anyone wrapped their vehicle?

[huggytree]

i ordered my new cube van 2 weeks ago and i should have it next week...instead of just getting lettering on the sides im opting for a full wrap of the cube....i think i paid $600 5 years ago for the lettering.........now im going to pay $3,500 for a wrap....it just seems very high priced, but the other estimate i got was $4,700........since the $3500 guy is a referral from a friend i feel safe ill get a quality job and its the exact same 3M product

anyone had any experience? does this seem like alot for a 15' cube?....the design work im asking for isnt much....just my same lettering w/ a background

im doing the wrap to hide all the scuffs the truck gets from tree's at customers houses....im hoping it will look better and more professional

ill post pics of the designs when i get a chance.

[MyITGuy]

I haven't yet, but likely will be soon.

I'd say your quotes are decent/cheap considering I was quoted just over 4K for my Tundra CrewMax and just over 2K for my Altima...however they do have more curves/work that would be needed compared to a cube.

I've been drawn to the concept in the images shown on the below:
House of RagE - Road RagE II (http://www.houseofrage.com/rr2done.html)

[Steve B]

I spent $3,000 for my wrap of an E-250 van.

If I were to do it again (especially with a new vehicle), I wouldn't get a wrap - I would just use the nice new paint as the background for whatever images and lettering I wanted. The wrap can't hide the scratches from trees if the scratches happen after the wrap job. After it gets scratched up after a few years, then you might want to get a wrap to cover the damages.

I will tell you that I paid extra to have a protective clear wrap put over the regular wrap on both of my doors. My reasoning was that I figured I'd have dogs jumping on my van from time to time and I didn't want them scratch the wrap. This extra coating was very expensive - I'll probably risk it next time.

[huggytree]

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n531/waukeshaplumbing/vanphoto.jpg

i want a wrap to hide scratches because the scratches are light grey in color and wont show as much on a light blue background as they do on white....the more i have going on the better it will look. or so is the plan

i want to stand out.....and i will with this wrap....

im only wrapping the flat area's of the cube....not the van portion or the edges

opinions on my design????

i am happy with everything except the advertising for the water heater and tub replace ment section on the back door...i have to select my own photo's and change the text....im not sure what to say...any help would be appreciated

im thinking of saying....is your water heater leaking? i can replace it
is your tub old and damaged? i can replace it

my wife worries that people will think that all i do is waterheaters and tubs by advertising them on the back door....i feel it will actually create a few jobs a year whereas my current van gets me no customers

[Steve B]

One thing I noticed is that you can probably drop the www. At this point it's understood when they see the .com. That way you might be able to use a bigger font.

The rest looks pretty good. Although it's not the kind of graphics I associate with a wrap. Usually a wrap includes more full color pictures and other things that typically aren't done with standard vinyl lettering (like what you have on the back). You really only have two colors and no photos on the sides and front. You could save a lot of money and use that money to fix the scratches down the road.

[huggytree]

the savings on not wrapping the sides wasnt that much ($800-$1,000)...when your spending $2,500 whats another $1,000 to stand out more.

i think it will make me stand out and look more professional/successful....thats easily worth $1,000

i dont want to use photo's on the sides because it looks too busy...i just want my name to STAND OUT.....i think the water droplet background works well with the Yellow company name lettering...ive used this look on my business cards for a while...im basically just painting my van light blue by using a wrap

the scratches arent worth fixing...they will just happen again and again.....my van will most likely be scratched up in a week.....also other trades will scratch the sides by walking past with tools.....its sad that a new 2012 van will most likely look very used in 1 year....im buying it for the GM warranty and mechanics of a new car..

ps....my old van needs another $1,000 repair....ive decided to drop my asking price by $1,000 instead and sell it with brake problems.....1 more repair and i may just donate the van...ive put more into it the past year than i can sell it for...i am now getting a new van every 5 years.....at 100,000 miles they fall apart

[lucas.bowser]

im thinking of saying....is your water heater leaking? i can replace it
is your tub old and damaged? i can replace it

How about something simpler. One picture of water gushing from a broken pipe, One picture of a water heater being serviced, and one of a pristine, brand new bathroom. Then just three short phrases. Emergency Repairs. Maintenance. Bathroom Remodels.

This way you're not constraining yourself to water heaters and bath tubs, like your wife fears.

[huggytree]

How about something simpler. One picture of water gushing from a broken pipe, One picture of a water heater being serviced, and one of a pristine, brand new bathroom. Then just three short phrases. Emergency Repairs. Maintenance. Bathroom Remodels.

This way you're not constraining yourself to water heaters and bath tubs, like your wife fears.

will it work if its not specific??? i think it needs to be specific

odds are over the course of a year someone will be driving behind me who's water heater just started leaking.......and odds are there will be someone with an old bath tub who's been considering replacing it.......if im not specific i dont think it will click in their heads....just having your name on a van doesnt create work.....i feel(hoping) by having specific projects advertised in their face while they drive behind me it WILL create a customer or 2 a year....

ive never seen a contractor actually advertise specific projects on their work vans....this is an experiment that i think will work....w/o a specific item advertised i dont think it will create business...ive decided to advertise (2) things just to double my odds

[lucas.bowser]

You may be right, but one of the things I've noticed with plumbers in the areas I've lived in is they never advertise specific projects, even on their wraps. They usually have two or three services that they specialize in providing.

As far as the leaking water heater, anyone in my immediate circle who has a leaking water heater deals with it as soon as they find the leak. I know I dealt with mine as soon as I found the leak. So, at the point they find the leak, what you want the person to know is your name and that you offer emergency plumbing services, because that's what it is to them. Same thing with the bathroom remodel. When I think of a bathroom remodel, my mind goes immediately to a GC, not my plumber. Although it makes sense that you would do it, I don't think about you handling things like tile repair, drywall repair from putting in the new tub, painting, etc... So calling you just for the bath tub replacement feels like it would be a hassle because I'll have to find someone else to do all the other stuff. Bathroom remodels is more encompassing and allows you to act as the GC, instead of an actual GC calling you to do the tub. Depends on what you want. I could be convinced to leave the maintenance off. Most people sign up for that when they have some other service done. Maybe replace it instead with maybe water softeners (not sure how hard the water is in Waukesha).

The other thing I've notice about plumber wraps is that their tag line tends to be some aspect of customer service that customers may be willing to pay a premium for:

"Your problem fixed today, or you don't pay."
"Our plumbers are always on time."
"Our plumbers always smell good."
etc...

Yours are "We do it right the first time" and "Integrity, Intelligence and Excellence". They're both fine things to say about your company, but I'm not sure that they really mean anything to someone driving behind or next to you. I assume any plumber I call is going to do it right the first time and act with integrity and excellence (I don't really care about the intelligence as long as they can fix my problem.) The other problem with "Integrity, Intelligence and Excellence" is it offers no tangible guarantee to the customer. "We do it right the first time" does that, but like I said, I assume that from my plumber.

Your tag line needs to speak to the type of customer you want to service, the type of customer you've built your business around. So if you've built your business to be able to show up at the exact time you say you will (as opposed to a 4 hour service window) then say that. That type of service is far more valuable to a customer that has tight time constraints like a doctor, lawyer, consultant, etc... They're usually willing to pay more for it because their time is more valuable that what you are charging them. If you're set up to be low cost, then advertise that. If you cater to the little old lady with plastic couch covers and floor runners who are extremely afraid of even the smallest particle of dirt hitting their floors, then advertise that. Your tag line should let your ideal customer know that you "get them." I also would have only one of them. Your tag line on the side should match your tag line on the back, because it's your public identity.

[huggytree]

ive always had a poor tag line...ive been the most happy with my recent one 'integrity, intelligence and excellence'........i think it says something unique about my company....most plumbers dont have ANY of those 3.....i stole it from a magazine article...its not my original idea, but it works...

i see what your saying and i do agree on some level...there's a local guy who advertises that his plumbers smell good....i think the concept is a joke....many days at 3pm i dont smell good.....

my bathtub replacement is geared towards the homeowner that wants to handle it all them selves....i can demo and install the new tub, but they need to handle the drywall and paint....typically many do it themselves or hire a friend....i can offer names of drywallers if they need it....

yes most people hire a GC, but the advertisement is geared for those who dont......direct homeowner jobs account for 33% of my business....many homeowners GC their own jobs to save a buck....they are still willing to pay for quality, they just want to save the GC costs since many of them already know Electricians and drywallers.....if you have relationships with people in the trades why use a GC?

66% of my work is for GC's...

[Dan Furman]

LOVE the designs.

I don't think you have to worry about people thinking you *don't* do things you don't have pictures of. If everyone thought like that, nothing specific would ever get advertised for fear of being pigeonholed.

I agree with you in the water heater and bathroom/etc. I think it's definitely a good thing.

Your instincts are good, and have usually served you well. Don't overthink it. I've always found it was a mistake to listen to wives/etc for things like this (shhh... don't tell mine I said that!) Ask 9 people about advertising, get nine different opinions (and none of them make any money off advertising anything.)

I wish you were near me - I'd have hired you several times already.

[huggytree]

we will find out how right i am in a few months....im gonna stick w/ my idea....its just fine tuning it.

ill post the final revise when i get it.

Dan....pay my airfare and ill come over and do your plumbing............i had a customer pay drive time, hotel and meals once for me to do a job 4 hours away....i felt honored that someone liked my work that much.

[lucas.bowser]

Good Luck. I'm sure you'll get a few jobs off it.