spin off of m.p. $350 deer

Wish I could find someone who did really nice work for that price. I'd wholesale everything out and go on vacation!

 

Whatever happend to 'mind your own business'? ??? :

 

the 250 guy is minding his own business.probably cuts cost by not owning a computer or internet.probably can mount triple the deer in half the time without the distraction.

 

TOUCHE!!!!!!

 

I'm not ... this site is not your business! I am however responding to yet another whining crybaby continuing an inane subject that has no added value other than to make noise and get you in with the crowd. People can and will charge whatever the hell they want to charge. It is their right to charge what they want. The sooner you all realize this, the better off you might be. Oh wait ... maybe not ... because then you would have to come up with something to cry about all on your own. And I know that must be tough for you.

 

Actually the original post was not an argument for or against what people charge, it was a simple question of how they make it.

It is a very educational subject and one that does deserve attention since pricing is rarely, if ever, discussed on a World, National or State level during conventions. It should be. Price structuring is the most integral part of any business.

John, with all due respect I have seen you comment numerous times in the lifesize section of this site telling people that there prices were too low. The last encounter in that area was with Cole several months ago over bobcat prices. You have involved yourself in these conversations numerous times, buy yet when another Taxidermist breaches the subject, they are labeled with a derogatory term. Very typical.

dwimberly, you just posted your new website along with it's very low pricing schedule and asked for everybody's opinion of your business..... now you say 'touche' to somebody lambasting the approach you just took. Different day, different outlook huh???

Pricing is a very important conversation considering this is a BUSINESS! It is for a large part an industry that loathes others success. That must change. Until people approach the subject in a mature, united way it will always be taboo.

It's time to approach this subject dead on and rear our young Taxidermists with the mindset to strive to be the best, not the most affordable. Which by the way is the most common approach to business in this industry.

Sorry, but the youth and future of this business is our business and I will stick my nose dead in it if I can convince one young wide eyed entrepreneur that this is not a business of sorrow and grief as many who went down the economical road portray it as.

This industry has been and continues to treat me and my family very well. I'm sick of the ones who may not be doing so well crying about the ones who do. Calling them show offs or gloaters. [expletive deleted] those people! If they want to live on misery, i'll give them the key to the door. Be as miserable as you want! But I'll be damn if you're going to try to rain on people's parade who are happy and successful on their own right doing this business.

It's time to show people that you can charge an honest living, you can be successful and it's time to brag about it and give them inspiration.

 

In my area the job's around here are mostly a $10- pay scale, the people struggle to basic bill's - the need's. As long as the lower price's
guy's are making some profit they don't care if it's $50, it's more than they had. There was a guy that raised his deer up to $420- this
past year and he lost 2/3 of his work. He has another job and only did it on the side so he still survived. People around bit$h about
paying $350- and they don't, they will go cheaper do a euro or rack mount. There's alway's going to be cheaper guy's just like a local
lumber yard here has a crew putting up building's and the amish came in and undercut the prices by half, guess what the amish are now
doing the building for the lumber yard so the lumber yard cut the throat of the contracter's, getting the same work done for half
the money. It's everywhere.

 

Is there really any other business where the customer's complain about the price so the business owner lower's his price, well then I am starting here right now, gas is to high,food is to high,bullet's are to high,lumber is to high,dog food is to high,tree stands are to high,x-box games are to high,taxidermy supplies are to high. Well i guess I'll just sit here and wait for all these other busines's to lower there prices.

 

Egg Zactly! Nobody other than a taxidermist starts a business to see how cheap they can sell a product. I know for a fact that I can not see what is in a customers wallet, so I stopped pretending that they were poor.

 

This week alone I had 2 potential customers who let me know in certain terms I was much higher in my area.Even trying to educate the difference and why Im higher they both were more interested in a shiny nose and how big I could make the belly on a bass.Thanks Andy and John for reminding us that some areas just wont stand it.I did ask what ones mechanic and electrician charged after I knew i was wasting my time.

 

if it's all about the pricing why do alot of high priced guys fail and alot of low price guys make it?Could it be the high guy is trying to get 650 for a 350 head 'cause all his buddies on taxinet told him to?And the low guy runs his business like a business and knows his market and knows his clientele?
The real reason a ton of guys fail is that they have no business running a business.

 

To me, what I have seen are the ones who are consistently good on turn around and quality are the ones who make it.

Gab has a good point here, but it goes even further. Oh hell there is so much to say (but I gotta go get my 3 deer for today mounted-also something that has been said cannot be done satisfactorily )

But to finish the first part, the ones who stay consistently good in quality are going to get the work even if they raise prices, it doesn't have to be great, outstanding work, just good. Match that with 3-6 month turn around and you will get $500-$600 for a deer in no time at all regardless of area.

I travel quite frequently and there is not one economically depressed town in generally well populated areas where I could not find $150,000 homes, nice stores and subdivisions with-in 50 miles.

You CANNOT sit in your general populous area and say 'everybody is broke!' cause THEY ARE NOT! Move if you have to, that's what people at normal jobs do, they transfer, not take pay cuts and cry when they could be making more money.

 

This is probably none of my business as John would say, But I'll throw it out there anyway.
My businesses have not been taxidermy related, so my experiences have been a little different, but still the same.. For the most part, I don't concern myself with how much you have to spend. My concerns are how much I need to make to cover my nut. My skills and my knowledge didn't come overnight and I'm not about to give them away for free because you are living beyond your means. My time and my weekends are valuable to me. Can't afford me, go work one of your weekends.

Most know my background is carpentry and drywall.. I had all kinds of work in addition to my F.T. job and I was one of the highest I know of. People think all drywall jobs are the same, until screws are popping and joints are cracking. The average rate in my new occupation is around 10% of gross.. We are at 17% and have more work than we can handle (Thank God).. We have an excellent consultant we work with who's going rate is $1200/day + all expenses, including trivial things like gas in the rental cars.. The last consulting job we asked for $1500/day + and got it.. If you are afraid to push the envelope you will never get to where you want to be. You will only help your customer get to where THEY want to be. Every market needs someone to drive it.. Leading beats the hell out of following.. I may be FOS, but thats MO.

 

a good non taxidermy example is hyundai.they beat out porsche and mercedes in customer satisfaction,and put out a product they warranty for 3 times as long,all for 1/2 the price.they don't seem to be going broke.I'm sure mercedes and porsche and bmw are all on some forum bitching about them.

 

I learned a lesson in business just yesterday. Guy calls and wanted a repo of a blue cat. I quoted him 675.00. I think I heard him hit the floor.Now me thinking this guy is just an average joe I tried to work with him on price, and a payment plan.Even though the repo is 375.00 for just the blank. Well after a lengthy conversation he told me to facebook him and take a look at a pic of his fish.Well not only did I see the fish,I also seen his half a million dollar home, his 20,000 dollar boat and so on. So let's see 375.00 for the blank-,20.00 for shipping,150.00 for taxes-20.00 driftwood-20.00 for paint and gloss=565.00. So that leaves me with 90.00. And I'm trying to make a deal with this guy over 90.00. That's why he has a 500,000 dollar home and I have 10 deer heads in my shop that I have to beg folks to come pick up. Like Mr T said, I will stop pretending they are poor..