Things Vendors Should Focus on in 2009...

[drfrightner]

Post your thoughts on what vendors should focus on in 2009...

What do you want to see them build, what policy should they change or work to make better?

I'll go...

1) Vendors should start thinking safety. For one they should start putting warning stickets on their animations so no one gets hurt. For example what you should do if you want to work on the animations so you don't lose a finger... like disconect the air, unplug the animation, the foam could catch on fire if you weld on it blah, blah. How far you can put this product from a customer.

2) Vendors should start to fire retard their products, especially the cloth they use to decorate the zombies, the animations and what not. They should be buying their own fire retardent and start spraying them down. They could be blamed for a fire if something they sold caught fire.

3) Long Lasting... no more metal on metal stuff use somethng to take the stress down, and put regulators on all animations so users can't put to much air pressure to the props which ruins them faster.


Those are two things I'm suggesting!

Larry

[drfrightner]

Let me add one more... it takes money to make money learn that, live by it, and don't handicap yourself. HIRE SOMEONE TO ANSWER YOUR PHONES, and manage your orders, someone who can take orders, give people the status of orders.

Can you imagine HOW MANY ORDERS YOU MISS because you don't reply to an email, or return a phone call or for that matter do not answer your phone, or get a requested catalog in the mail??? IMAGINE THAT!!!!

Yes it takes money to make money, cost vs. return. This has to the be worst industry or understanding the business side of business. If you spend some money you need to make some money, if you hire someone to do all of this will it pay for itself? Can you spend more time getting product done? YES!

Can you spend more time on making product right? YES

Will you get more orders and make customers happier? YES

Will it make your life less stressfull? YES!!!!

It takes money to make money folks... its all the little things that make you successful not the monsters you sculpt in your shop but the marketing, the customer service, the confident image you layout for all potential clients.

Understand if you have a good product you must know how to market the product which includes knowing which tradeshows can bring you sales, which magazines can bring you customers, knowing how important it is to follow up with phone calls and emails, and how awesome your website should look! All of those things add up to make you successful!

I wish much success for all vendors but understand the business side and invest in the business side and the profits and accolade will follow!

Larry

[Motograter]

I would like to see some animations and static props come down in price. I think some vendors charge way to much money for there products. With this worlds economy the way it is. People can't afford things like they used to be able to. Now I understand that it takes a lot of labor in building and it costs money to make the props. But in all I think it would be great to see prices drop on curtain props and costumes. That way more haunters will start buying instead of just dreaming

[SomeThingInTheIce]

Have some stock on hand so you are not behind right from the start. You know that you are going to sell some so start making them now not when the order is placed. Yes, you will have some money tied up for a little while but it will pay off in the long run.

Also, I hope you all do well this year.

[N2SPOOKINU]

I would like to see the vendors work more on the movements of the animatronics and make them more realistic. The bouncing when it comes to full action is easily noticed even for the novice haunt lover. Smoother operation would be a great advancement in animatronics.

[Boni]

Being a small haunt, I would love to see prices come down, but I realize that is not realistic. What I would like to see is some focus on lower end stuff, not lower in quality, just smaller stuff. Offer me something in my price range like a realistic fake torso with guts spilling out for under a hundred dollars. Or for 300 dollars, that same torso with something popping out of it, could be hand, a alien, a zombie, an animal, give me options. But I can't spend 1000 dollars for the piece. Possibly "some assembly required" on a piece like that.

After a few years of adding one or two of these and liking it, I will have built a relationship with your company and I might just decide to plop down 5 grand to buy something more advanced, but I'm not going to do that in year one. Your offering of inexpensive props is just building me up for that larger purchase in a few years.

[Grimley]

I agree with having someone to answer your phone. And if you run a haunt and are selling on the side don't use it as an excuse. You went to the show took the order and the money. Don't tell me in August you are just too busy working on your haunt. If you can't do both then DON'T!

[Darkangel]

This may not be exactly what you are looking for as far as advice for vendors, but as mentioned in an earlier thread it would GREAT if someone could make durable, free standing life size body forms that cost under $100 and the vendor has the ability to crank them out. Who wouldn't want a dozen or more of those? Pro haunts, home haunts, everyone can affordably customize full size characters and this will go along way towards raising prodection value in all haunts!

Darkangel

[Gore Galore]

This is a very good thread.
But right off the bat we have a catch 22.

Larry is completely right about almost every point. And yes, Every vendor should be better at returning calls and emails, or answering the phone on the spot. You earn business that way. It easily pays for itself, and earns you a level of respect and more business.
Excellent suggestions. Most of those ideas are the driving forces behind the HHVA.

You can go to
www.hauntvendors.com or www.halloweenhauntvendors.com and see our mission statement and goals. And here is the message board.

http://www.halloweenhauntvendors.com...?mode=register

We also have a thread here that concerns the development of new ideas.

But if you want to see cheaper products then you are in trouble.
I promise every haunter in this industry there is not one vendor getting rich here.
Every single vendor is working their tales off just to make ends meet. Just like most of you. We just do it by providing you with the products that help you scare people.
I know a couple vendors back in the day that had the idea they were going to become millionaires. well guess what, they dropped out of this business years ago. It is not a get rich quick scheme industry. Everybody in this industry does it because they love it.
What that means is prices are set to make a living. Not get rich quick.

But all vendors are open to ideas that help their buyers do what they want to do. But we have to charge what is necessary to make it happen. If you want it cheap, you are going to get it cheap and then you are going to be unhappy that it breaks.

Boni,
I am sure some vendor will see your suggestion and see what they can do. I will also forward this thread to our group and maybe one of the vendors can fill some of these needs. But I will respectively tell you that $100 for a fake torso is not viable. $300 for a fake torso with guts spilling out is possible. But $300 for a torso with animation built in is also not viable.
$450 maybe for the same set up as a hand puppet.

Dark Angel
I also cannot see $100 for a free standing life size figure that was durable. Maybe as technology gets better then possibly. But urethane foam used to make such a body form costs more than what you are interested in paying.
Maybe Vacuform, but it would have to be 4 separate casts upper, lower front, and upper and lower back. And then the labor to cut them out and then assemble them. Plus a base to mount them on for free standing. It has possibilities but still doesn't sound viable for $100. Gore Galore offers a Body form very durable for $250 that come with lazer cut steel bases. Ghost ride offers a nice selection of body forms and I think there are 2 or three other companies too. It is a thought and I am sure you asking can help make something happen.

Good thoughts so keep it up

[Darkangel]

Thanks Kevin for explaining things. There must be some way or material that can achieve this goal, or in the ballpark for pricing for such body forms...At the current pricing by the time the forms are costumed it will cost as much as a fully detailed figure, which therefore prices many people out of many, and in many cases even just one...

Also, is it safe to assume that every vendor that is a part of the HHVA agrees to the principal of having someone answer their phone everytime, answer emails quickly, and have better customer service? Because that seems to be a true rarity in this industry. It almost seems sometimes that you don't want the business and our money. If I were a vendor I'd plant someone at a computer and next to a phone ready and waiting to answer questions and take orders THAT instant!

Darkangel

[Ken Spriggs]

Wow

Ok....no I am not picking on Larry BUT....there are a few things that I would like to comment on.

2) Vendors should start to fire retard their products, especially the cloth they use to decorate the zombies, the animations and what not. They should be buying their own fire retardent and start spraying them down. They could be blamed for a fire if something they sold caught fire.

---Larry, good suggestion but.....do you want someone to charge you more for doing this? Isn't it the owners and producers of a haunt the ones that have to make sure that stuff is done?

3) Long Lasting... no more metal on metal stuff use somethng to take the stress down, and put regulators on all animations so users can't put to much air pressure to the props which ruins them faster.

Oh this is a good one.......you see I own this werewolf thing....made by a company called Halloween Productions...you know them?...LOL
Glad you see the errors of your ways LARRY!


Look how about a list of products people need for their haunt?
All we keep doing is fishing when we do the shows...
This year we will spend 5-6grand making prototypes for the show
How am I or any other vendor going to put stuff in stock if it may not sell right away, or you don't even know if people want the product?
I am not talking about a $10 item....I am talking about $1500-3000 costumes by the way.
No one...well maybe Larry....can afford to sit on $10,000 to $20,000 in products and hope they sell.

[Gore Galore]

Darkangel,

It is not that we can make anyone do anything. It is what we recommend as part of our mission and goal of the group. We advise and help them understand that this is something that will not only help them be more professional but help them make money.
You loose an order every time you don't answer the phone or don't give a prompt response to an email.

Gore Galore doesn't have any office personnel yet. But that is a goal for this year. But I carry the customer service cell phone with me at all time. I know several companies do this including ghost ride and others.
But we do need someone to field the calls other than myself.

Many vendors are too small to have someone take the calls. Many or most also have day jobs. So, they do the best they can. Another office person would cost 20,000 to 30,000 a year. That is a major cut into the profits. But again, it is worth it by the business it could generate by doing so if it can be justified when the companies become large enough.
But just carrying a cell phone can remedy some of this problem.

You also brought up another point. There are times the phones are not answered because some vendors cannot accept the business. Unit 70 has this problem. We also have this problem, but I still like to take the calls since we use the call list. IF we can't take the order we put customers on a call list. As soon as I think we can fill an order I call that customer and solidify that order. It allows customers the option of going with another company if necessary but also allows us the abilty to complete the order if the order is still viable. It works for us and our customers do appreciate the honesty.


We fire retard all our pieces. I consider it a must. With loose weave fabrics like broad cloth and clothing you really should. We mostly do it to cover our own bottoms. And it is a quick and easy process.

[Darkangel]

Kevin,

I have heard great things regarding your customer service...

But you wrote that Unit 70 and you guys have to refuse business, how is this acceptable? If you are getting that much business, wouldn't it behoove both businesses by hiring more helpers, employing people, and not refusing business? Unless people place orders in late summer. If that's the case why do tradeshows and tease potential customers eager to order then only to be told no, we're too busy...


Someone may have some money to spend, wants to spend it now. If he goes to Gore Galore or Unit 70 ready to buy and gets refused, you may lose that customer for years because who knows if he will have money to spend with you again? If he ordered from you, received great product, then they can see it's worth buying from you and will be back time and again. Refusing orders is unacceptable I think, hire more folks, train them up, and allow yourselves the opportunity to really grow!

Darkangel

[xxxdirk]

Yeah, I have to concur. There is nothing more frustrating as a buyer than to see a product at the convention, order it at the convention and then not get it at all, or get it two days before we open or have it break the 1st few hours in operation!! Then you try to call the vendor and get no answer even though you call them 7-8 times a day!! I understand that many of these people that are selling are not professionals, that they have day jobs and their profit margins are low, but ACT like a professional. If you are promising a product, make sure the product works and that you can provide said product on or near the date you promisd it. Sometimes a haunt designs a scene around a new prop and if you do not get us the prop, we are screwed......

[Gore Galore]

It is all about knowing your limits.
We will always fill orders placed at tradeshows etc first..
This always come first.

Growing tooo fast is a real problem. The whole point of having a good business is knowing your limits. taking on too much will put you out of business. You can have all the business in the world and that is no good if you can't deliver or put out low quality product.

I know Unit 70 bases their orders on a schedule. They know their limits. As do we.
And that is why we use the call list. We cannot afford to hire in 50 seasonal employees and then fire them as soon as the season is over. We can't afford to spend 2 months to train employees and then fire them all. It would put us out of business.
We do this business because we love to create. I love to create. If I have to have a company with 500 employees I am not going to be able to create. I will only be paying others to do that. I am not in this business to pay others to do what I want to do. Design, Sculpt, etc...
If I lose that then I lose what I love about this business and I would rather quit than do that. I will go work somewhere where I can make a whole lot more money than do that.

There is a see saw type of effect here. If you don't maintain balance you fall over.
We have found a way to maintain balance. And I am sorry but that is how we have to operate or else we go out of business.

It is a pretty simple thing. Don't wait till Aug or Sept to order.
Our call list doesn't usually go into effect until August, and this past year we filled 90% of the orders on the call list anyway.
The point is we didn't fail to deliver on any orders.

What else could anyone ask for?


XXXdirk,

You are correct in your post. That is the kind of problem we are trying to address with the HHVA.
Please register on the message board. And you can help us address this problem.