Business Advice (S&D Skull Works)

[Hunter Dug]

Over the years of cleaning skulls I have come across an increasing amount of people that want to have some part in the cleaning of their trophy whether it be clean the meat off the skull, degreasing, whiting of the skull or even the total cost is to much and just want to save money.  Usually I will ablige and conduct the work requested at a discounted price.  I started thinking about this a little harder and thought why not add these options for the customer to cut their cost. Some of the options I have been thinking about would be skinning and beetle cleaning, or maceration of the skull so that the customer would not have to endure the smell or his wife screaming at him about that god awful smell coming from the kitchen or garage.  That way the claimant could degrease or boil and or whiten the skulls themselves. 

Prices would possible be around:
$20-$30 to skin and clean small game
$30-$40 to skin and clean the meat off a deer sized animal
$50-$60 to skin and clean the meat off a elk sized animal
$20-$30 to whiten
$20-$30 to degrease

[pianoman9701]

I voted "I would use" because more options for customers are always better, as long a they're clearly outlined. For example, you may get someone who does a sloppy job on something to save money and you have to charge them because you have to do the work anyway. Misunderstanding will lead to customer dissatisfaction. Clear instructions and even photos of good and bad would be helpful to avoid unfulfilled expectations on the part of the customer. Progressive Insurance has done a great job with their "pick your own pricing" campaign by giving people options to save money. They're very clear about which options you're taking out of your coverage to lower your cost. I imagine they're also very clear with disclaimers about removing those options. Good luck.

[MacAttack]

I voted I would use, however I think that this can be a slipper slope, it might not be worth the head ache. I would echo what pianoman said...

[Hunter Dug]

Piano and mac I total agree with you. I will definitely be very clear on what the customer is to expect. We do around 100 skulls a year with our Best year being 168. So I have a good idea of how to explain the process and what results to expect.  We may not offer if there not enough interest.
Thanks for your input.

[WSU]

I agree with the above.  Also, I would consider how much money this will cost YOU.  Will good paying customers simply not pay you because you offer them a cheaper alternative?  I agree that more choices are better, but you don't want to give so many choices that you deter people from paying full price.  It is a business, after all.

[Dansk]

If you did this, you could also re-sell supplies to DIY'ers.  Many times people just want to do part of it themselves.  Just a thought.

[Tbar]

I would love to see options like this closer to skagit/Whatcom. Your prices (if that's what you go with) definitely seem on the inexpensive side. If it's profitable than I say go for it. 

[Stein]

If you did this, you could also re-sell supplies to DIY'ers.  Many times people just want to do part of it themselves.  Just a thought.

Put a couple of Youtube how to videos up with links to the supplies.  I usually try to buy stuff from the guy who took the time to do the video, plus I know I have the right stuff and process.