Our Approach to Selling Signs

Part 1- Deciding What’s Right

A PROCESS

On any given day, our project managers are working on a variety of sign types.  I walked through our Chester shop and among the many projects in production, I noticed a set of custom channel letters for a church, an internally illuminated pylon sign for a shopping center, a wall cabinet sign for a hair salon, and a fairly large electronic message center for a hospital all being assembled.  The processes by which these various sign types were specified for particular projects is complex, and in my mind, not part of the typical selling approach of the average sign shop in Virginia.

There are 4 basic questions we ask customers in the preliminary design stage of a sign. Leaving any unanswered can lead to ineffective sign solutions:

• What is your desired image?
• What is your “budget”?
• What fits best with the building, the neighborhood, and the local code?
• How do you determine placement and size considering viewing distance & sight lines? 

LOOKS ARE EVERYTHING

The response to the first question concerning overall image has to be extremely unique. After all, shouldn’t your site stand out over everyone else on the block?  Keeping in mind that you only get one chance to make a first impression, it’s important to spend extra time pondering an effective sign design.

Quite often in small organizations, the owner, general manager, pastor, or whoever is in charge of the site being branded, is the brand and the signage could be designed to reflect his tastes and personality. In larger, more structured organizations, the brand may be more thought out.  For example if an organization’s branding statement is, “We are part of our community,” then perhaps a sign matching the style of the community that integrates a digital component able to post community events under a fresh and inviting sign with the company’s logo would be the best answer to: “What is your desired image?” 

Sometimes it’s initially difficult for our clients to perceive the sign type that’s best for them. When contemplating new digital signs, we frequently ask customers to list a few nearby signs they like and a few they dislike, and reasons why. Exercises like this help our project managers brainstorm sign designs that will fit their client’s tastes.  That may sound simple, but it’s just the starting point of our comprehensive approach to selling signs.  Don’t miss Part 2, “What is Your Budget?”

 

Read the entire series here:

Our Approach to Selling Signs, Part 1: Deciding What’s Right

Our Approach to Selling Signs, Part 2: Budgeting

Our Approach to Selling Signs, Part 3: Environment

Our Approach to Selling Signs, Part 4: Viewing Distance & Sight Lines

Our Approach to Selling Signs, Part 5: Demos and Prototypes

 

 

 

If you liked this you may also like:

 

• 6 Reasons to Retrofit Neon to LED
• Consideration of Sunlight and Shadow in Signage Design
• Consideration of Viewing Angle in Signage Design
• How Can Specialty Sign Lighting Techniques Position Your Brand?
• Effective Contrast-Color
• Effective Contrast-Type
• Reverse Channel Letters- Burger Bach Restaurant
• Sign Maintenance- Paint: How Long Should You Wait?
• Six Benefits of Digital Signs

 

 

 

We build custom electric signs for hotels, restaurants, breweries, wineries, convention centers, resorts, amusement parks, athletic centers, stadiums, hospitals, outpatient centers, corporate headquarters, office buildings, commercial developments, shopping centers, retail stores, convenience stores, gas stations, used car dealers, theaters, banks, credit unions, insurance agencies, doctors offices, dental centers, eye care centers, nursing homes, sports clubs, not-for-profits, churches, airports, government centers, and so on!