When a customer needs a new sign, they are opening a new location, updating an existing location, renovating a building, or repairing existing signage. Oftentimes, they need more than one sign. By asking five questions to better understand the opportunity, you can help your client uncover additional signage needs, preventing you from leaving money on the table.
1. What's the Goal of the Sign?
This may seem simple, but can make sure the request is in line with your client's goal. Will it be to advertise and promote their business or brand? Is the sign for wayfinding purposes? Do they want it to be for commemoration, where they will be commemorating a person, group, place, or event? Or is it informational to portray important or relevant information like warning labels? Asking this question can help your clients realize that they may need additional signage.
2. Is this Replacing an Old Sign?
After you figured out the goal of your client’s project, ask if they are replacing an old sign. You can quickly determine if they will need more signs based on their answer. If they answer yes, then you will know this sign is likely all they’ll need as they may just be repairing a damaged or outdated sign. However, it still doesn't hurt to ask follow-up questions to confirm. These can include questions such as "where is your business located?", and "Have you been there for a long time?".
If your client answers no, then you know that they will either be opening a new location or updating an existing one. This means they may need more than one sign.
3. What Type of Business is the Signage for?
Ask your client what type of business their signage will be for. Asking this question helps you determine what other signs they will need. Different businesses need different signs based on their industry. The products and services they provide also affect their location layout and the amount of space they may have for a sign. For example, a gas station and a school will not have the same signage needs based on their space and requirements.
4. What Do You Like About Your Branding?
Ask your client what their business stands for and what they like about their branding. Signs represent the look and feel of a business or brand. By asking about their branding, you align the design of their signage to their design requirements such as color, logo, and fonts. These requirements are important as a client may have a brand or school color that is important to help them distinguish themselves from other competitors.
Your client will also want to have their designs align with their brand image and what they stand for. For example, is their brand focused on luxury or affordability? This type of decision can be seen in businesses like grocery stores deciding whether they want to advertise themselves to their customers as either a premium, high-quality choice or an affordable option. They will also want the quality and materials of their signs to match this message. If they are focused on affordability, then having signage with expensive materials may counteract their image, similarly if they are a luxury brand with low-budget signs.
5. What is Your Budget?
This can be a hard question for your client to answer, but it is important to know how to scale solutions accordingly. Projects can be scaled up or down. Do they want signage that is simple and affordable, or do they want to spend a little more to have something custom and high-end? When proposing signage designs, start with more premium options so you have room to work down if your client desires to decrease the cost. If you start too low, you’ll have few options for lowering the price such as selecting plastic over metal, removing lighting, or decreasing size. Asking your client early on about their budget saves you and your client's time.
All these questions can be answered in a matter of minutes and can result in large project requests. Need an extra hand but are not looking to invest or hire additional staff? Gemini's large project team can help.
Looking to grow your business? Become a Gemini Partner to get access to our resources, such as Partner Portal, to start scaling your business today.
