33 INDUSTRY TIPS / JOE ARENELLA, SIGNTRACKER June / July 2023 - Issue 247 email: news@signlink.co.uk Once you have these details worked out, you can get your pricing gathered to produce accurate quotes. Materials will need to be researched for availability and cost. Plus, the labour needed to design, permit, fabricate, and install will need to be calculated, along with any other incidentals you have discovered in the initial phase of the project. Final designs, quotes, and timelines can now be presented to the client for approval. Please make sure you have already received a deposit for your initial discovery work and designs – approximately 10% of the value of the project. When quoting large projects never be vague. Always outline in accurate detail what the quote covers, because large projects often have change orders and you don’t want to fall victim to scope creep and get stuck with the bill. 3. HOW TO ENSURE NEAR PERFECT EXECUTION OF THE PROJECT – ENGAGE YOUR TEAM Congratulations, you sold the project! Now you are ready to get rolling. One mistake I made as a sign shop owner was to assume that everyone knew what I knew about the steps needed to complete the project. I quickly learned that every time I tried to do it all, I dropped the ball. When I was willing to make large projects a team effort, everything ran much smoother. Host a kickoff meeting with your team to create a list of tasks, and determine who will be responsible for each task. It is helpful to work backward from the project due date so you can plan the scheduling of each task. When you are done with this phase of planning the project you should have a clear picture of who is responsible for each task, which suppliers you will be using for materials, or wholesaler manufacturers for signs you are outsourcing, install crew scheduled, equipment needed, and budgets set. 4. HOW TO MONITOR THE PROJECT (& AVOID 90% OF THE MISTAKES) Hold weekly team production meetings to make sure the project milestones are being met. My shop held production meetings two days per week. Monday after lunch was our big meeting for the week during which we would go over every job, review all open tasks, and address the items and issues that were blocking jobs from moving forward. Thursday morning, we held a shorter meeting in which we again discussed any problems or blocks on projects. While this schedule worked well for us, we also communicated in between these meetings if any problems arose. Project managers, sales reps and designers would always make themselves available to the fabrication and install team to clarify any questions. From initial designs to the final sign being installed, we never lost site of the fact that it takes the whole team to achieve success. 5. CLOSE THE PROJECT – CUSTOMER SATISFACTION WILL LEAD TO MORE JOBS (& REFERRALS) Once final signs are installed, it is time to close the project. Call the client and make sure they are 100% satisfied with the results. Address any concerns, and if there are any punch list concerns, correct them in a timely manner. Make sure you have a system in place to manage the final tasks, and that you have stored all important project documents, designs, and photos for future reference if needed. It is easy to get busy with the next big project and not close out jobs correctly. Finally, make sure to thank your client! Our shop always sent out the final invoice with completion photos and a thank you note signed by several staff people. We thanked them for the project, and let them know we look forward to the next one. It was a nice touch that led to more work, and usually helped us get paid on time. YOU GOT THIS! As you perfect your planning process and build trusted relationships with your clients, the scope of your projects may become more complex. Don’t shy away from those large, complicated projects – they can be fun and profitable. Plus, they allow you to build a large portfolio and create a sense of pride and accomplishment with your team. You may feel a little uncomfortable to start, but if you stretch yourself, you and your team will watch great things happen! ▲ Make sure to close a job properly and not rush onto the next without ensuring customers are happy Once you are past the initial discovery phase, you are ready to start to develop a plan on how the project will actually get completed
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