Fundraising Event

Hello,
I got stuck in a fundraiser for MDA - muscular dystrophy organization. Luckily, I have a personal connection with MDA as it runs in my family. I have 1 uncle and 5 cousins who died from muscular dystrophy. My mom didn't have me until she was 40, because she was afraid of having a son with muscular dystrophy.  Also, one of my cousin's grandsons has it now. His great-grandmother, my aunt Blanche Lohner was one of the people who helped start the organization in the late 40s. Please feel free to donate $5-$30 by April 27th. If you donate more than that, I will have to send you a Starbuck's card as a gift.

Here is the link - http://bit.ly/fWfrKm

Thank you for helping,
Isaac Duke

yelm chamber message center sign

Just Like New - the maintenance advantage

       One of our clients really values well-maintained signage and lighting at their 22 locations.  They understand that in their industry, signage is crucial to their sales.  Yes, they are a QSF(quick service food) franchisee; and yes, they get help from national ad campaigns.

       I had the opportunity to see one of their locations that was situated right next to a major interstate arterial, and it was hopping!  We had recently cleaned their signs, and replaced quite a few outages.  They were located next door to another huge franchisee in this part of the country, and the amount of difference in traffic was like night and day (no pun intended).  The competitor's store was dark, unclean, and generally looked dingy.  Our client's store was bright, spotless, and looked warm and inviting.  Not only was our client's store generating high volumes of drive-thru traffic; the well lit parking spaces were filled with customers.  It was fairly late - about 9:15pm - but the place was busy.

     We definitely can't take all the credit for this store's success, but it was sure a clear example of how well-maintained lighting and signage makes a difference in sales!

Your Best Customer

What makes a great salesman? 

Do they "turn it on" when they get into that important meeting with a "big" client?

Do they only focus on serving their important clients?

It isn't bad to prepare for important customers.  It isn't even bad to focus on how you address them.  However, I am learning that that part is easy if I have a mindset of serving everyone around me all the time.  Whether it is a customer, a fellow employee, my managers, my friends, and yes, my wife, everyone I come into contact with is an opportunity for me to enrich their life in some way.
Good business owners can smell someone who is "turning it on" a mile away.  They know if someone is approaching them to "get" something.  They can sense whether I am trying to use them to get money, or whether I am looking on their cares.  If I am not continually serving everyone I come in contact with, then it will be hard to honestly treat my customers with that integrity.

So, who is my best customer?

The person right in front of me!

Another Great video about the value of signage

Here is a link to a great video I found which shows the value of signage -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=F5ftoHwsBbA

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.