5 Quick Steps to More Signage Sales

Why did you lose that last signage sale? Maybe it was your pricing. Or maybe the customer already had a working relationship with another sign company. Or maybe the customer felt another signage vendor had more experience with their particular type of project.

That is a long list of maybes – but there is one more. You may have been outsold. Another sign company simply did a more effective job of selling their proposal.

So what can you do to make your signage sales proposal more effective? Follow these 5 steps. Then you’ll close more proposals and increase your sales and cash flow. We’ll use a channel letter sign proposal as an example.

KEEP IT SIMPLE Make the purchase decision easy for your customer. How can you do that? By asking your customer to make only one decision. Do not separate your channel letter proposal into different parts, each requiring a separate approval/signature. Why make separate proposals for the outdoor channel letters, indoor letters and also street signs? That is far too many decisions for your customer to make at once, and can seem overwhelming. It can lead to “I’ll think about it” instead of a signed contract. Far better to combine the entire signage set into one package. Make your client’s entire decision an easy yes or no.

BROADCAST YOUR BIGGEST BENEFIT – LOUD AND PROUD What is the most important single benefit of professional channel letter signs? MORE SALES. That is it. Not greater exposure, not top of mind awareness, not more impressions, not more foot traffic, not consistent branding and not more visibility. Those are all good secondary benefits, but they all come back to one primary result: more sales. Isn’t that beautifully simple? Your proposal and presentation should always come back to that essential point. Whether your client is selling a product or service, higher sales are the critical benefit. Headline that across your title page and proposal – make no secret of the fact that your sign(s) will result in increased revenue.

CUSTOMIZE YOUR PROPOSAL Let your client know you have listened to their individual needs. You know that a fast food restaurant proposal will be different than a proposal for a fine dining sit-down restaurant. For example, your client may have mentioned to you that her business is heavily oriented to impulse purchases. Your customized proposal shows that you are fully aware of that, and have designed the signage package with that fact in mind. The sign locations, design, illumination and placement are all geared to a specific impulse business – hers.

BE SPECIFIC Which of the two following sales arguments do you find more convincing? 1. This sign package will increase your sales. 2. Clients for whom we have installed similar sign packages in the past have experienced sales increases over 14%. Obviously, argument #2 is best. Your client can easily visualize what a 14% sales jump will mean for their profit. That puts teeth into your proposal. You obviously can’t guarantee that your signs will result in that increase, but they can certainly help. Check our January 2011 post for more ideas on the economic value of new and additional signs.

PUT EMOTION INTO YOUR PROPOSAL An old adage in the direct marketing business is that people buy things emotionally, and then justify them logically. What emotional rewards will your client receive from your channel letter package?

How about: Peace of Mind – this is a huge emotional benefit for a typical business owner. How many owners stay awake at night from the stress of owning a business? Much of that stress comes from worrying about meeting payroll and paying bills. Higher and more consistent cash flow improve a business owner’s life dramatically.

Financial Independence – Another emotional benefit that comes from consistent cash flow and increased profit. How many owners are unwillingly married to their businesses? Your proposal is the one of the keys to ending that marriage – and speeding the owner to financial independence.

Greater Business Marketability  – Another feature you can help make possible – the ability for an owner to sell their business when the time comes. You know what makes that possible – consistent cash flow and high profitability. That comes from your signs. Those are just a handful of the emotional benefits your signage package can offer. Which others can you visualize for a successful business owner?

Follow these 5 steps to an effective signage proposal, and close more sales.