So many have mentioned the possibility of getting work from a 3rd party (rather than directly from the client) that I though some things should be said about 'wholesaleing'.
Generally, the idea is you supply the 3rd party at a discounted price, and they resale at a higher price (perhaps your undiscounted price, perhaps more, it's up to them).
Some thought needs to go into the justification of lowering your prices, however. Sure, they're finding customers for you, and that's worth something. But you also need to consider what else they need to do to justify this discount.
I don't do restoration work via 3rd parties (but I sure get asked a lot), but I did spend the majority of my adult life working in the wholesale industry. The 3rd party has some responsibilities that are pretty standard (and it's also pretty standard for them to try to get out of them).
The 3rd party (let's call him the dealer from here on out) has the responsibility of interfacing with the client. They're his headache, don't let him foist them off on you (otherwise it's not reselling, but a referral, which justifies a much, much lower fee).
The dealer has the responsibility of not being a headache on his own. After some initial hand-holding, he should be able to field virtually all questions (make up a faq for him if he's totally clueless).
The dealer has the responsibility of paying on time. Reselling is different from a regular sale. It's typical that they pay at the end of the month. Making sure he's good for it is YOUR responsibility. And don't stand for lateness. It will be abused if they learn you're a pushover. If you can work on a payment-per-job basis, good for you.
Depending on the dealer, other areas of responsibility that can help you out are handling the scanning and printing (ie: you get a file, work on the file, deliver the finished file and you're done). But this will be highly unusual, since it sounds like most of the dealers asking for work have nothing to do with scanning or printing. But don't count it out as a justification for a discount.
Other thoughts:
Is the dealer representing your work as his service, or you as an outside worker? If the latter, put your contact info on a tasteful line in the white space under the photo. Cards and brochures can be 'lost' by the dealer, and info on the back can show through or cause other possible problems. If you have access to the client's name and contact info, write it down.
Have it clearly worked out with the dealer if there should be pricing anywhere the client could see it.
That's enough for now. More as needed.
Generally, the idea is you supply the 3rd party at a discounted price, and they resale at a higher price (perhaps your undiscounted price, perhaps more, it's up to them).
Some thought needs to go into the justification of lowering your prices, however. Sure, they're finding customers for you, and that's worth something. But you also need to consider what else they need to do to justify this discount.
I don't do restoration work via 3rd parties (but I sure get asked a lot), but I did spend the majority of my adult life working in the wholesale industry. The 3rd party has some responsibilities that are pretty standard (and it's also pretty standard for them to try to get out of them).
The 3rd party (let's call him the dealer from here on out) has the responsibility of interfacing with the client. They're his headache, don't let him foist them off on you (otherwise it's not reselling, but a referral, which justifies a much, much lower fee).
The dealer has the responsibility of not being a headache on his own. After some initial hand-holding, he should be able to field virtually all questions (make up a faq for him if he's totally clueless).
The dealer has the responsibility of paying on time. Reselling is different from a regular sale. It's typical that they pay at the end of the month. Making sure he's good for it is YOUR responsibility. And don't stand for lateness. It will be abused if they learn you're a pushover. If you can work on a payment-per-job basis, good for you.
Depending on the dealer, other areas of responsibility that can help you out are handling the scanning and printing (ie: you get a file, work on the file, deliver the finished file and you're done). But this will be highly unusual, since it sounds like most of the dealers asking for work have nothing to do with scanning or printing. But don't count it out as a justification for a discount.
Other thoughts:
Is the dealer representing your work as his service, or you as an outside worker? If the latter, put your contact info on a tasteful line in the white space under the photo. Cards and brochures can be 'lost' by the dealer, and info on the back can show through or cause other possible problems. If you have access to the client's name and contact info, write it down.
Have it clearly worked out with the dealer if there should be pricing anywhere the client could see it.
That's enough for now. More as needed.
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