Promoting your CMC Mountcutter machine

[Bagpuss]

I'm on the cusp of getting a CMC mountcutter, after years of consideration. I was wondering what other members/owners do to promote their CMC machine as part of their framing business ? Do you keep it behind a curtain in the Workshop so your customers never know your secret ( like the Wizard of Oz ) or do you have it on full display to tantalise your customers ?

Thanks in advance,
Adam/Bagpuss

[stcstc]

i do make a point of telling customers about it, well actually things i can do with it

BUT

its just a tool, it aint gonna make you money directly. but will save you huge ammounts of time

the other thing i found is because i dont worry about designs etc for mounts, i can sell much bigger ideas for more money.

[Roboframer]

Customers can't see my workshop so I don't need no curtain! It's nowhere near the retail area, it's up a dog-legged corridor with two doors along it!

Wouldn't want them to see it either - or me having a cup of tea while the CMC's going "Thunk Pttst Wheeee, Thunk Pttst Wheeee, Thunk Pttst Wheeee"

If they think I did their multi-shape multi aperture double mount with a stanley knife, that's fine by me.

I don't promote "it" I promote what it (we) can do.

[IFGL]

Ours fits lovely in a bay window in our shop, there is no pretty looking anything in our shop the look of a working work shop brings customer s in in their x
droves.

feast your eyes on my dump

[Tudor Rose]

We have a variety of mount designs on display as sales tools and our CMC is fully in view in our workshop. It does get quite a few comments from people, especially those who have tried to cut their own mounts at home. Seeing or hearing it working has prompted discussion which has sold some mounts but not many over and above what we would have sold anyway.

Really having a CMC means that you are far more likely to be more adventurous about what you can offer people - we do this all the time now without even thinking about it. And the best advert is when other people see things that we have done and want similar for themselves. And of course its main benefit is the time it saves you.

We had a lady in on Saturday with a cross stitch that she had been working on for 14 years wanting a quote - we went through the design process including a shaped aperture to suit the work. She came back in yesterday to place the order because having gone all round the houses to get other quotes we were the only ones to offer her that little bit extra on the design - and some of the other places she had visited we know have CMCs so they just didn't bother to offer something that they can actually do.

We have found it is all about how you promote it within the design process and with displays on your premises if you have space for them.

[misterdiy]

Ours is actually in the reception area and gets loads of comments especially about the noise. As it is a vacuum machine it has this huge vac pump located underneath it which drowns out any conversation in the reception. Lately we have picked up a number of volume mount orders and as is sods law, a customer comes in when you have just started on a sheet of 8 x 6 with three apertures. This takes 8 minutes to complete (yes I have had the iPhone stopwatch on it!) before you can have a sensible conversation. So on Saturday I got the SDS drill out and knocked a hole in the wall and the pump now resides in the Bog. Very popular that is with "the staff", but we can hear what customers say now, however the machine makes weird noises that we couldn't hear before. Customers do like technology though and gaze in wonderment at it cutting its way through a sheet of 8 x 6 mounts instead of getting on with the job of getting their stuff framed

[Jonny2morsos]

I would say the biggest feature of the CMC for us is multi aperture mounts. Portrait and wedding photographers luv'em. Take a look at the websites of Ultimat, Border Frames and Kaleidoscope and then you can offer the same as them but at a better price.

Other framers will use you as well to save them the bother of manually cutting multi ap mounts. If they bring you the boards cut to the outside dimension you can just put it on the machine and charge labour with no worries of wastage/ordering in special colours

Think about the things that are difficult on a manual cutter like double and treble mounts with different board thicknesses and promote those.

If there are any local artist producing prints then approach them but make it worth your while by having min. order quantities/ multiples e.g. 20 x 16's in multiples of four to use full sheets.

[GeoSpectrum]

This is a handy thread as my Gunnar CMC is in a box in the garage awaiting installation Friday. I've already taken in a couple of jobs I couldnt have contemplated doing without a CMC, one is a double mounted 16 aperture jobby with v-grooves for the local pub. Plenty of profit in that one. I have modified my advertising to plug the 'new service' starting in September. Hope I can figure things out by then. I'll let you know how things develop.

[Steve N]

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This is what my customers see when they are at the counter, most say something about it and most end up ordering something

By the way who's going to Simons on the 5th Sept for the new Valiani Software training

[kev@frames]

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its in the right end window, in the workshop, only place it will fit.
don't promote it as such. just happens to be what we cut mats on.
people seem to like watching it.
which shows what an exciting place Penzance is ....

[IFGL]

me and maybe the wife if we can get someone to look after the sprog.
If not then just me.

[Graysalchemy]

From an elf and safety point of view I wouldn't. My trucut is a dangerous weapon if you stand to close or put your fingers near it when it is moving. And you can't afford not to use it if some one comes in to the shop.

[Bagpuss]

I would like to announce the arrival of my Gunnar F1 Hybrid yesterday at 8.30am, weighing in at a healthy 143 lbs, we have yet to think of a name for it but we will let you know when we have decided

Many thanks to Sarah Osborne for handling the delivery and showing me what to do with it today

[CanvasChris]

well jell.... having a nightmare cutting multi apps today

just need a bit more business and I may be calling on Sarah too.

Enjoy your new toy!

What about Graham.... ?