Looks can be deceiving

My youngest son, Charlie, is getting married in the summer of 2017 and while the girls went off to do something about dresses or some such, I had the opportunity to take him on a cultural visit to investigate the exterior and interior of buildings in London somewhere roughly between Farringdon and Covent Garden via Fleet Street. These buildings would have been constructed between 1600 and 1900 for a specific social purpose and it would prove to be thirsty work walking around on a chilly Saturday in late January as we made our way to the rendezvous point once the girly things had been sorted to their satisfaction.

Being in the sign industry, I still cannot just switch off at the weekend as I will always look, with a scrutineer’s eye, at the signs that adorn these premises inside and out rather than glance and move on. I do try to get out more often, but I bet there are a few of you reading this who are nodding that they sometimes catch themselves doing exactly the same outside work hours.

The quantity of the different types of signs is staggering—as sometimes can be the quality in terms of positive and negative. Nostalgia ‘ain’t what it used to be’ and some of those good old fashioned signs may still retain a sentimental value regarding the veracity of the establishment and its fine wares, but even a cursory look at one could see that, they had not only reached the end of their lifespan, but the proprietor was expecting that these signs would be due for replacing along the same lines as Methuselah had when planning his retirement i.e. it is a long, long way off.

In addition to being well past their sell by date, a lot of the materials used in the fabrication of the sign have been replaced by more modern equivalents—and that was my lightbulb moment.




I am not advocating the removal of any sign more than five years old, but I am suggesting that there is an opportunity here for replacing certain signs with modern day equivalents using up-to-date technology and materials, while retaining the evocative and sentimental look. Especially in environments where nostalgia and looking more or less the same is a must. They are even doing that at Piccadilly Circus in replacing the world-famous lights. So, I am behind the bleeding edge of the market in this aspect, but possibly one of the few to spot a trend before the band wagon has hitched the horses and opened the stable doors. But do customers and sign owners realise that they need at least a simple update of their signage and at worst, do something about avoiding breaking their legal obligations? I doubt it.



The British psyche

I take a leaf, of sorts, out of a hotel chain with whom I made arrangements over a year ago to hire one of their rooms for an all-day meeting and conference. A couple of days ago, but months after using the room, I received a phone call. “Was everything all right with the meeting facilities?” Yes (from what I can remember). “Do you have any further need or wish to book another meeting room?” No as it happens, but thank you for thinking of me.

Unlike our cousins in the good ole US of A, the ‘British’ psyche is one that does not want to be bothered perpetually by sales calls, sales spiel, or courtesy calls for no reason, especially with embarrassing attempts to ‘sell’ you something. But if done properly, and with the understanding that the person calling is a professional (rather than a chancer) and has a job to do, it is simply a numbers game and it tends to go something like this:

• Contact 20 names after doing the market research that these are the right people to talk to
• Get through to half of them
• Get to see three of them
• Sell once

NB: These numbers vary on the abilities of the person making the call, some will say that if you get to see three people, you should make three sales. OK, fine. I am just providing some colour to what it can actually take to achieve something.




Back to that British psyche that always prevents us extolling about our own success and what we do. Be too brash and that is a turn off in the UK (I cringe at the trailers for The Apprentice—always have done, never watched an episode, and hope I never will). People, as I have said before, buy from people and then only if they are satisfied that all their criteria are met and one of those is simply ‘Do I like the person/company/organisation I am dealing with?’. This is more so when there is a choice. It will not be written down in the specification but it will, however, be an important part of the decision-making process.


The phone call I received from the hotel was akin to you leaving a business card in the pub/business breakfast group, just reminding everyone that you are there and that you are available to supply their needs. No fuss, no pressure. If you wanted to up the ante, you could always set yourself a target number of calls a week—your choice, your trainset.

If, however, the industry takes up the challenge to replace signs sooner rather than later, I may well have to revise the calculation used to denote the size of the sign industry. That would certainly be a pleasure.

Finally, do not forget to always guarantee a fast service—no matter how long it takes. Worked for me a few times I can tell you.


Public Notice:

• The quantity of the different types of signs is staggering
• There is an opportunity for replacing some signs with modern equivalents
• The ‘British’ psyche is one that does not want to be bothered by sales calls
• Do not forget to always guarantee a fast service

The British Sign and Graphics Association (BSGA) history dates back more than 70 years when a group of leading sign-makers formed the Master Sign Makers Association (MSMA) with the aim of promoting the sign industry and defending its interests. For more information on the issues discussed in this article visit www.bsga.co.uk or tel: 0845 338 3016

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