June 1, 2009
Professional Appearance Outside = More Customers Inside

A long time ago, a mentor of mine relayed the following story to me.

A friend of my mentor was the owner of a failing restaurant. He asked my mentor for advice, mentioning that he was down to his last $10,000. This is what my mentor told him; “Take your last $10,000 and first go out and buy an expensive Italian suit and then use the balance to purchase a Cadillac. Then, park that Cadillac in front of your restaurant and wear the suit to work every day.” That was all the advice given.

Months later the two met again, and my mentor asked his friend, the restaurant owner, how things were going. The response was that business was fabulous and his advice had worked wonders!

The moral of this story is that customers will flock to success, but will avoid failure. Restaurant patrons will pass by a perfectly good restaurant that is not busy to stand in a long line at an obviously (at least in your eyes) inferior restaurant. Why? They do so simply because they want to be “where it’s at” or in other words, to be associated with or be a part of a successful establishment.

This is why you can sit in a coffee shop for 4 hours and they will never ask you to leave, you are cheap advertising – the busier it appears to be inside, the more customers they will be able to attract. As long as you are not impeding the line at the cash register, you are always welcome to stay all day!

How does this affect you? Spend the next week observing the differences between busy establishments and ones that are obviously not busy. Is there something the busy ones are doing that you can implement at your business? Conversely, are there things about the non-busy establishments that remind you of your location? Can you change that? If you glean just one idea that you can implement at your location, it is worth your week’s effort.

Business owners often become comfortable with the outside of their establishment. To attract new business you need to take the time to consider the view from a customer’s angle.

Look for things that can give your restaurant the “AT” factor (this is where it’s “at”):

• Simply wash the front of your building.

• Always make sure your parking lot and sidewalks are clean.

• Just $50 spent on flowers every month can have a huge return on investment.

• Make sure you have a bright OPEN sign. It is imperative that you make sure it is not dim, faded or half lit – that is worse for your customer perception than having no sign at all.

• Be sure that your signage tells potential patrons that you are exciting and unique! Run of the mill “discount club” signs will not help differentiate you from your competitors.

• Sidewalk signs, yard signs, banners are all signs that will have a big effect on your business, but have a limited life. They need to be updated constantly or they begin to have a negative effect. How many of you have seen a business with a large “SALE” banner that is torn, faded, frayed and that has obviously been up for far too long? The poor looking banner will actually have a negative effect on the potential customers perception of your establishment; the exact opposite of its intended effect.

June 27, 2007
First Impressions
•  "It's not what you say, but how you say it ."
•  "You never get a second chance to make a first impression."
•  "Dress carefully, people will think you are what you advertise."

The classic Mom-ism's. Everyone's mother seemed to use the same phrases over and over.  At 13 we were sure they were written in some outdated "Secret Mother's Handbook" and could not understand their logic.  But as adults we begin to see the wisdom of Mom; both at home, and in the business world.

In business, it is your storefront - complete with it's signage - that is often that "dressing" that gives people that all important first impression. For instance, your "OPEN" sign tells passers-by much more than the fact that you are "open". It can tell them...
•  Your Clientele - the budget minded or exclusive
•  Your Store's Mood - Calm and Serine vs. Exciting and New!
•  Your Merchandise - Cheap Junk, or Quality Goods
•  Your Service Level - Super Fast Service, or Browse for Hours

It is really quite amazing how one little word, presented in the right way can say all this and more about your business.

At Jantec Sign Group, we have made it our business to help you present that all important first impression! You will find "Marketing Tip" buttons throughout our web site that will give you advice on how to select, or use our signs products. Or, better yet, call us today and ask for one of our Sign Consultants. They help dozens of businesses present their "first impression" every day and would be glad to help you with yours!