Business Success: A Survival Pack 

We all know that the world of signage, in its myriad of forms, is an ever evolving landscape. And this environment does not only seem to be on an ever-revolving cycle of core economic pressures and technological change, but also presents the modern sign-maker with a set of ever varying challenges. I am sure at times it must seem to us all that survival is like walking up a descending escalator.

If it is of any comfort, our industry is not that different to any other in this modern world of commerce. What should also be of comfort is that reversing the effect of the escalator is not that difficult; many business owners have understood what it is that makes survival not only possible, but moves them past this mind-set onto having flourishing businesses.  

Knowledge is power

The key to any successful business is knowing all you can about two core principals of the industry; the current client base and the potential market. This might sound obvious, but in my experience of working with a number of businesses, both large and small, not recognising your client base and it needs is a recipe for failure.

The same can be said for your potential market; you need to fully understand the size and composition prior to moving into it. There are numerous companies that have pointed their business in a new direction and then not only failed to break into it but also alienated the current client base.

Marks and Spencer is a very good example. It modernised the lingerie range that had previously held a defined and stable market focus. It failed to break into the younger market it believed was there and caused many of its loyal clients to leave and purchase at other outlets that provided what they wanted. Do not take your customers for granted.



Before you start to think about any changes in your business that you believe will make it more secure, look in depth at who you provide for now and what other potential customers fit the same profile. Then compile your own list of unique selling points (USP) that causes your loyal base to stay with you.

It can be helpful to actually involve your current clients in your thoughts and discussions. They buy from you for a reason, and maybe that reason would be a helpful message when recruiting new clients. Moreover, what would they like you to provide? A lot of companies I work with tell me what their client base wants; all too often, however, this is done on assumptions and not research. It is a cardinal sin to make assumptions on the client’s needs and develop your business on that.



Most of all, be honest with yourself and make your research factual and objective. Do not use it as an exercise to give yourself a pat on the back for still being here; if you do, you may not be here for much longer.

When a plan comes together

Once you have your research completed and you have a stack of data in front of you, how do you ever disseminate from it what to do? Well, the first step is to have a business plan. Yes, I know that sounds extremely obvious, but have you got one for years one, five, and ten? If you do, when was it last reviewed by the principals of the business? In reality you should consider your business plan as your road map. I assume you want your business to be here in ten years’ time, so why should you not have a working plan that ensures you get there?
All successful businesses have a plan. Admittedly the medium-term (five years) and long-term (ten years) plans are more strategic than the detailed yearly plan, but they are all vital stepping stones to success. And yes they all obviously evolve, but you need one and it should not gather dust in the financial director’s desk, only coming out when the bank manager requests to see it.


So what should be in your plan? It must contain what your core business is, what it does, and how successful it would be in doing these tasks for clients. It should have the empirical data from your market research and how your business is going to meet any of the promises it makes to satisfy the needs of the clients. 

To help clear the fog of this, I have found that successful businesses are able to clearly explain to you what are the five or so USPs the company has and why they have made them successful.

Having a small but clear set of USPs helps you not only focus on ensuring you meet the promises made to your current client base, but it should also help illustrate your offering to potential clients.

The modern day business cannot offer just sign-letters and large-format print material to their clients; those days are long gone. The sign-maker of this day and age has to be a ‘solution provider.’ 

Upping the ante

These days, customers are looking to place an order for, say a run of banners, but want much more. They often will have to source separate designers, logistics companies, PR companies, and need to fill many more roles in order to launch everything from a restaurant rebrand to a new business park. The more of the load you can take away from the client, the more likely they are to want to do business with you. 


However, never make promises you cannot keep. It is all well and good promising to deliver the world, but failure to do so will cause clients to leave in droves, and bad news travels fast. Go back to your USPs; can you really offer a design service to a customer? Do you really have sound logistics partners that can get the banners to the client with the 24 hours you promised?

In my experience, clients first and foremost want reliable and consistent suppliers. Richard E Gerber, the celebrated business guru and author of The E Myth, recounts in this book a tale about a barber. A customer repeatedly goes to have his hair cut in a specific barber where he gets a coffee and a biscuit free at each visit. On one occasion he gets a glass of wine and a piece of chocolate. The customer chooses not to go again, even though the freebie was a perceived enhancement, but the key was it was a change too much. Customers like consistency. Do not keep trying to exceed your promises. At some point you will run out of steam and it will be perceived you have let that client down.
   
At the heart of maintaining consistency is standard working practices. Any modern business in the visual communications industry should have or be working towards ISO 12647. It not only sets out what the client can objectively expect with regard to colour, it will certainly help secure orders as it fills the client’s requirement for consistency. ISO 9000 series quality and ISO 14000 environmental standards will help not only promote your company, but it should add value to it. Underpinning all these standards should be solid and robust management information systems (MIS). Accurate information is vital to the survival of any company.    

Review your position

So you know your clients and prospective clients, you have a plan, you have a set of USPs that seem to stack up, you have access to reliable information and you can control your ‘promise threshold’. So, next you need to turn to what equipment you have and more over what you need. Be careful here to include both hardware and software in this review.

As we described previously, clients are looking for the ‘one-stop-shop’ so you need to have the tools to do this. If you are adding value to your clients printed material, do you have laminating, fabrication, or the finishing equipment to do it? If you are offering high run lengths, do you have equipment capable of producing a profitable product?

The modern day sign-maker should have a number of in-house processes that will allow you to minimise third party costs and increase productivity. Make sure the hardware matches the USPs you have outlined in your business plan. But not only should you be able to carry out the work, access for your clients’ should no longer be solely by representatives knocking on doors. Whilst these key account managers are vital for a successful business, the new raft of web-to-print and web-to-finishing software portals are also vital communications channels.

O Factoid: Founded on 23 February 1947, the International Organisation for Standardisation is an international standard-setting body composed of representatives from various national standards organisations, and was one of the first organisations granted general consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. O

Your clients’ hours may be more random than yours; they need to be able to know they can place an order for a run of posters or promotional graphics when they want, not when it is convenient to you. In conversation with Emma Mortiboy, marketing manager at web-to-print developer Vpress, she explains that when putting a strategic plan into place, it is vital you consider the option of web-to-print: “For most print providers the customer liaison process and administration related to the workflow is the biggest drain on resources, and the implementation of a web-to-print solution is therefore key to any good strategic plan.”

Mortiboy goes on to highlight Coreprint, an SaaS web-to-print solution delivered by Vpress: “Coreprint allows any print business to be available to their clients globally 24/7. It also means that there is no software to download and updates are done seamlessly on an on-going basis without any effort to the users.

“The system can also be fully integrated into any MIS or eProcurement platform, offering a truly automated and streamlined workflow process to any print business. For example, this means that a client can edit, proof and send to print, any given number of large-format print jobs, without the print-service-provider having to get involved to facilitate the order.”

However, Mortiboy is careful to stress: “This does not mean that customer service is dead; it just relieves some of the internal pressure and also lives up to client expectations. The expectation to be able to order items online is greater than ever and will only continue. It is a fact that in time, all printers will need to be able to offer their clients the ability to order online, or indeed miss out on valuable business.”

A company with a future, that will be able to realise the aspirations of the five and ten year plans, will need to have a manager or owner that considers future proofing existing equipment and technology. They will also need to be aware of what is coming on to market and where it could be used to best enable clients to be successful with the products provided for them.

A note though: make sure the technology you review and think will work for you actually will. Remember the tale of the Emperor’s new clothes; do not buy into new technology—and there is lots around—just because your competition is doing so. Why is he right to do so? Your business plan will be unique to you, so will your needs be.


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