LAST WEEK I HAD the opportunity to do some signwork. I mean, I still do signwork, but with a stable of steadfast employees, I don’t often get the chance to lay down vinyl or paint a sign anymore — you know, the physical part of it. (I said “get the chance” like it’s something I crave and/or look forward to, lol.)
Scan this QR code to watch “We Get to Work on Some Really Cool Projects,” one of many terrific episodes of the Media 1 Wrap This YouTube series.
Yet every so often, I get a hankerin’ to get my hands dirty … to show these boys I still got it! Usually, it happens with one of “my” clients, people I’ve worked with for over three decades. The ones that refuse to believe that nowadays I have fabricators who are way better than I am. So they like to see me out there making things happen, no matter how many employees I have. And you know what? I love that. This business is in my blood. I knew it the minute I first mixed 1 Shot in a Dixie cup 38 years ago. I knew it was what I was gonna do with my life.
(Well, just between us, I was gonna be an actor, but it turns out the Sign Gods had other plans.) So here I am, years later, and I still love going out on a job site. I still love getting in the booth to spray a car. I still build stuff!)
Recently, a lifelong client moved his salon to a new location. We removed his 13-year-old raceway channel letter set, brought it back to M1, deconstructed it, repainted everything, gave it new faces, LEDs, the works — a full refurb. We pulled a permit and installed his “new” sign on the building. We also lettered his awning, wrapped the storefront glass in window perf, and added vinyl to his monument tenant panels. Decent little $10k project and it went smoothly.
But waaaay on the other side of the plaza is another monument he wanted lettered on just one side. We sent a relatively new employee out there to letter it up. A week later my client decided he wanted both sides done. It’s a ground-level sign, three miles from my house, so I “volunteered” to install it myself.
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Saturday I arrived at the sign with graphics, a handful of rags, a gold squeegee and a bottle of Rapid Remover hung on a belt loop. (I looked like a complete professional.)
The graphics my new person installed were spot-on, good job, no issues. However — and now we get to the meat and potatoes of this story: Above his vinyl was a blank section, a Bank of America logo, and a Chick-fil-A headliner. This blank space was littered with adhesive and months of road grime from a previous tenant’s removal, which completely degraded the entire monument.
Were those dirty spots any of our business? Nope. Had nothing to do with our client.
Would anyone have questioned those dirty spots being there? Probably not. Did my tendency to be a neat-freak finally take over my good sense? Maybe.
But man, it took me all of 45 seconds to clean that adhesive off and make that sign look brand new.
The takeaway? We need to encourage our employees (and ourselves) to take a step back from the sign just installed. Pretend it’s the first time you’re seeing it and look at the job you did. Is there one more tiny step you could take to make it that much better? I’m not talking about major issues. I’m talking about minor, easy fixes anyone can handle on the spot.
The client’s satisfaction will mirror the pride you take in a job very well done. And remember, ATD (Attention To Detail) will yield you a lifetime of clients.
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