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It's kinda funny how we sometimes thrash around looking for the very best ways to market our sign businesses... especially when it gets a bit slow.
With the economic downturn many of us are struggling to keep things going. In our own business the large projects that were the staple of our business dried up in the last year or so. Four supersized projects went all the way through planning only to stop at the last minute and go into indefinite hiatus until things improve.
The cancellation of the big projects forced us to shake the dust off our long term plans and instantly re-invent ourselves as a dimensional sign company serving a local, regional and international market. Some would argue it's not the time to sell high end signs... but I KNOW there is a market for our work - both locally, nationally and internationally and I know it's still a market we can keep busy in no matter what the economy is doing. But how to get the word out?
I've tried cold calling... but it was a tough go when our clients are one in a thousand or more... that's a LOT of cold calls for one job... as I quickly found out.
So what to do? We've always gotten a lot of our work via referrals and that still works to our advantage. I redid our website (and plan on doing so again soon) to make it work hard for us. Sure enough, the phone started ringing from far and wide inquiring about our unique work.
The three local trade shows brought us more work, although I belive its a long term game which will pay off hansomely in the future. The samples and display I did for the show work hard for us on a daily basis in the shop when visitors appear.
Our new (award winning) three dimensional sign did the most for us... giving us instant credibility out on the road. The new little red hot rod truck with the flower bed and the sign in the back did even more. Amazingly we have five or six peole seriously considering us making a similar sign for their businesses too. I have two such projects currently in the design stage right now and even more amazingly they are both relatively local... and places I would never have even thought to do a cold call.
Our new signs out by the road are bringing us the most new work of late. These new creative projects will soon appear on our website and undoubtably make the phone ring some more. And as we spread our creative work around referrals from these jobs will bring in even more new and fun projects.
Signs are still the very best method of advertising... even in little ol' Yarrow...
-grampa dan
-------------------- Dan Sawatzky Imagination Corporation Yarrow, British Columbia dan@imaginationcorporation.com http://www.imaginationcorporation.com
Being a grampa is one of the the most wonderful things in the world!!! Posts: 8766 | From: Yarrow, B.C. Canada | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
Hi Dan, I couldn't agree more. I have been working on promoting my business better and have started on a few projects too. Definitely a new sign will increase interest with a new twist on our current logo.
I participated in my old hometown 4th of July parade for the first time after being asked year after year. I have gotten plenty of work from that small town of about 1700. We didn't have time to make a float so we used my sister's red truck, slapped a pair of Sign Magic magnetics on each side and decorated with red white and blue decorations. We had matching red Sign Magic shirts and rode in the back and threw out candy to all the kids. It was a lot of fun and I think it was good P.R. for the shop.
I am going to participate in more civic projects around the area where my shop is and donate my time to more charities than I have in the past.
It all helps to promote my shop and give back to the area that supports me even during these tough times.
You inspired me in Pontiac and I will continue to follow your lead in ways that will not just help my shop but include giving back to the folks that have been my customers and have become my friends.
Thanks Dan for being an inspiration with your amazing artwork and your unselfish leadership.
Sign-cerely thankful, Steve
-------------------- Steve Luck Sign Magic Inc. 2718-b Grovelin Godfrey, Illinois 62035 (618)466-9120 signmagic@sbcglobal.net Posts: 870 | From: 2718-b Grovelin Godfrey, Illinois 62035 | Registered: Dec 2004
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I try to spend one third of my time contacting new and old clients. Nothing beats the old cold call, despite how fraught with rejection they can be. I work for some 250 new car dealers and things in the auto biz are horrible, but those guys see the cost of newsprint, TV and Radio and some new signs seem cheap. It is definitely a time to reconnect and innovate new ideas. I just closed June out and my first six months was exactly where I was shooting for with a 15% increase from last year's good mark.
OK. I work alone and have very limited overhead. No emplyees and most of my work is done on sight, so the studio is a couple of rooms here at home and the garage. Most of my work is at the location, so I do not need a big shop. The lack of emplyees? I had 56 at one point when I ran a Chevy store and really like now, having none.
I made up a new Summer page of new ideas this morning and sent it out via email to 50 of my steadfast clients. I already have some results with some new projects in the mill. I needed to send something out as once a month I try to connect with everyone and make sure all is still well. Some of these clients have been with me for 20+ years, so familiarity does breed contempt! Old friends are like old fears; hard to get rid of.
I am headed to a town some 70 miles away tomorrow to do some work at one of the big stores. I will go call on several of the other 'repeat offenders' who use me. It usually results in a nice pile of new projects. In another week or so, I will head back to Santa Fe for a week and call on various clients on the way out. A business card, a flyer and a smile always gets new things happening. The game has not changed. Spend one third of your efforts at marketing and you will keep busy, I have found....and spend as few minutes every day dreaming up ways you can do new things. We are so lucky to be in so creative of a business and be treated like wizards for all of our magic art.
-------------------- Preston McCall 10305 Eby st. Overland Park, KS 66212 text: 5056607370 Posts: 1562 | From: Overland Park, KS | Registered: Nov 1998
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