Sign Builder Illustrated - May 2008 - (Page 47)

waste my time and distract me from my profitable tasks at hand. If I were to make a cheap sign, I wouldn’t be proud of it, and I definitely wouldn’t place a photo of it on my Web site. If price comes before design and effectiveness, I’ll pass every time. (Note: There are places where low-end signs can be bought; just look around at the vast collection of “trashy” signs seen in every market.) My success philosophy is that a legitimate business venture should be packaged and marketed in such a way that the signage attracts buyers who are anxious to make a purchase from that business. That’s the job of every sign maker. Our signs deliver the customers for the first time; it’s then the responsibility of the client to attract their customers again and again for future purchases. As you look around your sign company, what are you doing to attract the serious sign clients? Do you have a showroom? If so, is it well lit and free from noise and other distractions (such as a blaring radio or television)? Does it smell inviting—or repelling? Are you displaying the products that you want to sell? If so, are you showcasing the finest examples of your work? Are these sample pieces easily removable for your prospects to touch, feel, and hold? What about quality samples from wholesale manufacturers (such as Gemini letters)? Do you have these on display as well? Great sales can be made in your showroom when your prospects can touch and feel the quality of your products. Which clients do you consider to be serious or major players? What are you doing to increase their business with you? Are you visiting their Web site to learn more about their business? Do you see photos of signs on their Web site, which you could be making for these clients? For each major client, do you only have one buyer or are there many buyers lurking in other departments? Take the time to dig for the information you need. Once you make an initial sale to a client in your local market, perhaps a single telephone call to a buyer in a similar position in a different market—offering them the same quality and value you’ve already delivered—could open multiple doors for additional sales and a longterm business relationship. Do your homework. Display photographs of your finished projects on your Web site. Find the names and e-mail addresses of potential buyers within every company you’re serving. Send them an e-mail or a personal letter and invite them to visit your Web site to see examples of the signage you’ve already provided for their company in other departments. These simple steps could deliver thousands (if not hundreds of thousands) of dollars of additional sales for your business. I’ve done this for years, and my company creates signage that’s crated and shipped to companies all over the country—all because I took the time to find additional buyers in other cities who’d enjoy our prompt service and high-quality sign products. The business is always there. All you have to do is simply ask for it. b To build and enhance you own sign business, be sure to visit Mark’s graphics instructional Web site at www.signprice.com. May 2008 Sign Builder Illustrated 47 http://www.stimpson.com http://www.stimpson.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Sign Builder Illustrated - May 2008

Sign Builder Illustrated - May 2008 Contents SBI Agenda Quotes & Comments Contributors Costly Concerns Dispatches Sign Show Dateline: Time to Find a New Identity Teaching a New Dog Old Tricks Sign Illumination: It’s Time to Pay Attention Restoring Old Photographs for Digital Printing Price Doesn’t Sell the Signs You Want to Make Architects in LED Codes for Electric Signs: Don’t Get Blindsided! Digital Displays at the Pearl Harbor Museum The Art of Wayfinding Signage Grand Format National Following Traffic Sign Regulations Designs on ADA Signage Painting Professionally SBI Marketplace Imagine-It Graphics

Sign Builder Illustrated - May 2008

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