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Basic channel letter installation


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How much does everyone charge to install a set of channel letters on a raceway? I get emails from all over the U.S. but i never get the job when i quote them a price of $450. To me, that seems pretty decent. Survey at $100 and staff time for permit at $100. I want to know how everyone else does it.

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  • !llumenati

You need to really look at your expenses. I bet you you don't clear $ 100. at those rates.

On the other side of this.........

At your rates, other sign companies look at your pricing and know you don't know what you're doing.

Go higher and you will get jobs

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I would agree that your rates are too low which raises a red flag to a lot of people.

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I wouldn't apply a standard formula for installations of any kind. Each location has different factors which affect the installation cost. Like the others have mentioned, your prices are extremely low. Maybe if it's right next door and it can be done by one man and a stepladder, no electrical hookup, and permits are a walk-through - but that's rarely the case.

You might ask the account manager what they have for an allowance, or an average install cost. They'll probably quote it low, but that might give you some idea of what they're expecting to pay.

Also, assuming that you are new in the business, you might want to check out the forwarding company on this website. See how they pay their bills and how they are to work with. At your rates, one or two bad accounts could be a real financial setback.

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The other day a sign company asked me to quote a two raceway sign install about 15ft wide x 4ft. I told them the usual $450 install, 100 survey $120 staff time. There were some interior signs that had to be done, but i didn't mention it on the first email. They replied to me asking if $450 included installs for interior as well. I said no, i can quote it after survey. Then i get no response. That seriously made me wonder how much other guys would do the job for. The usual rate in my area is $120 for two men crane, although nationals try to haggle down to $110 or lower. Three men is at $155, although i think ill have to be at $150 to get anything. My thought is - installs usually take three hours, that puts me at $360.00 and i use the extra as a buffer.

There has to be someone in an area where the installs are as low as my price. Usually i quote $12 upright inch on block letters and almost never win the bid with my local companies. Power supply service at 280, tranformer at 350, and people tell me im too expansive.

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I don't understand your pricing at all. Quoting A raceway install at $12 per inch height? A raceway is a raceway unless it is some kind of monster or on a strange surface with an troublesome attachment method. Power supply at 280??? Transformer at 350?? what is that? You send three men and a crane out for 360 bucks? you prob have at least 180-200 in payroll for those three hours not including travel time. What about supplies that you use? Wear and tear on tools, drill bits, screws and fasteners? How do you pay for your truck?

Installation & Maintenance Services

Brian Phillips | expresssignandneon@sbcglobal.net | P. 812-882-3278

Express Sign & Neon | 119 S. 15th Street - Vincennes - IN 47591

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At those prices I would bet the farm you are loosing money on every job.

Installation & Maintenance Services

Brian Phillips | expresssignandneon@sbcglobal.net | P. 812-882-3278

Express Sign & Neon | 119 S. 15th Street - Vincennes - IN 47591

express%20neon%20sig.jpg

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I believe the $12 an upright inch was for channel letter fabrication. And the other prices are PS and Trans swap outs.

John, aka VA Sign Guy. Shoot me an email. mark@alltexsigns.com I'll be happy to chat with you.

We don't discuss pricing, or how we set our pricing on this board. It would probably be considered "Racketeering" or some other Fed Crime. If we all agreed on the same prices.

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Now I am confused 350 for a trans swap and 450 for and install?

Installation & Maintenance Services

Brian Phillips | expresssignandneon@sbcglobal.net | P. 812-882-3278

Express Sign & Neon | 119 S. 15th Street - Vincennes - IN 47591

express%20neon%20sig.jpg

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Now I am confused 350 for a trans swap and 450 for and install?

LOL! I believe it's $450.00 for a raceway install. $350 for Trans swap. $280.00 for PS swap.

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I agree with the others, the reason you aren't getting the jobs is because your pricing is way to low. Most of the PM's with the Nationals will tell you that they get several bids and they typically take the one in the middle of the road. Very low bids like yours is a red flag to them that the company either a. doesn't know how to price things, or b. is new to the industry and doesn't know what they are doing. Good luck getting new jobs when you get your pricing right. But like the others also said, before accepting jobs from the Nationals get on here and see what the rest of our experiences have been with them before accepting the job. Some of them are amazing to work with and pay excellent and some of the others, not so much!

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The last time one of the nationals we work for took a much lower price they had to hire us to go fix the mess that was made. Don't under price yourself especially to the point that you have to do shoddy work. Do a great job for a good fair price and make a living. You don't need to take of the marbles but if you don't go home with some of them in your pocket you can't play again tomorrow.

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Is Sign World a licensed contractor or winging it in the sign biz. Seems estimating would be a basic skill one should be familiar with if you dabble in a business that is not handyman oriented. $30 extra for the 3rd man? What? Workers Comp must be cheap in Virginia not to mention employee pay..

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Is Sign World a licensed contractor or winging it in the sign biz. Seems estimating would be a basic skill one should be familiar with if you dabble in a business that is not handyman oriented. $30 extra for the 3rd man? What? Workers Comp must be cheap in Virginia not to mention employee pay..

A few weeks ago I had to quote for a job that required about 40 hours of install. I believe I quoted for $ 6200.00, which is $ 155/hour. When I had asked the project manager, he told me I was not the lowest one. So it seems like that is the usual price here... Maybe I should move my business to a different part of the country.

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Is Sign World a licensed contractor or winging it in the sign biz. Seems estimating would be a basic skill one should be familiar with if you dabble in a business that is not handyman oriented. $30 extra for the 3rd man? What? Workers Comp must be cheap in Virginia not to mention employee pay..

A few weeks ago I had to quote for a job that required about 40 hours of install. I believe I quoted for $ 6200.00, which is $ 155/hour. When I had asked the project manager, he told me I was not the lowest one. So it seems like that is the usual price here... Maybe I should move my business to a different part of the country.

At $155/Hr you probably weren't the lowest. Not knowing what the 40 hour job entailed, it's really hard to say, but at that rate you were actually probably on the high side. The $450 channel install and the $100 surveys is what I think we thought you were questioning and what we were all saying was on the very low side?? It's kind of like all over the map. You need to be kind of middle of the road. You were definitely too low on the $450 channel and the $100 survey.
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Why not just start saving yourself the headache and simply ask them if they have a budget they would like you to meet?

At least you'd be able to assess whether you wanted the job or not, if it was worthwhile, or if they were just number shopping you to beat a competitors number lower.

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