Process Records, Sign Company Signs and Other Sign Industry Advice

“I’ll tell you what Freedom is to me: no fear.” — NINA SIMONE

CUSTOMERS Knowledge and Inclusion

1 The sales team for Spectrum Sign Systems (Blaine, MN) is including project managers on the front end during one-on-one meetings with customers, which has improved clarity and timing in presenting solutions, according to owner Rick Ferraro. Across the border, Nancy Wilde of Wilde Signs (Vernon, BC, Canada) suggests a few ways to learn about your new customer: “Check their website, see what they do, what’s their newest upcoming product or event. When you meet with them for the first time you can ask about those things, and it shows you’re invested in doing the best for them and their business,” she explains.

MARKETING Boldly Upfront

2 “Your best sign is your own,” says David de Los Santos of D-Signs & Awnings (Allentown, PA). “It’s your first impression and your most powerful sales tool.” A bold, creative sign that showcases your shop’s best work can help tremendously in attracting customers as it is a direct reflection of your work, he adds. Continuous marketing is also helpful for Torey Rouillon, National Branding (Troy, MI). “Do not slow down on your marketing. This is the time to keep pushing posts in front of your clients,” she says.

MANAGEMENT Nothing Left Unrecorded

3 After realizing his shop had outgrown relying on individuals to remember “how to do, what to do,” Clayton Letourneau of Custom Sign Lab (Beamsville, ON, Canada) decided to systematically document all of their processes from workflow to production. “It was extensive, but the results have been outperforming our expectations hugely,” he says. He recommends consulting ChatGPT before submitting a proposal, providing the evaluation parameters, then asking the AI for review and adjusting the proposal to maximize chances of winning the bid.

FABRICATION Plan Well Ahead

4 “Live by the mantra ‘measure twice, cut once,’” says Gayle Goodman Lynch, It’s A Good Sign (Dallas). “It improves productivity, reduces waste and improves satisfaction.” Way up north, Michael Van der Melen and his shop The Media Works (Norwood, ON, Canada) always go for modular designs when building large pylons to make handling, future revisions and additions all easier.

INSTALLATION Know the Right Things

5 Bobby Jordan, Fastsigns of White Marsh-Joppa (Joppa, MD), shares the following tips for selecting the right hardware for the sign and installation surface: “Use anchors or toggle bolts for drywall and masonry screws for brick and concrete … Evaluate environmental factors such as wind load, temperature and moisture, especially for outdoor signs.”

SOLUTION Sleep On It… Then Act

6 Sleeping on a problem is old advice. But what if you made the strategy more structured? On a daily basis, Reid Hoffman, the founder of LinkedIn, jots down problems in a notebook that he wants his mind to work on overnight and checks it before nodding off. “Part of what I’m trying to do is allow the fact that we have this kind of relaxation, rejuvenation period in sleeping, to essentially bubble up thoughts and solutions to problems,” he told the Tim Ferriss Show podcast. What he does next is key. Reid budgets 60 minutes for the following morning: “The very first thing I do when I get up is to sit down and work on that problem [I’ve set the day before] because that’s when I’m freshest. I’m not distracted by phone calls and responses to things. I use that to maximize my creativity on a particular project.” Several successful billion-dollar ventures suggest he’s on to something.

Tip Briefs

• Laser level for installing wraps on the side of a vehicle. — Tony Palmer, Palmer Signs, Roseville, CA
• Stay close to the phone. People are reaching out for their signage needs now more than ever! — Mary Gasca, Redrum Graphics, Simi Valley, CA
• We have been using ShopVOX’s ERP software to manage all aspects of our business end-to-end for six years now. We recommend it highly. — Paul Williamson, Art Sign Works, Murrieta, CA
• Using QR codes on our product stock cards, like our roll media, allows us to visually see the “need to order” levels as well as information on the material, uses and even ordering link. — Derek Atchley, Atchley Graphics, Columbus, OH
• The launching of online sales to streamline some of our apparel business has made an instant impact on our business. — Chad Lawson, Sign Pro of Skagit Valley, Mt. Vernon, WA