Sign Tips for Construction Fence Graphics and CNC Tables

“Well done is better than well said.” — Benjamin Franklin

EMPLOYEES Routine Rotation

1 Caleb Miller, Signarama Sugar Land (Stafford, TX), walks around every morning shaking hands and having meaningful conversations with every team member. “This provides the opportunity to connect on a personal level, gain insight into what they value, and inspire ways to elevate the team to perform to the best of their capabilities,” he adds.

INSTALLATION On the Fence

2 Steve Rowe of SpeedPro Affinity Solutions (Sarasota, FL) has the following advice for designing and installing mesh banners on a construction fence: Keep the total height of the mesh banner 6 in. less than the height of the fence and attach the fence’s top to the top cross brace. “Generally construction fences are 6-ft. high so we go 66 in. and never more than 50 ft. in length. Anything larger becomes difficult to move around and install,” he says.

MANAGEMENT Sharing Notes

3 Because their system lacks project management functions, Signarama Brighton (Brighton, CO) uses Excel spreadsheets with drop-down menus to keep notes for their installers and fabricators. They also share the spreadsheets with customers, giving them a better understanding of the progress and issues that potentially hold up installs, such as painters and carpets. “It’s been a game changer for us,” says owner Dawn Homa. “Customers love the information and makes it easier to progressively bill as the project moves along.”

CUSTOMERS Help at Hand

4 Walk in and see potential customers face to face, advises Kelly Bookheimer, The Mad Signtist (Myrtle Beach, SC). Hand out a flyer or business card and let them know that you are available for any of their needs. “We normally get stopped before we get to our car because they need something they didn’t even know they needed,” Bookheimer says. Similarly, Cody McElroy of Commercial Signs (Houma, LA) tries to inform the customers to the best of his ability. “I don’t like surprises, so I don’t want our customers to be surprised either.”

EQUIPMENT Smart Replacements

5 Last month Ian McLellan and Hill House Graphics (Bristol, RI) found that the MDF spoilboard on their CNC router had warped, so they replaced the MDF with a 2-in.-thick piece of cut granite. “Now we have been using a cheap sheet of coroplast on top of the granite mounted with banner tape as our spoilboard when profile cutting,” he says. Meanwhile, Lisa Hyman of Creative Printing and Internet Services (Boone, NC) recently decommissioned one of their three hot laminators to serve as a cold laminator. “Why buy a new one when we can just use one of our backups?”

GO FULL FEEDBACK Problems in Retrospect

6 Before you launch that next big project, do what management guru Peter Drucker dryly called a “feedback analysis,” which involves writing down your expectations today to improve your performance tomorrow. According to business author Dan Pink, the benefits are threefold. First, it helps you see your blind spots. When you start seeing problems in retrospect, you get a lot better at identifying and avoiding problems in advance. Second, the gap between what you expected and what really happened might reveal some telling details about what you’re good at and what you’re not so good at. And third, you’ll often find the concerns you had about the project were unfounded, prompting you to be bolder about trying new things in future.

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Tip Briefs

• Every layout is seen on a backlit monitor. I ask my designers to stand back 10 ft. and see the legibility. — Jeffrey Chudoff, Fastsigns of Maple Shade, Maple Shade, NJ
• Never underestimate the power of a well-placed compliment. — Jonathon Yasko, North American Signs, South Bend, IN
• Don’t build from a “Salesman Survey,” as it rarely works out well. Spend the money on a good tech survey and gather the right information. You will save money in the end. — Matt Robinson, Eastern Sign Tech, Burlington, NJ
• We spend 75% of our lives working. Be sure to make it enjoyable. If it’s not, change something. You’re in control of “YOU.” Life’s too short to not enjoy the ride. — Adam Brown, Sign Effectz, Milwaukee
• We have increased the amount and frequency of follow-ups. This has increased our sales and made for a better customer experience. — Becky Sandgren, AP Corp, Sykesville, MD

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