By Wade Swormstedt
“Mom ‘n’ pops have the greatest need for on-premise signage because they probably have little budget for any print or broadcast advertising.”
Back in March, I received a notebook entitled ‘Traffic Survey Results’. It contains the results of 56 surveys sent in by customers who had purchased signs from Gulf Industries, Torrance, Calif. All end users receive a survey form when they buy their outdoor lighted signs that provides space for 15 of their new customers to answer one simple question: “How did you find out about us?”
Survey says: 54% of the 840 respondents said they learned about Gulf’s clients because of the signage. “Word of mouth” was the second most common response at 29%, followed by newspaper (11%), Yellow Pages (40%), radio (1%) and TV (10%). The notebook contains each of the individual responses, in addition to corresponding, hand-written, testimonial letters.
Gulf’s clients often receive discounts on their signs in exchange for doing three things:
Turning In Surveys From Customers•
Allowing Gulf To Put Its Toll-Free Number On The Signs•
Sending Gulf Photos Of The New Signs After Installation•
My first response is continuing admiration for Gulf owner Kozell Boren because of his dedication to substantiating the value of signs. I’ve known him for several years, witnessed his dedication to the California Electric Sign Assn. (CESA), seen his desire to contribute the fruits of his labor to helping the outdoor lighted sign industry’s legislative efforts, and admired his ability to see good ideas through to completion.
My second response gets tempered by a sense that he’s preaching to the choir. Yes, the responses are heartening, but they aren’t scientific research. Would any city official pay them credence? Would they stand up in court as expert testimony? Would the American Planning Assn. (APA) consider publishing the results? (As it turns out, the APA’s upcoming report on the value of signs could allude to Gulfs efforts.)
But my third response surprises me. And it’s analagous to a sign-maker’s reaction to The Ugly Sign Contest (see ‘The Ugly Sign Contest: Double-Digit Design Deprivation’, ST, May 1998, page 116). Pride. Which is easily overlooked.
Rationally, one realizes people would not buy signs unless they were worth it. But when customers go one step further, and flat-out thank you for giving them the opportunity to purchase your products, when they tell you that your assemblage of plastic, paint and vinyl has made a huge contribution to their business success, you just plain feel good. Not only are you providing for your family, you are truly helping others provide for their families. That makes you proud of what you do.
I feet the same way when people tell me they’ve been reading ST for several decades, and their dads did before them. Your step gets lighter when someone tells you that something you wrote made their life a little bit better. (And nowadays, you and I both use keyboards in our work, so we’re not much different.)
Kozell began this project approximately a year ago. His salespeople’s entire approach is based on building value for the on-premise outdoor lighted sign, and he suspects that the presentations probably “sell three to four signs for the industry for every one it sells for Gulf.”
Indeed, most of Gulf’s customers are mom ‘n’ pop shops - people living the dream of owning their own business, who typically have little sense of the value of signs, in contrast to owners of franchise operations. Yet, ironically, the mom ‘n’ pops have the greatest need for on-premise signage because they probably have little budget for any print or broadcast advertising. Even before Kozell received results from his survey, he believed that 50% of his customers’ business initially was generated by Gulf signs.
Here are some of his customers’ comments:
A Lebanon, IL, cleaners had its new sign for less than a month, and the owner said, “We have added 20 new customers who didn’t know we were here.”
A Cedar Springs, MI, picture framer states, “Our business has increased 30 percent to 40 percent because of the sign.”
A Santee, SC, barbecue restaurant owner stated, “In the first week of the sign being hung up, our business increased by at least 60 percent to 70 percent.”
A Bradley, IL, comic book store proprietor commented, “Ninety percent of the new customers came in because the sign attracted their attention.”
A Cookeville, TN, tattoo shop owner marveled, “No more than 10 minutes after putting the new sign up, two customers pulled in.”
A Clover, SC, flower shop had a new sign up for three weeks, and the owner observed, “I have gotten about 30 new customers.”
A San Fernando, CA, car dealer said, after the sign was installed, sales increased $6,000 net per week, so the sign paid for itself in less than a month. Plus, he’s been able to reduce his advertising budget from $16,000 to $12,000 per month.
So is this an advertorial for Gulf? Hardly. However, it points out the tremendous benefit that on-premise signs provide small businesses. (Not to mention the tax benefits to the communities.) These results probably surprise few sign-industry observers. But thanks, Kozell, for infusing theory with reality.
Reprinted from Signs Of The Times Magazine, June, 1998 issue