![]() Years ago, and for a span of eight years, I ran an art-media department for a rapidly developing Colorado city government. When first created, this branch was crowded into the city planning department, in a space alongside the zoning section. A thin panel separated my desk from the zoning counter, so I overheard every grievance. I soon learned that zoning regulators don’t have it easy. The most disconcerting complaint I overheard was from a citizen who came to the counter and bellowed that his neighbor had chickens in the backyard. Damn. I had chickens in my backyard. And, I recognized the voice – the guy was my short-tempered neighbor. He was complaining about my two Rhode Island Reds – Cogburn and Katherine – pets I had taken in from a relocating friend. Trouble was, rooster Cogburn crowed at dawn every morning. Proudly and loudly. That day, I learned that zoning officials have clout. Oh, the zoner guys were sweet but also adamant – my chickens must go, they said, either through my actions or theirs. Rest easy, however, because the story ends well. By the following Sunday, Cogburn, and Katherine were settled in a faraway barnyard. I traded them and a hundred dollars for a monkey. The Greenville, NC, zoning department provides a terrific definition for a flexible-type sign – I’m using the word “flexible” as a general, not product-specific term – because that city requires a rigid framework around any non-self-supporting materials that are to be proposed for, or qualify as, a permanent sign. I learned of the ordinance while reading a sign-frame manufacturer’s press release that announced its (or others’) framing products were necessary in Greenville because of such requirements. I was impressed with the code’s explicit definition: “Non-self-supporting materials,” because the term incorporates much more meaning than, say, “fabric,” “banner” or “flexible face.” It’s a great term, right? Non-self-supporting materials? It describes every pliable signface – fabric, flexible vinyl, paper, canvas, Moroccan tapestry wall hangings used for commercial messaging, or other lissome materials that would be permanently attached to, say, a brick wall and therefore, require a type of permanent framework to survive the elements and look respectable. I telephoned Domini Cunningham, Greenville’s planner 1, zoning enforcement officer and chief handler of sign ordinances, permits, temporary sign applications, zoning complaints and sign certification letters – and asked about the framework requirement. I said, “As I read it, that ordinance applies to types of printed, flexible materials being used for signfaces, right? Like, you can’t just print a flexible sign and nail it to a wall and call it permanent, right?” Photo by Li CuevasAs planners and zoners must, Cunningham is accustomed to speaking legalese; therefore, and somewhat reticently, he said, “The city code requires a supporting framework if a signface comprises ‘non-self-supporting materials’ and is to qualify as a permanent sign.” I asked about temporary banners, or flags and, expectedly, he said they fall under a separate rule set. The manufacturer’s ad said banner frames provide a great opportunity to show clients how to take vinyl banners to another level – and I agree. A wall-mounted, easy-change frame, similar to the poster frames found in movie theaters, provides a permanent location for new posters, fabric-faced signs or other printed information. Best is that you could sell a complete package, the frames, installation and an ongoing contract for fabric printing. You can also bypass the print and fabrication process by ordering printed fabric signs – or banners or flags – online, from such enterprises as the United States Flag Store, which offers every flag possible, including advertising types; or flagandbanner.com, which, in addition, offers installation advice on its website. Classic examples include the carnival flags on Kissel Entertainment’s Monkey Maze or perhaps the more regal banner set displayed on the Univ. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Memorial Hall. The benefit of such banners and flags is that they are easy to print and fabricate – or online order – as are the street flags or church-type banners. For example, Josh Clark, the signshop manager for the UNC-Chapel Hill campus, has a 64-in.-wide Roland VersaCam on hand, but says the college contracts outside for specialized fabric printing. “This shop has just me,” Clark said, “so we sometimes need extra help from outside.” EVERYONE’S DOING ITOdds are, your shop is producing banners. In his 2017 State of the Industry Report (See ST, July 2017, p. 42-48 ), managing editor Mark Kissling reported that 86.1% of the 180 survey respondents sold banners. An interesting aspect of the survey is that 159 respondents (97% of respondents) reported using vinyl in 39% of their commercial signs. In addition, 128 or 80.5% of respondents use in-house digital printing to produce 41% of their signs, and 114 or 71.7% of respondents contract for wholesale digital imaging for 17% of their signs. My experience in visiting signshops aligns with Kissling’s survey because digital signmaking comprises too many diverse client demands for an average shop to have machines to handle; thus, outsourcing close to 20% of the orders isn’t unusual. Kissling, in his article, wrote, “Our 2017 survey indicates a positive present condition and an even rosier outlook for the immediate future, though it should be pointed out that a plurality of respondents felt the single greatest threat to the industry was price competition and diminishing profit margins.” THE “WHICH?” QUESTIONWhich is the better, more profitable option: digital-printing banners in-house or subcontracting them? The answer is both, with the weight on ordering if you’re new at it. (I once asked a signmaker when he knew it was time to quit ordering digital prints and buy a print machine. “When you get damned annoyed at your print supplier,” he said.) Like UNC-Chapel Hill’s Clark, if you own digital printing or even fabric production gear, you’ll still want to outsource some work, e.g., unique ink requirement orders or such difficult-to-build items as multi-paneled tradeshow signage that requires complex patterning, sewing and closures. The good news is that several digital print machine manufacturers have aligned with suppliers who offer machines and equipment for patterning, cutting and sewing fabric signs. Photo by Li CuevasST columnists Chris and Kathi Morrison recently noted that banners are an absolute staple of the sign industry. They said you can paint, screenprint, apply cut vinyl lettering to or digitally print banners on practically any flexible media, and that eco-solvent and UV-cure printer manufacturers offer various print machines that are designed to either print directly to fabric or dye-sublimation transfer paper (See ST, August 2017, p. 48 ). The Morrisons noted that typical banners – think fire department fish-fry banners strung on nylon cord – cost less to produce, are fast to turn around and should land good profit for your efforts. They also note that high-end banners like those at Chapel Hill are more difficult and expensive to produce and install, but offer you more specialized growth opportunities. Kissling wrote, “While it’s true that some sign companies are just hanging in there, the overwhelming majority reported increasing sales and profits for last year over the previous, and expect incrementally greater sales and profits by the end of this year.” He said that more than 75% of the survey respondents reported purchasing equipment last year and nearly 79% plan one or more purchase(s) this year. CRITICAL THINKINGDecision-making that involves a heavy financial investment requires a good deal of critical thinking. An interview taken from the book Conversations with Critical Thinkers includes an interesting quote from Dr. Stephen Brookfield, distinguished professor in the Graduate School of Education at the Univ. of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN, who was asked of his conception of a critical thinker. He said, “Basically, it’s someone who is in the habit of attempting to identify and examine the assumptions that underlie his or her habitual ways of thinking about something, and the assumptions underlying habitual ways of acting in situations – identifying and scrutinizing them as to whether or not they are well-grounded in reality.” Brookfield added a requirement that such a thinker “be able to easily slip into alternative perspectives and inhabit other interpretive frame-works.” A critical thinker, he added, is someone who can see a situation from a number of different angles, put themselves in another person’s head and see through their eyes, and do some role taking. He said anyone who attempts to do this – noting that no one can, completely or consistently – fits his idea of a critical thinker. He also advised his readers to avoid classes on critical thinking because such learning develops content rather than process. Lifelong learning is the best formula for becoming a critical thinker, he said. Allow me to add an additional quote, one from Irish satirist Jonathan Swift. He said, “When genius appears in the world, the dunces are all in confederacy against him.” Keep that phrase in mind as you develop new ideas. You might even print it on a banner, with a picture of a monkey.
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![]() Roll up banner stands There are lots of crazy ways sales people and companies use to try to get noticed. Why do some work, while most don’t? Better question – why can one company’s sales rep use roll up banner stands and get dozens of quality sales leads from it while another sales rep from a different company also uses them, but gets very few sales leads – at the same convention or trade show – right next to each other? Of course, the obvious pat answerer will explain that surely Salesman A, using his retractable stands, was simply a better sales man than Salesman B. That, of course, is a quick way to dismiss the topic and move on to clothes shopping because the topic was potentially so dull that the answerer was moved to the wrong kind of tears. Hang in here with me though…I promise that this will be a very entertaining article – and it will also contain some amazingly brilliant golden nuggets of wisdom. The initial disinterested response in the beginning of this paragraph begs the question as to WHAT made Salesman A the better salesman? Let’s assume, for this discussion, that both Salesman A and Salesman B had similar marketing materials, booth backdrops, pull up signs, brochures, a multi-media presentation kiosk, and a lovely assistant. And they both sell business consulting services. Are Tradeshows a Black Hole for Marketing Dollars? Do I Really Need the Fancy Booth, Multimedia Kiosk, Banner Roll Up Signs, and All That Expensive Stuff? Here’s How – and How NOT – to Use Great Sales Tools Like That Could Enable You to Walk Away from Your Next Trade show With Dozens – or even Hundreds – of Leads! Really, I am getting to those 3 reasons why you need a retractable banner stand that I promised you in the headline…I promise! Now, what were those 3 reasons I need? Ah yes, I am back on track! Let’s get rolling (pun intended)! Reason #1 – Obviously, banner and stands combos work great because they’re portable. Most come with a carry bag, and rarely do they weigh more than a dozen pounds. Whether you’re doing a seminar, promoting a product in a local store, or like the 2 salesmen above, selling services, it is an advantage to travel light. You need brochures, business cards, and maybe a small table, but if no one is “hooked” with a sign or banner that draws their attention your way, nothing else you brought is going to matter. Reason #2 – While your roll up banner stands are important, it’s also important to have something that will draw attention to it. Market research by guys who have no life has discovered that a beautiful woman plays well on any advertising piece, so you could start with that, unless, of course, like Salesmen A and B, your business has little connection to sexy, scantily clad ladies – not that that stops some advertisers. But these guys want to promote a professional image, one that attracts the right type of customer, one who’s wallet would drag their Perry Ellis designer suit pants down to their Gucci’s if they weren’t wearing a rhinoceros hide belt. So, while you may have an attractive woman on your pop-up display, she’ll likely be dressed in business attire and look quite smugly self-confident. That’s not a bad start. You can’t do that nearly so powerfully with a business card and a brochure. Unless, of course, you are a beautiful professional saleswoman handing out those cards and brochures. Sorry guys…beautiful and professional will win every time. Especially if they back it up with a banner roll up sign with yet another lovely businesswoman on it! Reason #3 – Big words mean things. I’m not speaking of long words like “antidisestablishmentarianism,” rather, the actual height and width of the words. Big, important-looking words like “FREE” or “NAKED!” jump out and grab convention goers, tradeshow attendees, or shopper’s eyes. People do read things, albeit subconsciously at times, especially if they’re big, like a billboard when you’re driving about the town or down a freeway. However, they really read it if it’s got a good “hook.” Words like “NO MONEY DOWN” or “PAY NOTHING FOR FIVE YEARS AT WHICH POINT WE WILL OWN YOUR HOUSE, CARS, WIFE, AND CHILDREN” have worked to get people to try goods and services since the Serpent placed a roll up trade show display by the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden offering “Eternal Knowledge – FREE Apple w/Consulting Today.” How to Know What Kind of Apple May – or May Not – Impress Potential Clients: An Apple-to-Apple Comparison of Salesman A’s Successful Use of His Trade Sign Advertising – in Contrast to Salesman B’s Major FAIL with His Pull-up Stands. And Why You Think His Lovely Assistant Looks Like Your Ex. So, now let’s go back to the beginning and find out why salesman A kicked Salesman B’s proverbial backside at the tradeshow this weekend. Both had equivalent marketing pieces, at least as far as quality goes. Neither went to Cheap Junk Imported Marketing Materials R Us to purchase their collateral materials and advertising stands. And both had a lovely assistant. Salesman B’s assistant, though, while attracting the looks of many admiring men folk, had very few conversations with any of them, because they were looking at the banner roll up stands in the neighboring booth offering a FREE Seminar with a FREE Hour of One-on-One Consulting Guaranteed to Increase Your Business 100% or Your Money Back! And it had a picture of an attractively successful very rich businesswoman on it, ostensible making the offer. Salesman B also had an offer with a hook on his retractable signs as well, offering FREE Apples. Unfortunately, those potential clients who did inquire at that booth, mistakenly believed they were going to get a FREE Apple Computer, but instead of getting a FREE Apple Computer, they found instead that they were getting…an actual apple. Suddenly, when their dream of a FREE Apple Computer burst into flames, they suddenly hated Salesman B, his company, his haircut, and his lovely assistant who now looked like their ex-wife. Sales Rule #7 states, if memory serves, “Never offer FREE items that could be mistaken for another item with the same or similar name, especially if you’re offering the cheaper version of whatever the two items are.” Of course, if you’re advertising at your booth that you’re giving away FREE Apple Computers…where was your booth?!) And there you have it. Nothing would’ve happened for either booth without that attention grabbing big-lettered pull up displays offering FREE stuff. And the lack of any substantial FREE stuff (a red, shiny apple just doesn’t cut it any more, not even for your kid’s teacher who wants a FREE Apple Computer) is why Salesman B’s advertising displays attracted, well, not as many people as his assistant! View here to see roll up banner stands with cool digital full color prints. |
AuthorWayne Griffis a Major Marketing Specialist ArchivesCategories |