These are all examples of when it's time to just say NO.
"Independent" frame shops, get it?
I try to accommodate as many of these high end customers as I can, and I try to be as nice as I can, but there is a point. That point is my prices. I have overhead, wages, inventory, taxes. These nice people are essentially asking us to PAY THEM, for the privilege of framing their pictures.
Cliff is absolutely correct, no matter what you do, even if you let them talk you into framing their picture, their way, at their price, or not doing it, they are going to bad mouth you as being WAY too expensive.
So why bother to fight this losing battle? What would you rather be, the most expensive frame shop in town or the cheapest frame shop in town? What shop owner do you think would make the most money, in his pocket? What shop owner would be working his butt off for whatever he earns? What kind of clientèle would they be cultivating?
Nickle and dimers are not interested in you putting food on your table, or if your business even survives. They will not talk you up to their friends. They only have one thing in mind, the lowest possible price, period.
Every few years, here in San Diego, some business mastermind, will brilliantly open a frame shop with the lowest prices in town. He honestly believes he is the only person who has ever come up with this original tactic for getting rich. They usually last just a few years before their advertising stops proclaiming how cheap they are, in fact, usually their advertising stops all together.
You can not please everyone, learn that, expect a few walkouts. If you don't have ANY walkouts, there is probably something wrong with your pricing structure.
John
[ 12-23-2003, 01:04 PM: Message edited by: JRB ]