Getting deposits...

[Mark Winlund]

Anyone who fails to give a full name in their initial contact email gets ignored. Anyone who sounds clueless gets ignored. Anyone who tries to negotiate by saying they "have a guy who can do it cheaper" gets ignored. Any other tips for who gets ignored, I'd like to know!

A lesson I learned about 25 years ago.... If you can't sell it to someone else, always get a deposit. Most engravers don't have the self confidence to do this. They are afraid they will lose the job asking for a deposit. I never ask for less than 50%, and almost never lose a sale because of the deposit requirement. Very few people will walk away from a job if they have paid something up front, even if it is only $5. Remember, their time and money is valuable, even if they don't think yours is! In my later years, I even went to 100% deposits on smaller jobs with very little complaints. Most americans are used to paying in advance.

Mark

[Larry Bratton]

Mark, your absolutely right. Even when I do a sign job for an established contractor customer, ($18-20k) I get 1/3 up front (covers my material), then I produce the whole job, take photos of it (or if he wants to come and look at it physically he can) then another 1/3 is due for the labor. The other 1/3 is due progressively as the signs are installed. Fifty percent is common on smaller amounts. I have a friend that operates a national sign franchise location and they get 50%, no exceptions.

[Mike Null]

I had a refreshing change this morning. Usually I reject retail customers but this guy had shopped around and wanted to get a Swiss carving knife Cermarked then engrave 22 names on the octagonal wood handle.

I told him over the phone it would be somewhere between $100 and $200. He brought it over and I firmed up the price at $135.

But another guy bugged the life out of me and I refused to do his job until I had check in hand. I had the feeling he was trying to stiff me. His check arrived this morning 4 days late.

[Joe Pelonio]

In my business I have never charged a deposit, though on a couple of jobs that were several thousand I asked for 50% in advance to cover my materials and additional labor costs. I have always been lucky, I guess. Since 1993 I had one bad check (turned out to be stolen, for a generic "Grand Opening" banner) and one small local chain of "healthy" fast food restaurants went bankrupt owing me $600. I ended up getting $50.

I'd bet that these days would be a lot worse if I was taking a lot of new clients, so I agree with Mark.

[Gary Hair]

I ask for 50% of any order over $100 and full payment on anything less. Most of the time they ask me how much of a deposit or if I want them to pay in full.

Gary

[Belinda Barfield]

I ask for 50% of any order over $100 and full payment on anything less. Most of the time they ask me how much of a deposit or if I want them to pay in full.

Gary

If the item is a onesie, full payment up front.

If the order is from a repeat commercial customer 50% up front, 50% upon delivery.

I have two customers that pay net 10 because I know they are good for it, one a large corporation, the other a local government entity.

[Dan Hintz]

Most of the time, my work is on customer-supplied substrates... if they want it back, they need to pay me. In those cases, there's no need for a deposit. In cases where I need to purchase something first, my work orders clearly state that a deposit is required... the amount depends on how much of a PITA I think the person will be.

[Mitchell Andrus]

Most americans are used to paying in advance.

Mark

I had one person about 6 years ago complain that she needed to pay up front on the website - just like everyone else who buys stuff on-line.

I said "Even McDonald's makes you pay before you eat."

She didn't like that too much. Screw 'er. She can go stiff somebody else.
.

[Dee Gallo]

I had one person about 6 years ago complain that she needed to pay up front on the website - just like everyone else who buys stuff on-line.

I said "Even McDonald's makes you pay before you eat."

She didn't like that too much. Screw 'er. She can go stiff somebody else.
.

And the jillions of sales made by catalog are all paid ahead of delivery. I have very few customers who get their custom product before they pay... those few are very good "friend" customers who I know will pay and reorder too. I usually require payment when someone sends me their order.

cheers, dee

[Shawn Cavaretta]

i laser cut model railroad structures and require a 50% deposit up front then the rest before shipping. i have a couple open accounts but these are people i have known for years. i have never lost a job due to the deposit

[Bill Cunningham]

The majority of my work comes through the web, and I require a signed P.O. faxed to a toll free number, or emailed as a .pdf. The P.O. has all needed info including c/c info, authorized amount to charge, sig of card owner, shipping and card billing addresses. (this info is verified by the bank) This allows me to email a sample artwork or photo. Once approved the card is charged and the job run(pre-paid)..All over the counter work is pre-paid in cash.. For large, well known customers, I will include a sales bill in the order tagged to the person who sent me the p.o, who is expected to make sure a cheque is in the mail before 30 days, or their next orders are delayed. I do not bill to the U.S. if the company has a Canadian branch, I request that the order be placed through that branch, otherwise i require their corporate visa info on the P.O. I've never been stuck yet!

[Mark Winlund]

I have two customers that pay net 10 because I know they are good for it, one a large corporation, the other a local government entity.

Actually, I have one customer like this; it is the state university. Their accounting system is cumbersome and slow, but usually I get paid! (it's more like net 60 though!) They usually don't get discounts, and the 60 day wait is factored into the bill. Since I now work out of my garage, beggars can't be choosers... at least not this beggar.

Mark

[Gary and Jessica Houghton]

We run a small retail store. I tell all of my customers our policy is 50% down. Most customers take care of the whole payment so they don't have to worry about the remaining balance. We only have a few customers we do net terms with. They are schools and government entities. We have to do net with them in order to get their business. So far, we have gotten paid for everything from everyone except 2 jobs in which we were not diligent about getting deposits. 3 years and a cost of $20 worth of materials, I say it's worth the process of deposits!

[Belinda Barfield]

There was one job I never got paid for, but I just chalked it up as a good deed. I engraved a grave marker, something x 36 black granite for a woman whose 2 year old drowned in her grandmother's swimming pool. I charged her $100. She wrote me a bad check. I finally got in touch with her after a month and she apologized and gave me her debit card information. No good. I just dropped it at that point.