Know Your Customer First, Then Grow Your Business

Know your customer first, before anything else, is the best way to grow your business.  So many business owners know their business or trade, but do they truly know their customers?  To know your customer or clients is the only way to ensure your business is providing the right products and services they really need.  How do you begin to know your clients?  There are so many tools out there that can help you do just that.  I find that simply asking them, “what exactly are you looking for and how can I be of assistance?”  Sounds easy right?  Well it is!

 

Learning your customers’ needs can be challenging, but it will ultimately pay you back in sales.  For instance, streamlining your business to focus on one product line or neglecting to offer other accessories and services because it is “too much of a headache” is just not going to work in today’s marketplace.  I have seen it all too many times, “we don’t want to offer that service because it is too hard on my staff”.  Well is your staff running the business or are you?  Perhaps you were not properly motivating your employees to offer those extra services, or worse, you simply were not charging enough to make it worth the while.

 

What is important to remember is that your customers are the ones paying the bills, listen to them and their requests and change your business to be a better fit for their needs.  One method that has always worked for us at Sign-Express is to offer a total package and gauge the client’s responses and interests.  Have a solution available for any and all requests, even if it is not something that is your core product.  Our core products are lighted signs and LED signs, but we offer sign design, permitting reviews as a complementary service to help potential clients reach a better solution.  Then we offer site surveys, sign permitting, sign installation and after installation support.  You would think this is only natural, but the truth is, most large sign companies prefer not to handle sign permitting and sign installation due to the complexity and liability of such services.  So the client is left with dealing with multiple vendors in order to achieve the desired result, this is often costly and miscommunication runs amuck.

 

If you truly want to grow your business and provide the very best product and services to your clients, you must take note on what they are requesting.  Charge appropriately for your services, never discount them as simple or easy, your skills are worth the price and the client will thank you later for a job well done.  And always remember to advertise your products and services effectively through all means available.  Know your customer!

 

Sign-Express is a total turn-key signage solution provider of lighted signs and LED signs in the US.  We pride ourselves in going above and beyond with each of our clients.  Call or click to speak with one of our professional sign designers so you can get started making money! 

Is a Business Sign Really All That Important?

Here’s a little story that will show how important a business sign really is to a business.  Recently I was looking for a barber shop in my neighborhood.  I’ve lived here for almost three years, and the same barber has cut my hair the entire time.  Unfortunately, when I went to his shop I found out that he had closed.  Panicking, I dug around in my memory for another shop close by and couldn’t come up with one.  No signs came to mind.

When you boil marketing down to its most elemental form, the situation described above is at the root of it.  I needed a haircut, I had the money for a haircut, the opportunity arose for a new business to step in and immediately fill the need … and I couldn’t remember where a single shop was in my area.  I drive through this area all the time.  Signs are noticeable.  Signs, and specifically logos, are perfect for “memory embedment” in that they slowly work through the subconscious until needed.

Here’s another example:  My better half is into beading.  She loves nothing more than to string a variety of different shaped balls together to make necklaces, bracelets and whatnot.  We were in an unfamiliar section of town this week and she hollered out “BEADS!”  Now, knowing her, I simply assumed that she was thinking about her passion and couldn’t help but vocalize it.  However, she was only reacting to a bright LED business sign proclaiming a 20% off sale at a bead store we were driving by.  The rest of the story is obvious:  We both came out of the deal happy.

The store won because of simple marketing.  They had merchandise that a customer wanted, they had a story to tell regarding that merchandise, and they had the means to tell that story.  Without that sign, we would have no idea that a bead store existed there.  Their business sign was bright, colorful and easily noticeable.  Now, if the store had only, say, channel letters on the face of the strip center or placement on the communal sign (along with every other business in that location), we might have seen that bead store anyway.

But one thing is certain:  We would have passed right on by if there was NO business sign at all.

How many potential customers are passing you by?

Not too long ago, I got interested in baseball cards.  For a very short while, believe me.   A friend turned me on to a baseball card store a few miles from my house, claiming that it was the “best store ever” or something along those lines.  I’m not familiar with the area, so I Googled it to get the address.

When Google informed me that I was there, I couldn’t find it.  I was in front of an office park, staring at a Subway (I knew it was a Subway because of the full color sign above it), along with about 40 other businesses.  Some had signs on their windows, some had channel letters or neon or hand-painted poster board taped to the glass. A few had white letters on the door announcing their services. Others were a complete mystery as to the goings-on inside.

So I called the store.  I was informed that they were located “next to the Day Care … Suite #387”.  Trouble was, I couldn’t figure out which one was the day care.  I noticed one shop had a picture of a cartoon dog on it, but that turned out to be a pet food store.

When I called back, the owner seemed a tad miffed.  Well, so was I.  He tried to guide me in, but the wind was taken out of my sails, and I left.  As I pulled out of the parking lot, I noticed a comic book store across the street, complete with a full color sign of Superman in flight.  I smiled.

Any marketing plan centers on speaking to past and future customers.  Period.  You can buy all the ad space you want to, build a beautiful website and get an SEO firm to provide backlinks for it, but if the customer can’t find your business then you will fail to gain those precious clients.

Sign-Express sells lighted business signs and LED sign solutions for businesses in the US for very competitive prices and have a spectacular (5) five year parts warranty with a (5) year on-site service warranty for all our clients.  We pride ourselves in going above and beyond with each of our clients.  Call or click to speak with one of our professional sign designers so you can get started making money!  You can contact Sign-Express at 1-800-888-5051 or email us at sales@sign-express.com.  Visit us at www.sign-express.com and take the next step toward transforming your outdoor marketing ability.

How to Make Money with LED Billboards

How to make money with LED billboards is something everyone who is familiar with digital billboards and LED signs has asked themselves. Making money with an LED sign is quite simple actually. If you own a business or location where you can install an LED sign, you have a great opportunity to make more money with only a small investment. Brick and mortar retail locations wishing to advertise their products and services in bright images or moving messages have everything to gain from owning an LED sign. Now if you really want to rake in the cash, the way to do it is with billboard advertising. The formula is simple, locations are the key component and traffic is the multiplier.

Everyone knows that off-Premise advertising billboards are big money makers. Ted Turner started his career in advertising by running his father’s small outdoor billboard advertising company in Savannah, Georgia. He worked very hard at growing the heavily leveraged business, and was very successful at amassing a fortune. Ted went on to start Turner Communications Group then later was owner of AOL Time Warner and the Atlanta Braves baseball team. I’d say he did pretty well for himself. Clear Channel started in the outdoor advertising business way back in 1898, I guess you would call them a pioneer in this industry. Now they are one of the nation’s largest billboard networks established in the US. Their networks span city roads, buildings, street benches, ground transit systems, airports and spectaculars such as Times Square. Over the last few years Clear Channel has begun converting their static billboards over to dynamic LED billboards to increase revenue for each location. The revenue streams from having multiple advertisers on a single board is outstanding.

So I bet you are wondering, “How do I start?” Finding a location where you can install a billboard is the beginning. The laws and regulations are not all that kind to the advertising business so you need to do your research. Once you have identified a location, check with the local permitting codes to find out how large of a structure you can erect for your fledgling LED billboard empire. There is usually a state license and fee you will need to pay in order to advertise legally, not all states have this provision. Next, do your market analysis! Identify your competitors, and most of all your future clients and businesses that will want to advertise. You will need to know the pricing for the area advertisers so you can start to build your pricing schedules and begin selling your ads for your new LED sign. The final step is finding the right company to purchase your LED billboard from and who has the knowledge and know how to install the boards correctly so your investment is protected for years to come. LED sign and LED billboard pricing varies dramatically based on needs and sizing. I strongly suggest that you purchase from creditable companies and avoid buying from overseas. Although some of their products will be attractive in price, you will end up paying your profits in keeping them running and locating knowledgeable technical support who speak your language.

Sign-Express offers a comprehensive site survey to help you determine the ideal size and height of your future LED billboard home. It is not a “one size fits all” for each location, there are several factors you must identify before you end up over spending or under-utilizing your location. The owners of Sign-Express has worked with thousands of clients, large and small, in providing the best LED sign solution that meets our client’s goals and budget. Our team of professional project managers, graphic artists and signage experts can help you grow your new LED billboard venture. Sign-Express sells billboards in the US for very competitive prices and have a spectacular (5) five year parts warranty with a (5) year on-site service warranty for all our clients. We pride ourselves in going above and beyond with each of our clients. Call or click to speak with one of our professional sign designers so you can get started making money! You can contact Sign-Express at 1-800-888-5051 or email us at sales@sign-express.com.

LED School Signs Make Communicating Easy

School signs are a standard fixture for any elementary, intermediate and high school campus. All Schools wish to proudly display their mascot on their school sign with the schools name adorned with their school colors. A typical school sign has a changeable message center such as plastic letter signs, but the ones that really stand out and have the greatest flexibility are LED school signs with accompanying identification sign. An LED school sign offers the greatest array of images and are simple to program with the right LED software solution.

An LED School sign doesn’t have to big large and flashy. Most schools reside in an area with slower traffic, which offers the greatest readability for you school LED sign. This allows you to put smaller letter messages and images to convey your desired message on the school sign. Events, plays, band concerts, sports events, PTA or PTO meetings and every parents favorite, report card announcements. More and more schools and colleges are adding LED signs to their existing signage or create new school signs with an LED sign as part of the design.

Sign-Express has worked with schools around the country to create unique school sign designs that are the perfect mixture of message effective and budget conscientious. If your school or college is in need of a school sign makeover, give Sign-Express a call. We are professional school sign solution designers with a large selection of products and services to fit your need. Special financing options available and Purchase Orders accepted. Don’t wait, designing your new school sign is absolutely free with no obligation to purchase.

Contact us via phone or the web.

Sign-Express is your School sign design and LED school sign professional resource. Sign-Express is a nationwide signage solution provider specializing in LED signs and lighted sign design, sales, permitting, installation and service. The Sign-Express team has all the right components to help make your business or organization outdoor marketing successful. We stand firmly behind the products we sell and guarantee our work will be top notch. After all, your image is our image and your success means our success. You can contact Sign-Express at 1-800-888-5051 or email us at sales@sign-express.com.

Church Signs and How They Work

Having sold signs and LED signs of all types to various businesses and organizations over the years, I always see one deciding result of a well-designed signage solution. They simply work! Church signs and LED Church signs especially. This article will shed some light on just how a Church sign works and how valuable they are in a Churches outreach to the community.

It is a great feeling when I see one of our Sign-Express signs light up for the first time. I have had the pleasure of witnessing some Church signs light up while many of the members and pastor stood by to see. It is a beautiful thing and the members are so excited when they see their predesigned messages display on the sign. Those messages, crafted with love and purpose, are exactly how a Church can work to grow your congregation. Sign-Express’s professional designers will help to create the first messages for any LED sign purchased. In depth software training or comprehensive content creation and management services are always available at Sign-Express.

The first and most important factor in a successful Church sign design is the size. It has always pained me to see those tiny little signs in front of a Church while I’m driving by at 60+ Mph. You simple cannot see the message and many times not even the name of the Church. Size is important, but also the budget should be a factor. There are several methods that allow the sign to be large and readable without breaking the bank. Some of the most elegant and attractive signs Sing-Express has designed where non-illuminated identification signs. Non-illuminated signs cost half as much as a lighted sign and are still beautiful. Methods such as reflective vinyl can allow for the name or message to be seen at night without the need for internal sign illumination.

 

The next factor in a successful Church sign is to integrate an LED sign into the signage. This allows for unlimited possibilities in messaging, colors, and your sign will definitely be seen. This will bring the price up a bit, but you will be surprised at how affordable some solutions Sign-Express can achieve. Speaking with a recent Pastor, he was telling me how his Church’s sign is quite old and the congregation has been raising money for more than a year to purchase a new one. Their new sign would represent a new birth for his Church, a kind of transition into the more technical world we live in today. He wanted the sign to show images clearly so we looked at various resolutions and finally decided on the 16mm full color LED sign. The pastor spent hours with our designers to create a beautiful design, one of the best I have seen yet. The sign is slated to be installed later on this summer 2015 and it will be wonderful. When I met with the Pastor to finalize the contract, he was so excited and I was too. We spoke for more than an hour, I answered some of his questions about the LED sign and trim, such as colors and shape they had chosen. It was a great feeling to see what the simple act of sign design can do to put a pep in your step. The Pastors excitement was contagious and I spent the rest of the day spreading the excitement about the new sign we would be building.

You see, Church signs work in many ways. They bring pride to the congregation when the new sign is installed. They bring attention to the Church which may have been overlooked or blended into the scenery in your community. A new Church sign with an LED sign component allows your outreach to announce events, services, reminders and more to members and potential members alike. Church signs simply work for your Church!

Sign-Express is your Church sign design and LED Church sign professional resource.  Sign-Express is a nationwide signage solution provider specializing in LED signs and lighted sign design, sales, permitting, installation and service.  The Sign-Express team has all the right components to help make your business or organization outdoor marketing successful.  We stand firmly behind the products we sell and guarantee our work will be top notch.  After all, your image is our image and your success means our success.  You can contact Sign-Express at 1-800-888-5051 or email us at sales@sign-express.com.

Intelligently Designed Church Signs

Signs for Churches are a core product for Sign-Express and its professional sign design team.  After years in the sign industry, our favorite clients are Churches due to the creative nature of the sign solutions.  From small church sign marquees, monument church signs and all the way up to spectacular LED church signs, Sign-Express has designed some awesome looking sign structures.  Designing logos, custom lettering, integrating LED signs with beautiful color combinations are just some of the features that make up an intelligently designed church sign.

Using a strategic design plan for a church sign is how we start with each of our clients.  A professional site evaluation including aerial measurements of distance from the road, road speed and obstacles that may obstruct the signs view is how we begin.  Placement of a Church sign is crucial to the church signs effectiveness.  Next, height and size of the church sign needs to be determined.  Several factors depend on the outcome including permit ability of the local sign code, property size and road frontage, church message planning and finally a target budget for the church sign project.  So many times we have spoken with pastors and church board members that have received a proposal that is completely devoid of these planning steps and the final result would be a sign that is ineffective and misses the target.  More commonly, LED Church signs are proposed that have poor resolutions, too small for effective messages and quality issues that will end up costing the church more money down the road.

Choosing the church signage features is mostly at the request of the Churches artistic desires, but every so often Churches leave the creativity in the hands of Sign-Express’s professional sign designing team.  Unique angles, stone masonry bases, decorative reveals, raised letters, routed faces with push through lettering, custom designed curved tops are just some of the features that will really make your Church sign stand out to the driving audience.  Color and architectural design matching of current buildings and features is performed by our professional team of artists at the request of the Church.  A rendering of the proposed structure is presented to the church for review and unlimited modifications can be requested in order to reach a Church sign design that the Church will enjoy for years to come.  This is how Sign-Express differs from other sign companies just aiming at selling a sign and moving on.  We want your Church sign to be a beacon, to be an extension of your Churches outreach and make your members proud of the final results.

Sign-Express is your Church sign design and LED Church sign professional resource.  Sign-Express is a nationwide signage solution provider specializing in LED signs and lighted sign design, sales, permitting, installation and service.  The Sign-Express team has all the right components to help make your business or organization outdoor marketing successful.  We stand firmly behind the products we sell and guarantee our work will be top notch.  After all, your image is our image and your success means our success.  You can contact Sign-Express at 1-800-888-5051 or email us at sales@sign-express.com.