Holiday Marketing Synopsis - Engraving Etc. Forum

From:	Stunt Engraver (DGL)	30 Dec 2006
To:	Carl (CSEWELL)	12 of 19

5614.12 In reply to 5614.11

Carl,

Have you asked the customers how they found you?

Even though they weren't aware of the other engravers in your area, several factors come into play, as to why some get work and others don't:

1) Bedside manner - Some just aren't "people persons." I'm amazed this group gets any work from anyone at all.

2) Limited skills - Having the equipment doesn't guarantee ultimate expertise.

3) Fear factor - Relates to #2 - Lack of experience leads to working on "Slam Dunks" only. If they can cut a new plate, from sheet stock and go again, they're in.

That leaves a lot of uncovered territory and opportunity knocks for those willing to take a calculated risk.

David "The Stunt Engraver" Lavaneri
DGL Engraving
Port Hueneme, CA

EDITED: 30 Dec 2006 by DGL

From:	Carl (CSEWELL)	30 Dec 2006
To:	Stunt Engraver (DGL)	13 of 19

5614.13 In reply to 5614.12
quote: Have you asked the customers how they found you? All the time! Most (60 to 75%) find me through word-of-mouth (surprise, surprise) from past customers and also from my wife's customers (co-located business). The second majority find me through my website. I'm continually amazed at the number of people that use Google's "near" feature. Typically, they use "engraving near Guntersville, AL". A very powerful tool. I'm also located on a side-street between the two one-way streets (a US highway) that runs through town (which sits on a peninsula), so I get a few (maybe 5%) that drive by. Some of the comments I've received about the 'competitors' are: lack of attention to detail; can't do graphics; bad experience. I haven't found an easy way to bring this subject up so I'm limited to what people offer. You don't grow or make more money by doing the same ol' same ol'. What doesn't put you out of business, makes you stronger??!? Carl Guntersville Laser Engraving Guntersville, AL http://www.GuntersvilleLaser.com

From:	Stunt Engraver (DGL)	30 Dec 2006
To:	Carl (CSEWELL)	14 of 19

5614.14 In reply to 5614.13
Carl, Sounds like you have many of the ingredients in the recipe for success. :-) What would be an example of the type of work you had to turn down recently? Odd-shaped metal objects? David "The Stunt Engraver" Lavaneri DGL Engraving Port Hueneme, CA

From:	Carl (CSEWELL)	30 Dec 2006
To:	Stunt Engraver (DGL)	15 of 19

5614.15 In reply to 5614.14
quote: Sounds like you have many of the ingredients in the recipe for success. Oh, no.... I can't cook! ;^) Almost all were brass: buckles, door knockers, briefcase clasps, medals (may not have been brass but they didn't want to experiment). Other than the brief case clasp, none of them would appear to be very difficult to fixture. One was a Zippo lighter that I wasn't sure if it was plated or not. The customer made an EXCELLENT barter deal with me, so I gave it a go with Cermark. Successfully, I might add. My main concern was that the slow, high heat would damage the thin metal. I kept the lighter insert in and only marked the lower half. The customer was pleased and I received a very expensive gift for my wife. One was a leather (dark black) pool cue case which might not have been easily rotary engraved, or please correct me if I'm wrong. I was forewarned about this person by the person that referred her to me, so I guess I wasn't overly anxious to help her. Carl Guntersville Laser Engraving Guntersville, AL http://www.GuntersvilleLaser.com

From:	Stunt Engraver (DGL)	30 Dec 2006
To:	Carl (CSEWELL)	16 of 19

5614.16 In reply to 5614.15

Carl,

The leather pool cue case isn't a good candidate for engraving, but a plate, either laser engraved or rotary/drag engraved would work.

You could have tried laser engraving (if it fit in your machine) then used a plate as a "cover up" in case it didn't work. :-)

Congratulations on the barter. I'm a fan of that system, as long as everyone is happy with the trade.

David "The Stunt Engraver" Lavaneri
DGL Engraving
Port Hueneme, CA

EDITED: 30 Dec 2006 by DGL

From:	Carl (CSEWELL)	30 Dec 2006
To:	Stunt Engraver (DGL)	17 of 19

5614.17 In reply to 5614.16
Fitting the pool cue case in the laser would have been difficult. It could have been done, but it would have been time consuming to make it fit and also to keep it flat where it needed to be marked. And making sure that it didn't move during marking. I could also have done laser foil, but someone once told me that "stickers" aren't very attractive. Although I've done laser foil and also LaserLights on several vinyl albums (photo not record) much to the customer's delight. And, yes, the marking ended up being more than album. Go figure. How would you have attached the plate (plastic?) to the leather? The case wasn't at all rigid. I'd be afraid that they'd catch a corner and rip a plate off without much effort at all. Carl Guntersville Laser Engraving Guntersville, AL http://www.GuntersvilleLaser.com

From:	Stunt Engraver (DGL)	30 Dec 2006
To:	Carl (CSEWELL)	18 of 19

5614.18 In reply to 5614.17
quote: How would you have attached the plate (plastic?) to the leather? The case wasn't at all rigid. I'd be afraid that they'd catch a corner and rip a plate off without much effort at all. There are some very aggressive double-faced tapes, so, as long as the corners of the plates are radiused, there's very little chance of being snagged. If the case was very flexible, Laserlites or FlexiBrass should be able to roll with the punch. David "The Stunt Engraver" Lavaneri DGL Engraving Port Hueneme, CA
EDITED: 30 Dec 2006 by DGL

From:	Carl (CSEWELL)	30 Dec 2006
To:	Stunt Engraver (DGL)	19 of 19

5614.19 In reply to 5614.18
quote: If the case was very flexible, Laserlites or FlexiBrass should be able to roll with the punch. LaserLights on textured surfaces looks real bad, in my opinion. FlexiBrass probably would have worked. They're now supplying it with 3M adhesive. That probably would have been the best option. I've got an old textured, vinyl briefcase (portfolio book, actually) that I might try that on for display purposes. It used to bother me when customers would say, "You're the expert. Do whatever you think is best." because not everyone has the same tastes. I'm learning that giving people too many choices is worse than "Doing whatever you think is best". Carl Guntersville Laser Engraving Guntersville, AL http://www.GuntersvilleLaser.com