentioned:
IF YOU LOVE IT, FRAME IT.... with us"

I've been using that one for years.
IfYouLoveIt.jpg

That's from 1983!
 
Paul Cascio said:
Framar said:
Bring your art to LIFE
Local Independent Frameshop Entrepeneurs
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Good try, be we need something that boosts us over the BB's.
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Maybe you did get it, but I'm not sure you did, that LIFE is an acronym?

I thought it was great, FWIW.
 
Heavens no, please.
.
.
.
.

We don't use pegboard anymore.
.
.
.
:p
 
Market the LIFE acronym.....


Your Art Deserves A L.I.F.E.
 
not a winner

This is one I've always wanted to use... in the right context:


Frame Your Sh**.




Well, I tried. :)
 
Trust me, Auntie, if you put that out there, you will be framing someone's Sh**.

I once advertised that we would frame "anything".....got a horse pucky and an old cow pie.....beloved pets.......honest!:nuts:

I've not advertised that we will frame "anything" since then.
 
I still say Their Framing sucks and ours doesn'tis the essence of what Paul is trying to convey. He just dosen't want to admit it because I have been contrary to his methods and he probably fears what I would do with his 8x10 glossy.(can anybody say voo-doo)Hopefully he will see beyond his own self interests and come to his senses for the better of the group. But, just so's we are clear, I still expect royalties!
 
Kathy, I don't think you can scare anyone!! (meant in good humor) least of all Paul. I think he's already been there, done that in this industry and it (whatever "it" is) probably won't have as much of an impact on him as it would the rest of us.

my 1 cent on this one

Elaine
 
I use to tell people that you wont get lost in our store. That one came from a customer that came in after no one at the BB store would help them.

I like to run in my ads "Family owned and operated" also. Some times I also include "No clerks...deal with the owner who has 15 years of framing experience"

We seem to have a large turnover in our BB stores and people complain that some times they never see the same person twice.
 
So how 'bout it Val?

danny boy said:
Lets use Vals picture as the prize..
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I second it. If it's okay with Val, it okay with me. But even if she says, "No," we can still find a bunch of photos of people from 24 years ago - just go on Match.com.

I've been gone most of the day so I'll try to get caught up on the daily entries. Hopefully we'll get a few winners today.
 
SteveT said:
I use to tell people that you wont get lost in our store. That one came from a customer that came in after no one at the BB store would help them.

I like to run in my ads "Family owned and operated" also. Some times I also include "No clerks...deal with the owner who has 15 years of framing experience"

We seem to have a large turnover in our BB stores and people complain that some times they never see the same person twice.
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Let's take 'em in order Steve:

IMO, we need more customers who are dumb enough that they could get lost in a retail store.

Maybe when I was 5 years old and I wandered off and my mother would have the department store put out an APB on me it was okay. But no healthy adult should need a GPS to find their way past the plastic plants, around the beads and out the door.


Family Owned? I hate that term.

Have you ever driven past a sign that said, "Family Owned," slammed on the brakes and ran in to buy something?

Neither have I and neither has anyone else.

The "Family Owned and Operated" thing always bothered me. I was afraid they were Mafia, so I avoided places like that even though I'm Italian.

Also, since everyone has a family, all businesses are technically "Family Owned."

I would rather see a sign that says, "Will frame for food," or "Former Felon Trying To Make Good." Now that is inspiring.


Finally...15 years and no clerks. What does this say?

This says you suck so bad that even after 15 years your business hasn't grown to the point where you need even one employee; not even a part-timer.

Steve, I'm gonna have to start charging you a consulting fee. :smileyshot22:

Just havin' fun Steve. Don't get pissed at me.
 
Framing Goddess said:
You guys have been dancing all around this one...

"Framing Outside The Box"

"Frame Outside The Box"
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Okay, but why? However, I do think the Framing Goddess thing is very intruiging. :)
 
RoboFramer said:
Everyone wants your money - we just deserve it more - but we still want it anyhow.

Sort of thing.
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The honest approach is always good John. Honorable Mention!
 
If they are BB Framers or AOS Framers, who are we?

Continuing with this challenge...We refer to the chains as Big Box Framers, or terms I prefer, Always-On-Sale Framers or Fifty Percent Off What? Framers.

What term would you use to describe non-chain store framers, us?

The following are already listed: small box and independent, so try something new.
 
Paulthefirst,
Well, Du-u-u-u-u-uh! The wire is on the back of the framed picture!:icon11:

And the box, is, uh-well, you-know, The Box! In this case, it's *cue bass-heavy ominous music* The Big Boxes!

Paulguerilla,
Thanks for being intrigued with my nickname. Get in line.

Us Little Guys need a catchall name that speaks of our sincerity and caring. (no snickering, puh-leeeze) I wonder if those of us who paid some dues working for a Big Box could capitalize on that?

"I used to be an employee number, now I'm a framer!" Clunky, but you get the drift.

"I used to have a job, now I have a passion!"

hmmmm

edie the passionate goddess

p.s. Cretin, I mean no offense!
 
Maybe not the right thing, but

Last fall I put a small sign in my window "Honest Prices". I was amazed at the response. Some people came in just to see what the sign meant. One man said "So, you're selling used cars now, huh?" I kept track of the people who came in just because of the sign and out of 14 that entered and did NOT know it was a frame shop, (duh), 6 of them later returned with art to frame.
 
Honest Pricing - I like that

Sarah that's a great line for a sign, or print ad. It's an approriate response to the inflated coupon sale technique, because of its implication.

One of my beefs witht the Always-On-Sale guys is when they don't provide a reference price, which most states require. Tell the customer, "50% off of our Regular Prices" or "50% off of an inflated price."

Without a reference price, the implication is 50-off of our prices and that is wrong.

We need a response that counters this tactic and your's is a pretty good one. It's gentle, but the implied message is clear.

If someone is feeding the public misinformation, you need to correct that or it becomes accepted as fact. A good example of this is the Mac/PC commercials, where the Mac guy uses humor to point out the bad stuff. It's class "Good Guy v. Bad Guy."

Without humor, it would just be whiney, but humor makes it entertaining as well as believeable.

It's also an example of how you compete with deeper pockets. Apple has a lot of money, but not compared to Mr. Gates. Apple only has about 10% of the personal computer market. Sound like anybody we know?
 
I used to get a regular newsletter from a local independent quilt shop.
In every issue in the same place, with the same border they made the following statement: "We believe in a fair pricing policy. We will never artifically inflate prices just to mark them down for a 'sale.'"
Or something close to that.

I say used to because they went out of business last year.

But I thought it was a fair bit to advertise and I think that Sarah's little sign says all that much more eloquently.

edie the KISS goddess
 
Hey Paul-We make signs on our VersaLaser (and sell them)

One of the more popular signs is "Thank You for Supporting a Locally Owned Business"

We sell them to obviously small family type entrepreneurs and have one framed
behind the cash/wrap

We get plenty of positive responses from clients. Maybe they are just being polite

Make 'em slam on the brakes and come in? No, but except for 50% off I don't know of anything else that does either.

We are different in that we are in major malls

Perhaps that gives us a different perspective because we get see daily the tremendous campaigns executed by the biggest and best players in the retail industry. These folks spend gajillions of dollars attempting to "know" what resonates with consumers, what makes them "hit the brakes and come in". There are people who's entire careers depend on hitting that magic formula

Is this another case of our industry "knowing better" than these people or is there anything we might learn from them?

Why must we always feel we have to re-create the wheel?

From jewelry to puppies to slippers to vaccuum cleaners to yogurt to lingiere, retailers all have the same goals and so many of them use tools that we simply turn our collective noses
 
I think "Locally Owned" is better than family owned. Lot's of people try to support locally owned businesses.
 
Bob Carter said:
Hey Paul-We make signs on our VersaLaser (and sell them)

One of the more popular signs is "Thank You for Supporting a Locally Owned Business"
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Bob, why don't you post a picture with price and size in the commercial forum? Some of us might be interested in supporting a Grumbler!!!!

ps. this isn't in green!
 
I have a banner on the front of my store that states:

Support your community
Shop local

This has brought a lot of people into my store. I know this, because they make a point of telling that the sign made them think and come in.
 
Does the average consumer understand the term "big box"? I mean we beat it into the ground here but I don't know that Joe Schmo would understand the distinction. The Corners down the street fom me is a bit bigger than us but I wouldn't call the store a big box. Just a point I though I'd make is all.
 
brian..k said:
Does the average consumer understand the term "big box"? .
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I think they do in a general since Brian. Everytime a new Wall Mart or the such wants to open in someone's back yard, there is always a stink on the news about all these Big Boxes. I am sure it is not unique to our area.

Now does the framing consumer equate a medium size store like Michaels / Hobby Lobby / JoAnns to a mega Big Box store like Home Depot / Wall Mart [ 50,000 - 80,000sf] etc. I don't know! It is relative, isn't it . What is the typical independant framer 1200-1500sf compared to Michael's (5 -6000sf? )
 
I honestly think Brian has a point.

Ask 10 people on the street what a Big Box is and I'd bet that 8 of them would look at you as if you're speaking Suhawhili!

A Chain-store on the other hand....
 
I'm with Brian on this one...

Once when I sent out a newsletter saying something about how we are different from the "big boxes" , I had people asking what they are and what I meant by that. So really, they don't understand that term. And if they do it is in a different context, like Walmart and they don't do framing.


I would keep the term out of it untill the general public starts refering to them as that.
 
J Phipps TN said:
And if they do it is in a different context, like Walmart and they don't do framing.
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They tried to open up shops in Wal-Mart, Why did these fail. Does anyone know?
 
The words Wal-Mart and custom framing simply don't go together. Certain things just do belong in a Wal-Mart - Tiramasu stands, Wine Tasting Booths, and Custom Framing.
 
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