Myself and my company, Traffic Signs, Inc. [and we do all commercial types of signs also (like us on Facebook please!)], we get it. We understand, not only what you want but we understand what you need. Before you accuse me of being a know it all, please bear with me.

Have you ever given any thought to the guy with the tattoo on his arm? I mean any real thought other than “Cool tat!” or “Who would get THAT on their body?!”. How about a woman wearing a nice blouse? Or a good ol’ boy wearing a favorite camouflage hat? Or someone wearing a shirt with a favorite sports team logo? What could all of these people from different sides of life have in common? They are trying to tell you something about themselves and they are displaying something they like.

So what does this have to do with signs? I have seen it at least 50 times. Someone has a dream of starting a business. Being their own boss! Making it BIG! Serving their community! Making extra cash! Heck!! Maybe even becoming rich!!! The American dream. Well, one dream at least. So they spend years working out the details in their mind, squirreling away money, picking out an ideal location, begging for loans at the bank, etc. and then one day they take that step. They find that spot, put their ideas into action, wheel and deal and find those bargains, burn the midnight oil, get close to opening day and then it happens. They are out of money. Of course there is no turning back. They are so close to the end and opening day they can taste it! Victory! So they think where they can cut corners. They look at what is left to be done. Landscaping? Do we really need bushes? Great signage? “The estimate was HOW MUCH??!!!!! WHY SHOULD WE PAY THAT MUCH JUST FOR A SIGN??!!!”

Here’s why a GREAT SIGN, landscaping and a fresh coat of paint on the outside of the building should be a top priority. People will drive by your business and they will see your sign first. Before they know anything about your business, they will see your sign first. And we all know what they say about first impressions. They mean everything. No sign and things look bad on the outside? I have yet to see any business survive with a bad first impression.

For example, there was a restaurant that opened. I won’t say who, when or where to protect the innocent.  They actually have great food but for two weeks after opening, they had not put up a sign. Finally a sign. So that was off the list and I really don’t even think about it anymore. The exterior paint job was done sloppy (paint going from over the wood and onto the stone and brick and dripped onto the sidewalk). On the inside, the same thing. The paint job was poor. I waited a few weeks just to see if they would fix everything. Months went by. Nope. Maybe I wouldn’t have noticed these things if the sign had been missing in the first place.

So what’s the big deal. Simply, once a customer sees something wrong, they start looking for other things to be wrong. They start picking at the pin hole in the clothe and before you know it, it is coming undone and at some point it is unraveling too fast to repair the damage. Or let’s just say you are the kind of person not to notice the small things. Who’s to say you didn’t notice it in the back of your mind? Even if the business survives, does it cost them customers? Most likely. What if that was your business? Wouldn’t you want it to succeed and have that good first impression with a great sign?

In other words, the restaurant put up a new sign and fixed that mistake. I noticed. Looks good! I don’t even think about it but they have not fixed the paint job and I notice that too. That might sound a bit picky but it is what I do for a living and I am a customer. I still eat there because like I said, it’s really good food.

So back to signs, a new business owner and someone wearing a favorite shirt and what all this has in common? When you think that you should skip good signage, remember that it is a first impression. A sign is your favorite shirt or tattoo or jewelry or whatever appeals to you. You are not only saying look at my professional business but I LOVE my business! I LOVE working here! Look what I have to offer! I want you to LOVE it too!

If you need signage that can tell the world about you, your business, organization, event, motto, or any message, let us go to work for you. We will understand what you want and what you need.

Jim