"SIGNS" of the Times!

Ok....one of the Good things about "Selling" Promotion Programs to small businesses is....when they WORK....YOU....are a "Hero"!

Thus....in the last 21 yrs in my area...I've sold MANY, MANY promotion programs to small biz owners that....indeed...brought in Customers, Clients, Patients...to them.

So....at the end of last summer (Labor Day)....many of my long-time accounts...phoned or emailed me...asking if I had a promotion idea they could use going into the Fall Season.

So...rather than "Letting my Fingers Google" for an answer....I did what I usually do...."Go INTO the Field-Of-Battle"....check out WHAT is REALLY happening!

So....I got one of my "Hot Flashes" when I noticed the SIGNS that biz owners, with GREAT LOCATIONS, had in front of their biz!

Aside: the phrase, "Location, Location, Location"....STILL EXISTS! And is STILL viable for "Getting Business!" Realtors and property STILL...get Top Bux for a Good Location!

So...as I was doing my "Scouting"...letting my "Tires do the "walking" rather than "my Fingers" (on a pc keyboard)....I saw a Big Sign...in front of a biz that had a....not just "Good" location....but a GREAT Location...and, the Sign had some words on it that were MEANINGLESS hyperbole!

This caused me to PULL OVER and THINK!...."What an absolute WASTE of Terrific Advertising Space!"

That's when I went on a "Hunt" of ALL the Signs I could find in my area. These were Signs...IN FRONT of businesses that had GREAT locations... yet...what these biz owners were putting on their signs was absolutely Ludicrous....and WASTEFUL of GREAT Ad Space!

So...I went to some of these biz owners and told them my "Discovery"!

ALL...were in agreement; They did NOT KNOW...WHAT to put on their Signs that would DRAW customers, clients or patients!

So...I'm sure there are "Sign, Copywriters" in our great country BUT....I sure don't see any of their Work represented in small towns...or even larger towns.

So...I offered 3 of my customers an opportunity to "Check Me Out"...for Freebies. They ALL took me up on my "Sign Challenge"!

One was a "Vitamin Store"....another a Taco restaurant and the 3rd a Florist.

Well....my "Test" was....for lack of a better term...STUPENDOUS!

The Vitamin Shop noticed a BIG INcrease in Walk-Ins....as did the Taco biz (an individual guy not affiliated with any big corp)....BUT....the Florist Shop started getting THREE TIMES the Orders they had before letting me advise them on WHAT to put on their BIG Sign in front of their GREAT Location.

Now...I'm NOT "selling" anything here....so I'm not giving out any "Details" of what I had them put on their Signs........other than to give you an example of the Sign the owner chose today (I give biz owners Examples and let them choose)

The following words had people TALKING...all day long. So...rather than keep you in suspense....here's what the Sign says;

"TOILET STOLEN FROM COP STATION!
POLICE HAVE NO WHERE TO GO!"

Now...granted....these words do not "entice" people to come in and order Flowers BUT...they SURE GOT "People's ATTENTION" and ....for the past 2 wks...since they been putting up "Funnies"...and I mean GUT Busting Funnies....their business has Gone Thru the roof!

Also....I told the Taco biz owner to "Advertise that his Sign is available FOR RENT!" And...he's got 6 renters so far. I told him, "Hey! Yoo've got a GREAT Location...why not try and make some money from your Sign by "Renting" it to others?

So....I'm setting up another "income stream" by being a "Sign Space Rental" broker! Renting Space on Signs! Who woulda thought!

So....yes....there are STILL ways to make much moola by using yer Noodle!

Don Alm....keeping the ol' "noodle" hopping