Guest guest Posted January 18, 2006 Share Posted January 18, 2006 Santas Helper wrote: Hey Marty, coming from the business side of things. Here are a couple things to think about (if you haven't already)or maybe even ask (or demand) at the meeting.Thanks Tom. I appreciate the advice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 Charles Belcher wrote: I forgot to add that I did a musical sequence not just a still decoration. I shot a video, but I don't have it processed yet. I will post it when it is finished.Charles, that will be great to have posted in "Show & Tell" when you get it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 Well my take on this is as follows. What better job is there than doing something you really like. How many people can say I love my job and I love what I do? To me that is the deciding factor. Do you really love doing the Christmas lights so much you can do it year round?Now I agree with Darryl they are coming to you for your expertise. You are the expert they are not. Charge like you are the expert. Also, I would not sell the equipment to them for reasons stated earlier. But if they insist then make sure you get money. Not just for the equipment but for your time programming, testing, repairs. For instance, they call you at 7:00 and say something is wrong. You leave it takes you half an hour to get there an hour to fix it and a half an hour to get home. Don't just charge them for the time you were there charge for your drive time. Plus set a min. time say 3 hours min. at $50 per hour for repairs.If you choose to lease the equipment to them then make sure you get your money. The lease will include repairs and maintenance. So lets say an LOR 16 channel is $300 lights another $200. Program 4 songs total 12 hours at $60 per hour = $720.So you could charge them 300+200+720= $1200 BUT WHAT ABOUT REPAIRS?Here is the good part I think... tell them you will give them up to 10 service calls for $1000 reguardless of the time required. Then each additional service call will be $75.Now if you do your job selling this "lease" they have purchase all the equipment up front paid for songs you can use somewhere else the next year and given you money in your pocket for repairs. The great thing is that next year you get the same money but the equipment is already paid for thanks to your client. Or you could reduce thier rate by 10% and make them thing it is a good deal (and it is) for everyone.If you sell then I would charge at least a 35% markeup on everything and don't forget to include shipping and taxes in your costs.Would I do this? In a heartbeat. I think it is a goldmine if marketed correctly and with the proper manufacture i.e. distributor support. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 21, 2006 Share Posted January 21, 2006 Davenport, right on the iowa, illinois border Quad cities area.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 2, 2006 Share Posted February 2, 2006 Marty Slack wrote:I was contacted to see if I am interested in taking over and directing a very large commercial display a few miles south of me. They want to take their display "to the next level" and want me to do it. It's a large drive-through display that charges admission. I told them that I would meet with them but didn't promise I would take the job. I'm still waiting for the meeting and am not sure what I will agree to. The biggest consideration is my own display. If it makes things too difficult to provide my free display, which has definite benefit to the community and people's spirits, I won't do it........................ Unless they offer me more money than I can turn down:]I hope they make you an offer you can't refuse, because if you can do for Spanish Fork what you've done for your neighborhood, I'd sure pay to drive through the show! With a larger audience, you'd make more kids smile.Thanks for posting your URL. I had no idea we had a talent like yours in the area. This year we'll head to Murray for your show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 2, 2006 Share Posted February 2, 2006 Lyle wrote: I hope they make you an offer you can't refuse, because if you can do for Spanish Fork what you've done for your neighborhood, I'd sure pay to drive through the show! With a larger audience, you'd make more kids smile.Thanks for posting your URL. I had no idea we had a talent like yours in the area. This year we'll head to Murray for your show.Do that Lyle and you will Have A Murray Christmas! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 darrylb wrote:Lyle wrote: I hope they make you an offer you can't refuse, because if you can do for Spanish Fork what you've done for your neighborhood, I'd sure pay to drive through the show! With a larger audience, you'd make more kids smile.Thanks for posting your URL. I had no idea we had a talent like yours in the area. This year we'll head to Murray for your show. Do that Lyle and you will Have A Murray Christmas!AUGHHH!!! :-)We surely will! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 Lyle wrote: I hope they make you an offer you can't refuse, because if you can do for Spanish Fork what you've done for your neighborhood, I'd sure pay to drive through the show! With a larger audience, you'd make more kids smile.Not quite that far South (but the Spanish Fork show is fantastic.) The display in question is Thanksgiving Point.I'll look for you next year! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 Marty Slack wrote:Lyle wrote: I hope they make you an offer you can't refuse, because if you can do for Spanish Fork what you've done for your neighborhood, I'd sure pay to drive through the show! With a larger audience, you'd make more kids smile.Not quite that far South (but the Spanish Fork show is fantastic.) The display in question is Thanksgiving Point.I'll look for you next year!Well, that's cool! I didn't even know Thanksgiving Point had a drive-through light show. Hmmm. Maybe that illustrates their point! It will be cool to see what you come up with. I showed your site to my 11 year old son; now I've got "Marty's Flight of the Christmas Tree" running through my brain and it WON'T STOP!He likes it, too! :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 4, 2006 Share Posted February 4, 2006 Lyle wrote: "Marty's Flight of the Christmas Tree" running through my brain and it WON'T STOP!He likes it, too! :-)I watch that video (downloaded it to save your bandwidth Marty) whenever I need a 'tree chasing' example. It's great, isn't it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 4, 2006 Share Posted February 4, 2006 EAB wrote:Lyle wrote: "Marty's Flight of the Christmas Tree" running through my brain and it WON'T STOP!He likes it, too! :-)I watch that video (downloaded it to save your bandwidth Marty) whenever I need a 'tree chasing' example. It's great, isn't it?It is wonderful. I've downloaded it, too.My son and I particularly liked the running reindeer. They would be fun to have even without a music track, running laps around the house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 4, 2006 Share Posted February 4, 2006 Lyle wrote: My son and I particularly liked the running reindeer. They would be fun to have even without a music track, running laps around the house.The next display will have a much larger deer procession. Who knows? They might even start flying through the yard. A fairly large herd of young bucks is resting in the garage just waiting for the next season and planning their escape path through the trees.:] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 6, 2006 Share Posted February 6, 2006 Marty Slack wrote:Lyle wrote: My son and I particularly liked the running reindeer. They would be fun to have even without a music track, running laps around the house.The next display will have a much larger deer procession. Who knows? They might even start flying through the yard. A fairly large herd of young bucks is resting in the garage just waiting for the next season and planning their escape path through the trees.:]Oh, man, that would be so cool. I can just see the little varmints zipping through the branches.Hey, I talked to my genius sons, Andrew and Hank (11 and 18), and they and I would be very willing to help you with your display this year. They pick things up so fast, it's scary; you only need to show them or tell them once how to do something. Hank helped me wire a duplex for Ethernet, and Andrew did a solar-powered Nintendo as a science project.So, if you see yourself running into time constraints (perhaps brought on by the Thanksgiving Point gig), let us know. If we could help, we'd have fun learning how displays like yours are built, with the hope of doing a humble display of our own in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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