Just a vent/rant what would you do kinda thing

So I got a call on a place Im selling, go to meet the guy and it turns out its 2 guys who are partners, not looking to buy at all, but to actually corner me about my bandit signs Ive been putting up, they wanted to know why I was tearing their signs down and putting mine up. I told them I wasnt tearing any signs down because Im not like that, and Im not. I actually put mine up in different spots because I know there are plenty of deals out there for everyone, and were the only 2 in town using them. I explained how mine were also being torn down but despite this they still went on telling me that Im guilty until proven innocent because why were mine all the sudden up when theirs were down, which is funny because thats exactly what happened to me with their signs. They went on to tell me that they were there on behalf of a couple of other bigger time investors and that I was pissing people off. They said that code enforcement had been calling them because they thought they were their signs. Said they actually went to court or something with code enforcement some time back and came to an agreement that they could put up signs, as long as they werent plastered all over the city.

Now, last week I put up every sign I had left which was like 25, I usually only put up 10 or so at a time, and usually close to home. They said it looked bad when I would put up a sign down the street from one of thiers (which I also explained should give them reason to believe that I was in fact NOT taking theirs down). I got a laugh when I was told they dont care if I put up signs but that it shouldnt be near one of theirs, because, well, they have them everywhere that would make sense to have them, so in essence I said, so youre telling me to not put a sign up near yours, but yours are everywhere, so really, I have no where to put mine up.

I can understand the code enforcement thing, and not wanting to piss them off with plastering signs all over the city, and Id like to actually make friends with these guys since they are a lot bigger than I am, but I felt like I was being strong armed out of the bandit sign game. So at this point Im not sure what to do, should I just continue what Im doing until code enforcement gets ahold of me themselves and say screw these guys Ill do what I want, which is what Im used to doing, or try to make peace with these guys and find another form of marketing or what. Im not opposed to knocking on preforeclosure doors or mailing letters etc, bandit signs got calls coming in, but most were not deals, and there werent that many calls to begin with. Im kinda pissed about this whole thing, especially when I go out and see all my signs are down again, and theirs are back up in the same place, even places where I KNOW they had none to begin with. Im tempted to actually go out and just rip them down since I have none to put back up now anyway. They even told me that they had hired someone to go rip mine down, and that it costs them money to have mine up, both for having someone rip mine down, plus the cost of signs, and to have more put up, like I said, I felt like they were basically saying that since they have been doing it for a whole 3 years now in the same spots, got the permission etc, that I shouldnt be nudging into their territory.

So, what would you do as a somewhat beginner? Just curious

Wow, that’s quite a mess going on there.

It’s time to play HARD ball. I mean HARD.

Time to harass code enforcement about their signs.

I don’t believe they went to court and got permission to put up signs, ‘as long as they’re not plastered everywhere.’ That doesn’t ring true in my ears.

If they actually went to court, they were told to stay within the law. And that means not posting signs outside of election cycles.

I would tell these thugs where I’m installing signs, and if even one of them disappears, or even falls over in the wind, I’ll tear down every sign they post, and send them all to the code enforcement office as a complaint, until they’re out of the bandit sign business.

Of course, you’re going to post your signs on the weekends only.

Pounding them in on Friday afternoon, after five, and removing them Monday morning before 7 a.m. Code enforcement doesn’t work weekends, or evenings, and the thugs probably don’t either.

It’s time for you to consider “paying to post.” That means you find private property owners and ask to post your sign on their property in return for ‘x’ dollars.

I probably wouldn’t ask to post for more than about two months at a time. I’d change locations after that. Lots of people are fine with you posting for a “couple of months” (if the sign doesn’t look crappy).

After about two months, there’s something called “Bandit Sign Blindness” that people experience, after seeing the same sign in the same place, for too long. It stops registering with them.

There’s no “law” about this, but it makes better marketing sense.

If you can find 20 property owners on high-visibility streets in your farm area, that will let you post for two months at a time, and you offer them say $20-$40 for the privilege, that’s only $400 to $800 for posting twenty semi-permanent signs; no code enforcement; and no hassles from competitors (theoretically).

That means your bandit sign budget will be between $200 and $400 a month. That’s not outrageous. One deal should more than pay for all that advertising.

Meantime, posting and removing just 20 signs every weekend for a month, to keep the code enforcement off your back (notwithstanding the sign-stealing thugs), will cost more than $400 a month, won’t it?

Anyway, just some rants and thoughts of my own.

Thanks a lot! Great post with some great ideas, again.

Haha, wow, that some crazy S___ going on. I have called a few of the signs in my area, they were friendly and we had talked before. a few I left a message that I had a house for sale and never got a call back.
I just made $8,000 buks on one of my signs and almost had another deal. So I got the fire under my kiester and I recently put a few, about 30, around town. A few wer on private lots and I got a call from one guy saying if I ever put another of my signs on his property he was going to shove it up wher the sun dont shine. I went over to get it and it was smashed to hell. It may of been the same guy that threatened me last year he was going to sue my ass.
I had built cheap wood stands for 12 of them. Another caller said she worked for a management company and my sign was on the church lot she managed and she wanted to know who gave me permission to put it there. I told her, God gave me permission. She started going into a rant when I said thanks for calling, and hung up.
It turned up missing.
Now Ive been putting them on the wooden telephone poles under my competitors, his are up 10’ and I put mine at 7’ just out of reach, my signs are better looking with color, when I drive by they are still there.
I did get a call from the bandit sign cop asking for my mailing address, I told him I dont want to give that out, he says I need it for when I write you a citation, I told him I wud remove them from the corners he was refering to, I just moved them to another location. I expect him to be calling again.
I still have 150 of my signs and I’m going to put them up. I also just built some 32" by 48" Plywood mini billboards with 2/4’s and I’m putting those out on private empty corner lots, cost me about 40 buks each with paint and lumber. A lot of labor also, I got an 8" lettering stencil set, I tried it free hand but that sucked.
I had an idea to approach home owners that have fences on busy intersection to give them $20 and nail my signs there and also offer them $500 if that sign got me a sale.
In your situation, that wud totaly piss me off and make me even more determined, and pissing those guys off wud become my new passion & hobby.
Good luck

:shocked Who on earth gave these buttholes the right to tell you where and when to place your signs. I tell you what, code enforcement does not give anyone a right to pace these signs, so they are just being bullys.

Check this out, if these guys get to crazy, they can have there arses handed to them with the right guy on the team. Someones going to make 50 signs with their number on it and place them around the city. These signs are going to get the attention of the city because they will have a message on them that gets them in trouble. I have seen it all when it comes to the bandit sign battles. I have even paid fines. :banghead

But what you have to understand is this is all a game. Some cities will only let people that have paid under the table to code enforcers put their signs out. Its a dirty game and I have seen it get bad. :argue

Get you a few google voice numbers (5-10 google voice numbers at fiverr), and a few 5 dollar trac phones. You will be surprised at what you can do with that much fire power. :beer

hmmmmmmm