How to Succeed in Signs Part I: Relationships

BIG TOPICS OTHER signshops ask us: How do I get more business? How do I attract (and retain) new customers? How do I grow my company?

Well, after all these years watching this industry drastically change from blue-collar “signpainters” to a globally recognized and respected career path that has spawned many, many millionaires… Here’s some insight (at least the insight Rick Ream and I believe in).

All business, no matter the size, is about one thing and one thing only — and I say this from life experience, not from a college degree: relationships. That’s it. Period. That is the key to growing and maintaining a successful business.

Relationships pair with (and originate from) the experience both the customer and the provider share throughout a particular project. If it’s a good experience for the customer, they’re going to remember that and come back to you the next time they need what you provide. If it’s a horrible experience, they’re not coming back, and will damn sure tell their people how sucky it was dealing with you.

Do or Do Not, There Is No Try… It’s a simple formula.

I don’t care if you’re Elon Musk or a kid selling tennis shoes on FB Marketplace. If the person you sold to didn’t enjoy the interaction (regardless of how awesome the product was), they ain’t coming back. They will fire you, and tell all their friends how bad you suck. (Well, maybe they’ll come back once more to test the waters, but that will be your last shot).

But when you become so good at ensuring that a client feels totally taken care of, you’ll never have to search for work ever again. It will come to you. In droves, I promise.

We have maintained our Top 10 clients for 20, 25, even 40 years! And it’s a driving force in our business, something we are very proud of. Something we consistently strive for. But it was never an option. It was just our culture from the get. Maybe because my dad drilled into me the “do it right or don’t do it at all” mindset. And that makes all the difference.

Does it always happen? Hell no. Sometimes it fails because we messed up. It was our fault! (You and/or your employees, you’re responsible for both.) In that case, you do whatever you can to make it better. Even if it means losing money. Do it over. Eat the cost. Make it right, and make them happy. I know that sucks. We have lost so much money over the years to that principle… but you have to take responsibility for your mistakes and make things right. And that right there is why we still have the same clients year after year.

But sometimes it’s their fault. They were difficult to work with, took way too much time, didn’t pay right, or the whole project was just a straight PITA. Do you wanna work with them again? … Ooooohhhh, you don’t?

Then fire them!

Our history wall display in our office is littered with major, national companies that spent millions of dollars with us but are no longer our clients because we fired them. They didn’t fit our Business Relationship Model, so we could not justify losing any more precious time to them. Several times it was our #1 client we had to set free.

You have limited time to accomplish what you came here to do. Above all else, shower everything on your best clients, and shun the ones that rob your time. You have relationships to develop.

Stay tuned, Part II is next…