We recently purchased the building we were leasing. It is 1/4 mile from the hottest junction in the county. How do you market your showroom? I realize layout limits us, but we have a fairly nice reception area that we want to use to the fullest. Any ideas??
Posted by Ted Nesbitt (Member # 3292) on :
Great to see you taking the step of having a showroom Rick---so many do excellent work, but don't take the time to showcase it! I always found that having a 'plak-mount' photo of satisfying jobs alongside a 'mini' version of the logo or job will help your customer understand the application better.
I've always set up showrooms with graphics applied to panels, say 4' x4'. Pop them up with something simple like velcro---that way, if you ever require them for a site visit or tradeshow, you can just pop them off the wall.
Having a few photo albums out on a table always worked well---if someone was waiting, they could always flip thru them and see what other things you've done----get them thinking and you might sell more!
Track lighting---it rocks! Easy to work with, and gives your showroom a real professional feel---shoot the lights on your panels or one or two key elements you really want to emphasize.
Where possible, change graphics from time to time to keep things fresh!...
Posted by Steven Girard (Member # 3931) on :
hi! congralution for your purchase,,,for your showroom,just make it simple,clean and practical....remember that a costummer gonna see it once or twice a year but you gonna see it every morning....... Posted by James Donahue (Member # 3624) on :
Someday I'd like to set one up that has blocked out windows so that I could have an electric control panel (like the one for my model RR layout when I was a kid). Then I could turn on or off different backlit or neon signs as I wished. Carved or painted signs would be lit with trac lights. Just one of the future projects.
Posted by James Donahue (Member # 3624) on :
More thoughts: Actually, I don't do neon, and avoid backlit signs. But I thought I could act as a sales rep for that kind of work. Or, better still, (for cheap guy #2) split the rent with other shops that did that tpye of work, but not what I'm doing. The shop is small, but located on a very busy hwy. Easy to access, a good place to meet clients. I would turn the whole thing into a showroom. I havn't thought this through, there might end up being conflicts that I havn't forseen. Like different types of work overlapping, etc. Any thoughts?
Posted by Mark Rogan (Member # 3678) on :
If I get a chance, I'll shoot my showroom (when it's finished) and post some pix. I put in a nice long counter with a 7ft wall behind it. This blocks the view to the vinyl area and bookeeping in the back. I also have a round butcher-block table that seats 4 for going over lay-outs, etc. Then I have TONS of wall space that I'm creating full-blown carved, painted and gilded signs to hang there. They're not for clients, just stuff I think will get people's imaginations going when they come in. And this gets back to another post about what do the McSign shops do right? Years ago, when I decided to leave the agency I was working for and go freelance, my mentor told me "Don't go freelance. Open a studio." I said, "What's the difference?" "He said. Your customers come to your studio. Freelancers go to their customers." So, years later, as I began to think about how I wanted my shop to operate, I decided a showroom was a MUST. And that it had to have an almost retail feel to it. People are comfortable with that. They aren't familiar with "signshops" or what to expect. Make it familiar to them. Make it visually interesting and stimulating for them, and you'll have customers who come in as if they're going shopping. I only opened a few months ago and the few customers I have have all come to me. I have yet to go see a client except to shoot some digital photos and that was AFTER we first met to discuss the job in the showroom. Sorry for the long post. I just think it's important. Mark
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