The Brand that Fits: Keene Signworx

Peter Poanessa, proprietor of Keene Signworx (Keene, NH), has a different perspective than DeNyse. Having dabbled with carpentry and studied fine arts in college, he enrolled at the Butera School of Art (Boston), where he learned the nuances of designing and carving signage.

In 1985, he opened Keene as a sole proprietorship – recently, he took on longtime employee Mary McCord as his partner. Aside from occasional part-time staff, the shop remains a two-person operation. The company installs approximately 90% of its work within a 50-mile radius of the shop, so word-of-mouth is probably Signworx’s greatest resource. Thus, marketing becomes relatively simple.

“We don’t want to be any bigger than we are – if this was a bigger shop, I’d have to spend more time in the office and less time in the shop or at a jobsite – so putting together a marketing budget isn’t a high priority for us,” Poanessa said. “A few years ago, I developed a postcard that I send to past and prospective clients that features several of our more unique sign programs. We also invest in the Yellow Pages of several neigh¬boring communities, but I think that will become less of an advertising priority in the future.”

Poanessa underscored the importance of professionalism; “I get a lot of compliments simply for returning phone calls promptly. Sometimes small businessmen get an undeserved bad rap because someone has a bad experience with an unresponsive business owner.” Poanessa often exploits low-cost resources to garner name exposure. He regularly posts photos on the company’s website, www.signworx.com, and frequently enters contest such as the United States Sign Council’s and ST’s. When victorious, he authors press releases and sends them to local media.

“Newspapers and radio love the local-boy-done-good angle; the sign beautifies the community and it does wonders for my name recognition,” he said. Because Poanessa seeks the “high end” of the market, he doesn’t cold-call every regional businessman. So, he sees it as important to maintain a quid pro quo relationship with other area signshop owners – he refers jobs when he’s overbooked or thinks the client’s needs don’t match his repertoire, and other shops usually return the favor. Charitable projects remain a staple.

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For Samaritans and Pathways for Keene, United Way-sponsored organizations that help poor resi¬dents find food, housing and social services, Poanessa developed a logo for a bus-graphics deal the charities arranged and subcontracted the printing to a local service provider. He said, “Not only does this type of work foster community spirit, I’ve seen a tangible return on my investment based on referrals.”