What To Tell Us In Your Request For a Price Quote

One of the most frequently asked questions from prospects and clients alike is fairly basic: “What information do you need in order to work up a reliable price quote on my next project?”

Casting about for new blog topics, it occurred to us that answering that question in this open forum would make for a valuable blog post. It would not only educate avid readers about how to speed and simplify the process of obtaining a meaningful price quote, but it would also serve as reference material to which we could point newly interested people who need to know this answer.

So let’s start at the very beginning:

Step 1: You realize you want some kind of signage.

Step 2: You think through your possible project, at least as far as you can go without enlisting the help of signage professionals. This is the time to begin thinking about how you want to answer such questions as:

• Where will you put the sign(s)?
• What message(s) do you want the sign(s) to convey?
• Who is your intended audience for the sign(s)?
• Can you point to any existing signage that approximates the sign(s) you want?
• Is your project intended to replace existing signage, or be entirely new?

Much depends on the characteristics of the signage you’re want, such as:

• Indoor or outdoor?
• Visible during the day only? the night only? or both day and night?
• Able to communicate effectively at what distance?
• Extent and detail of your intended messaging?
• Able to be changed to new messaging how often?

Step 3: Get agreement on these issues from the key players on your team. Then write up your answers – briefly but comprehensively.

Step 4: Specify the location of your contemplated signage. This is important because zoning laws vary widely from one town to another. If you wish, you can review the signage code governing your business district or you can even consult with the local Zoning officer or building inspector. You don’t have to becoming a zoning expert, of course. We have a lot of expertise with local zoning restrictions, and will be happy to help you understand what you can and cannot do in your locality.

In particular, it’s often true that some of your neighbors’ signage is “grandfathered” in, meaning their signs can stay up, but new signs of the exact same size and type may no longer be acceptable.

Also, it’s often much easier to convey to us what you are looking for by sharing with us a photo, architectural specification, rendering, and/or any relevant graphical material – even just a bit of color you like, as a sample.

All this data helps to get our team on the same page with your team, and at the same time gives us detailed points of reference about your project, so we can more accurately develop and quote a realistic price.