Whats makes a graphics company great?

This is a question that i've asked myself a couple of times as well. As someone who designs and prints graphics for others, you need to make sure that you deliver a product that is up to par or exceeds the wishes from the customer, but you also need to make sure that you communicate fast, that your prices are good, that you can produce and ship the graphics fast etc. 

But what is it exactly that a customer wants? What will set you apart from others? How can you make sure that you get the order and not your competitor? On paper this is an easy question to answer, but in reality it turns out to be quite the hassle to become the company that you've written down. 

To start of, i've written down what a customer wants and expects (and that is often a lot). Keep in mind that this is a rather general assumption made by me and that I haven't literally done any inquiries. I've also rated every bullet point for relevance and importance. I will give it a number on a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being of least importance and 10 being of most importance. 

Good quality graphics 9/10

This is usually the most important part. Nearly every customer who orders graphics from you is going to expect a good quality product no matter the price (more on that below). The only problem with this is that a customer doesn't always have a good understanding of what quality means. This means that some customers might think that your product is near perfect while others think it's crap. As an example; if a customer does not degrease their plastics correctly and the graphics fall of, they will asume that the graphics were of poor quality. 

Besides that, if you deliver good quality graphics that are up to part with the competition and as good as you can possibly get them; it will get you (returning) customers. Mouth to mouth will eventually create a steady stream of orders since satisfied customers tend to send their friends back to you. 

Good fitment 7/10

This could also be a quality thing, but it can set you apart from the compeition. Good fitting graphics are easier to apply, are less frustrating to apply correctly and can increase the lifespan of the graphics. Having said that, good fitment is often not something that you can use as a marketing ploy since most of your customers won't even know that fitment is or can be an issue. Most people who are out looking for graphics don't even take this into consideration but will only notice it when it's good or bad when they are applying them. If they've had a bad experience in the past with poor fitting graphics and they've gotten a kit from you that fits like a dream; you've scored points. If it's the other way around, the customer might consider getting their graphics from someone else in the future. 

Fast production and delivery 9/10

Order today, get it yesterday. Everyone wants their stuff fast. The faster they can get it, the better. This of course poses a problem for you since every customer wants their stuff fast. The more customers and orders you have, the more difficult it becomes to get everything done in a timely matter. Unfortunately, being able to produce and ship fast can set you apart from the competition. If you can get graphics done faster than your competitors; you're going to get more customers. Can you keep that up? Most likely not unless you don't have that many orders or can get personnel to help you. If you can get graphics done faster than the rest, then use it as a unique selling point and marketing ploy. Just make sure you don't overwhelm yourself because sooner or later it can catch up to you...

Fast and easy to understand communication 6/10

Fast communication is a bit like the above. The faster you answer your customers questions, the better. People have no patience these days and if you wait too long to get back to them, they've already found someone else to do the job for them. I see this happening on a daily basis. Sometimes customers will ask questions on a sunday. I will wait 'till monday to answer them, but it's already too late as they've contacted multiple companies and already put the order in with the competition. I would say not to worry too much about those kind of customers, but if you've just started your business and you need those orders, it can hurt to lose that customer. Also, communication is not something that you use for marketing or to get more customers. It's more of a tool to keep a customer or to get the customer who has already shown an interest in your company or product. 

Good design 6/10

Taste is personal, but a good design is a good design. I'm having some troubles putting this into words, but design is more than just personal taste. If people like your designs they are likely to contact you for their graphics. The only problem is that they can also go to other companies with your designs and ask them to copy them. It happens a lot and unfortunately there is not a lot you can do about it besides hoping that your competitors have the decency to decline that order or to turn it into something else. It's a small world and a copied design usually always finds its way back to the original creator. This creates friction, copyright accusations etc. So just don't copy; it's not worth it. 

Anyway, if you can create graphics that people like better than the graphics your competitors make, you are going to get more orders. There isn't really a good way to tell if your designs are better, but over time you will get to know what your customers like and you will probably also find out if people like your designs better over those of the competition. Instagram is also a great way to find out of people like your designs, as popular stuff tends to get shared, liked and what not. 

On a side note; a lot of people don't know the first thing about design and might like some Aliexpress junk over your well thought-out designs. It happens and there is nothing you can do about it. I sometimes see people freak out over something that is absolutely horrendous looking which makes me wonder if there is something wrong with them. You just never know and there are people who like minimalistic designs and there are those who like freaky abstract stuff with skulls and other edgy things. It's all personal taste, so design whatever you want and what makes you feel most comfortable doing. Time will tell what works and what not and what your audience is. 

Good/low prices 10/10

A difficult and touchy subject. For the customers it's important that the price is as low as possible, while for you it needs to be as high as you can possibly ask in order to make a living. It's a constant struggle that never ends. If you are way more expensive than your competitor, you will almost certainly lose out on orders, no matter how good your stuff is and how bad their stuff is. Of course, if your competitor provides junk, that customer will look somewhere else for their graphics, but they are probably still looking for something at that price point. Since there are many companies undercutting prices, setting your prices correctly is very important, especially when you are just getting started. 

In an ideal world you can supply supreme quality graphics at ridiculously low prices. The customers will be pouring in and you'll be an MX graphics god. But, that's not how it is going to go. You are either 1). Very cheap, but deliver poor quality. 2). Very expensive and deliver supurb quality. 3). Moderately priced and deliver good quality. 4). Very cheap and deliver supurb quality but are bankrupt within half a year.

My advice would be to ask about the same prices as most other respectable graphics companies do and deliver the best possible product that you can make. When the wheels are turning and you have a steady flow of orders coming in, you can start to increase your prices a bit to add some more profit. Customers who are already satisfied with your product and company usually don't mind a small increase, and since mouth to mouth is already going strong it will probably also not cut down on new customers coming to you for their graphics. Just don't become that 'cheap place', because it's a hole that you dig that becomes to deep to come out of. 

Why did I give this a 10/10? Because your prices need to match your product. If it doesn't correlate it will eventually cause problems. Be smart and look at others in your country. Don't look at businesses in other countries since hourly wages, materials etc. can be cheaper or more expensive there. 

Special options like fluo, glitter vinyls etc. 5/10

Some customers go crazy for funky colors like fluo, glitter and metallics. These customers often know exactly what they want and won't take no for an answer. If you are the person who can help them fulfill their wishes when it comes to these funky extra's; you got the order. But, even though fluo and metallic are popular, most graphics still require only 'normal' colors. So, is it important that you can offer more than that? Yes and no. If you don't mind doing special stuff and have the machinery to do so, you might have to consider tailoring your company to become 'that' company that does just that. You will attract people with special wishes and most of the graphics you are going to produce will feature some of these special colors, laminates or what have you. Once you've gone down this path, it will be difficult to deviate from it. I know, because I have done that. I used to add fluo, chrome and metallic colors as inlays, but stopped doing that because it took up way too much time and I couldn't get everything done in time anymore. It took me a long, long time to stop being 'that guy' who did fluo and other funky colors and a lot of customers were disappointed. I didn't lose many customers though, but it was difficult and time consuming to swtich over to what we are now. 

So, while you might be able to price your graphics higher because of the special colors you can add, do keep in mind that you will spend a lot of time creating these special graphics and that it is difficult to turn back when you are getting swamped with orders. On the other hand, it can set you apart from the competition since you bring something new to the table. Whatever road you are going to take; think it through. 

Customer service and aftercare 8/10

Indirectly this can cause you to gain or lose customers, especially when you've been around for a while and people start talking to eachother. If you help your customers if they got questions or issues with their graphics and you can resolve it quickly and to their satisfaction, chances are high that they will be satisfied and keep coming back for more in the future. It also helps with the mouth to mouth as they spread positive feedback. You don't want to become the company that takes their money and bails when a customer isn't satisfied, especially not when you are in the wrong. With people being very twitchy and sometimes feeling entitled, a few keyboards taps in combination with social media can quickly stain your reputation.

Even if the customer isn't happy and it isn't directly your fault, I reccommend just fixing it and to swallow your pride. I don't like to say it, but one angry customer can cause more harm than the few bucks it costs you to fix it. 

Conclusion

To become succesfull you will have to do a good job at everything that's been written above. It is up to you to choose what you want to specialize in and how important these things are to you. If you rather focus on special colors and unique designs, you might want to increase your production times. If you want to be fast and cheap, you might want to drop the special color stuff all together and focus on other things.