Another rainy day in the Pacific Northwest

It is another rainy day in the Pacific Northwest today. 

And now is when all those beautiful channel letter signs, open-face neon, and halo-lit logos stand out among the bleak highways and by-ways of the communities throughout the Puget Sound area.  I have been in the signage business for over 17 years, and I love doing what I do.  There is something so beautiful about a well-crafted sign.

If you are opening a business in the Northwest, or if you are looking to attract more attention to your current locations, take a look at some of the beautiful signs we have fabricated over the years...

http://www.nationalsigncorp.com



The three secrets to sales

1) Listen
2) Listen
3) Listen

There you have it - in three easy steps.  So easy to say, so easy to explain, but sometimes like a blind man writing about color.  Sales is truly a profession, and listening is the craft which is learned. So what to say?

Practice, Practice, Practice.  Don't just turn on your listening skills when talking to a business client, employee, or boss.  Practice with everyone you know - your friends, spouse, children, parents, co-workers, even the barista.  Then, when it is time to hear that tiny phrase that encapsulates what the customer wants, you won't miss it.

Selling the Invisible

I have been driving a lot recently; which means I have been a listening a lot to CDs.  One of my favorites is an audiobook - Selling the Invisible by Harry Beckwith.  This is read by Jeffrey Jones (the emporer in Amadeus and the principal in Ferris Bueller's Day Off). 

There is a simple premise - how do you sell services?  People can't fondle them, see them, hear them, listen to them - they are taking a risk and usually paying a down payment or signing a contract.   How do you calm their fears and dissolve their doubts?

Well, this book has some time-proven answers - simple, yet insightful. One of my favorite quotes is - everything is marketing from the initial phone answer, to the layout of the final invoice; every employee is involved in marketing and sales!

Types of Signage Letters

Types of Signage Letters - Here is a link to a great article on the differences between neon and LED. I pretty much agree with everything in the article. I have heard so many different sides to this argument. However, most of the claims made by one side are due to lack of experience or incomplete research. After thorough application of both neon and LEDs over years and years, they both have advantages - this article puts it very simply.

Creative Mom Toys

I am quite the advocate of energy-efficient lighting.  The technological advances of LED lighting in the last 2-4 years has drastically improved in the sign industry.  The amount of brightness and energy-efficiency from LED lights is astonishing.  And they have improved, to where some brands can warranty them for 50,000 hours (about 5 years).

However, for some applications, there is NOTHING so beautiful as an open-faced neon sign.  The sign below which we just installed last week is a perfect example of such.

"TOYS" is 4 different color custom-formed neon tubing in painted open-faced channel letters.  The upper lettering of the sign is actually lit by white LED lighting housed in a cabinet behind the background.  The "CREATIVE" letters are 1/2" thick clear acrylic with purple vinyl on the first surface of the letters. "MOM" is white vinyl on an opaque green background on a raised 1/2" acrylic rectangle.

A great sign for a great place - http://www.creativemomtoys.com/ - check it out at the Landing in Renton (off SR900)  - Cheri has made a very fun place to shop for both kids and moms, with neat toys galore, an entire playhouse inside, and a fun, exciting place to hang out.

I wish her the best of success with her first brick-and-mortar location!

Why signage? Make Black Friday Green!

So, why have a sign???  I am finding that not only do I have to educate people on why they should get a sign from me, I have to educate them on why they need a sign at all.  The biggest assumption I find is that signage is for identification and wayfinding.  As soon as you say marketing, business owners think radio, web, tv, banners, mail-outs, promotional items, van graphics, even hiring sign-holders on the corner.

However, the #1 most effective advertising and marketing tool -according to the Small Business administration - is your exterior sign.  So, all the travelers at 4am on Black Friday will be driving along, and where will they go?  Over 25% of them - according to a study by San Diego State University - will impulsively stop somewhere based on the sign.  And if it is illuminated that percentage jumps up 10%.  Where else can you get quality local advertising with those kind of results???

I Like Money???

This is a blog about my learning experiences, no?

I recently started a discussion in the Linked:Seattle group about money.  Being a father of three small children, and spending time away from my family at a networking event 1 1/2 hours away was a bit of a strain one particular night.  After hearing people talk about how great networking and meeting people was, I was bit concerned that people didn't understand why we I was there.

I wasn't there for a social meet-up, I was there for money! I was hoping people would help me with sales - either directly or indirectly.

Well, maybe that was the problem.  What is the golden rule?  Do unto others as you would have them do to you!  Who wants someone around at a meet-up who is only concerned about how we can help them?  I sure don't!

Do I still want money?  Yes.  Maybe, I am (re-)learning what that means again and again.  Here is a great quote:
You can get everything you want in life, as long as you help everyone around you get what they want!

I encourage you to take a look at some of the comments in the discussion I started.  I really don't think the post was worthy of some of the comments and some of the people who commented. - here it is.