1.2 ~ Is It Time Yet?

One way to determine whether your image and place of occupation need an overhaul is if customers are heard whispering, "I just can't believe he's in the sign business!" Or clients ask, "Is that chair an antique?" A better way to assess the need for changes is to ask an honest business-minded friend to evaluate your presence and be prepared for some eye-opening advice!

After several years in the same surroundings, it's easy to overlook the minor details that can detract from a successful image. Cleanliness and orderliness may not be your specialty, after all you're running a sign shop! Unfortunately your customer views things from a different perspective and that perspective may be from his last visit to your bathroom. Get the point?

What's imagined as "homey" can be downright "homely" to the public. So by considering some areas of visual influence and the improvements that can be made, you may have to conclude, "Yes, it's about time for a change!"

1.3 ~ Your Exterior Effect

Okay. So you don't notice that old sign can on top of your building anymore. You pulled the faces out last year and have been trying to get around to installing those new catchy ones but, who's got the time? Well, your potential customers have had the time to notice as they've whizzed up and down the highway for the last 12 months. So give attention to your exterior signage and remove those tattered, peeling, and faded banners. Burned out bulbs need to be replaced and sign frames need to be repainted. Especially give the exterior of your building a fresh facelift if your sign directly attaches to a wall.

Even if your shop's location is not a prime one, having professional-looking identification signs are an advertisement in themselves. And don't forget, your vehicles are moving billboards that promote your business, too. Keep all in tip-top shape. After all, you're in the sign business!

In addition, a few simple things such as keeping the grass maintained, the shrubbery trimmed, and the parking lot debris-free enhance your image without saying a word. Old sign frames and boards neatly stored out of view bear silent testimony to a professional demeanor. Your exterior effect is an area of visual influence that can be a positive one.

1.4 ~ The Inside Story

Once off the highway and inside your shop, your client's attention gets directed to the small stuff. Disregarding some seemingly minor areas can prove to be disastrous to closing that sale.

Inadequate lighting, filmy windows, and dated showroom seating may be interpreted as an inability to deliver up-to-date, professional advertising solutions. On the other hand, neat color, font, and substrate samples and organized material supplies indicate the fact that you know what you're talking about.

Rate yourself as to whether cigarette smoke reeks from your office or whether the crumbs from yesterday's lunch still remain on the counter. Do you hope your customers don't look up and see the cobwebs and stained ceiling tiles precariously hanging over their heads? Are unsightly piles of filled and delivered work orders taking up needed space or are there (heaven help you) telephone numbers penciled onto the wall?

A deficiency in some of these areas may seem humorous but the competitive market today is no laughing matter. Once a potential customer obtains the "inside" scoop, they may be gone forever. Yes, gone forever to your competitor across town!

So take care of first things first. Inside or out, take the necessary steps to overhaul your image to make sure your customer "sees" you at your very best. Obtaining the fastest cutter or purchasing the latest digital color printing technology will not help your profit margin if that buyer is being lost because of a negative impression. Remember, a basic avenue of generating additional revenue is already working either for or against you. It's your image.