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How important do you think a good display room is to sales?
Our shop isn't on mainstreet, conseqently a customer visiting has definant needs and I feel our showroom is very effective in helping them make better choices.
I'm not sure this is the case for everyone. We have such diverse businesses.
My question is, how important do you think a display room is? If you had an unlimited budget to build a showroom, what would you have?
-------------------- Joe Crumley Norman Sign Company 2200 Research Park Blvd. Norman, OK 73069 Posts: 1428 | From: 2200 Research Park Blvd. | Registered: Sep 2001
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I think a display room/area is essential to our business. Our shop isn't on main street either, it is in a building behind our house. I still get a few walk in customers, and can't believe how many of them come in, notice our displays and spot something that they didn't know we did.
If I had an unlimited budget? I don't believe that you need to spend a lot of money on a showroom, your work displayed tastefully will say it all. I would spend it on upgrading my shop equipment.
-------------------- Patricia A. Raap Raap Signs 2615 Arthur Coopersville, MI 49404 616-677-0158 pat@raapsigns.com Posts: 576 | From: Coopersville, MI 49404 | Registered: Nov 2003
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Hiya Joe, I agree with pat, it's an essential part of the business and, IMHO, it should only contain your best and most profitable work.
When I worked in a shop located in a "warehouse" district, we got a fair amount of walk-in business , but we didn't put much effort into the showroom. There were a lot of pictures of previous work and some samples. Nothing spectacular though.
However, whenever we finished a sign, we placed it in the showroom to await pick-up or installation, we would sell a lot more of those signs types of signs. It didn't matter if it was a carved & gilded sign or a set of magnets.
I also noticed that the type of design made an impression on the client too. If the dominant item in the showroom was a basic, 2 color, real estate sign, the client would like a basic design for their sign. However, if it was a nice design with multiple colors and digital prints, they would prefer something like that.
Other advantages of having high end work on display is the client can touch and feel the quality. In addition, when the client would choke at the price of a carved and gilded sign, we could offer a less expensive, yet higher end, product that looked similar at a much higher profit margin.
Havin' fun,
Checkers
-------------------- a.k.a. Brian Born www.CheckersCustom.com Harrisburg, Pa Work Smart, Play Hard Posts: 3775 | From: Harrisburg, Pa. U.S.A. | Registered: Nov 1998
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In visiting shops in the "old days" it was surprising to walk in the door of many large companies and find yourself in the middle of paint cans, signs in progress and lots of clutter. Not a very good first impression.
Today, more know the value of a showroom area. It doesn't have to be large or expensive, but should put your best foot forward.
I would suggest that you have samples and photographs of the work that you want to do, not necessarily ALL of what you have done. If you don't want to do banners and magnetic signs, don't have any on display. If you want to do high end dimensional work, then make sure that is the emphasis of your display.
The area should be clean, well lit, and not cluttered. A few samples are more effective than 275. Less is more. Have something for the client to touch.
Unless invited, I don't think the customer should have access to the production area. We are selling a product that improves their image. In my opinion, they don't need to see the computers, plotters, printers, routers, paint cans or stacks of materials. I'm not trying to impress them with machines but rather with the quality of the finished product, however it is produced.
A showroom will sell you more work than all the talk you can imagine. Because we are in a small town, the client can relate what we have displayed to what they have seen driving down the road.
Don't display photos from magazines or someone else's work - only what you have done.
-------------------- Chapman Sign Studio Temple, Texas chapmanstudio@sbcglobal.net Posts: 6306 | From: Temple, Texas, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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I do agree with all of you about how a show room helps sales & delivers a great image. But, like me where I don't have the square footage or the building layout to do so. I do feel it's hurt in some ways. But, my work speaks of quality & customer service gets us business. People come in & takes a step back sometimes when they see a 4x8 panel,cut vinyl & paint all around it. I have all my digital equipment & material hiding in a clean room but, when the saws fire up or doing a big layout I'm out side & believe it or not that get;s lots of business Because I am on main street. As of know all I got to show is pics. of work they see every day riding around time. To be honest Letterville has helped us more than anything between the advice & portfolio. Thanks guys
-------------------- Buren Harrelson Vinyl Ink Whiteville,NC Posts: 162 | From: North Carolina | Registered: Jun 2008
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A showroom is a critical part of our business plan. Even though less than half our customers come to our shop the pictures of our showroom.studio work just as hard for us on our website.
With a little creative effort you can create a very impressive display that shows just how good a product you produce... making upselling an easy task.
Our own signs and displays should be the very best we can do.
I'm a believer in 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: 8738 | From: Yarrow, B.C. Canada | Registered: Nov 1998
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When we built our shop back in 98 we had the office and an attached darkroom and "out back", in the original attached building, our screen printing equipment. As times changed we added the vinyl cutter and than the Edge and than the HP5000 and finally the HP9000 and three workstations. All of those are in what used to be our office. It 's full and cluttered with nary a spot of wallspace left for what I would call a ";normal" display room. I'd give my eye teeth for a real showroom but we're maxed out on our lot as far as setbacks go.
-------------------- Bill Modzel Mod-Zel screen Printing Traverse city, MI modzel@sbcglobal.net Posts: 1357 | From: Traverse City, MI | Registered: Nov 1998
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One of the most impressive showrooms I have seen is that of Universal Signworks in Manchester, NH. Owners Mark and Wayne display a wide variety of their work like back lit signs, airbrushed illustrations and photos of vehicles they've done. 10 seconds after you walk in the door, you know you're in the right place for quality work.
People order what they see. If your office is plastered with Coro and Arial Bold, that's what will sell. If you want to branch into bigger and better, it's worth every minute to produce signs just for the office that reflect your better skills.
Not to long ago my wall were plastered with race car photos. Now there are few, but plenty of other substrate samples, 3d signs, motorcycle photos and pinsriped panels. I'm doing very few race cars these days, but there's no lack of work.
Rapid
-------------------- Ray Rheaume Rapidfire Design 543 Brushwood Road North Haverhill, NH 03774 rapidfiredesign@hotmail.com 603-787-6803
I like my paint shaken, not stirred. Posts: 5648 | From: North Haverhill, New Hampshire | Registered: Apr 2003
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I think we all agree a showroom is important, however I'm sure there are lots of our group who don't have enough room. And I don't want them to feel left out of the conversation.
My first introduction to a first class showroom was Mike Jackson's back in the 1970's. It was very small room but was chocked full of very creativity signs showing off his excellent craftsmanship. When he moved to Jackson, Wyoming the showroom there was larger and even better.
I knew from the first time I entered his display room it was the way to sell signs and I'd move in that direction.
Even if a person doesn't have a formal exhibition room, a well decorated wall can pay dividends. Everyone can do something to show off their work. It only takes a little decication.
-------------------- Joe Crumley Norman Sign Company 2200 Research Park Blvd. Norman, OK 73069 Posts: 1428 | From: 2200 Research Park Blvd. | Registered: Sep 2001
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Raymond Chapman has one of the best I've seen, & I plan to work on mine in this upcoming month. Raymond's will be the model in my mind, that I will seek to emulate!
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I have a showroom and have tried to put various examples of work, although not always the most spectacular pieces (they are usually for customers and leave quickly). It helps a lot especially to show clients a product similar to what they are needing. We also have a large poster on a door with "ballpark pricing". Even though all work is custom quoted, sometimes people are to timid to ask about pricing on projects they may be contemplating, but not imminent. I went for many years without showroom due to space, and really appreciate it now, such as it is. How about some pictures of showrooms posted? I'll try to put mine up next week. Joe, I remember how small Mike Jackson's showroom was in OK. But it was impressive!
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