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To sign or not to sign....

Started by Geoff, October 23, 2005, 10:43:57 PM

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Geoff

Folks,

I'm trying to figure out whether to put a sign up or not.  We've done business for years just by word of mouth and some web stuff, but I'm starting to wonder what we're missing.

The mill & warehouse is about 1/2 mile from a fairly busy road and a good sign would draw in a few folks, BUT it in my mind it will draw in the riff-raff, the rip-offs and the theives.

Anyone have any experience around this idea?

Geoff

Radar67

Geoff,
    Do you have a mobile mill? If so, I would put a sign on it, not to sure if I would put a sign by the road for the reasons you stated.

Stew
"A man's time is the most valuable gift he can give another." TOM

If he can cling to his Blackberry, I can cling to my guns... Me

This will kill you, that will kill you, heck...life will kill you, but you got to live it!

"The man who can comprehend the why, can create the how." SFC J

Brad_S.

I wouldn't even worry about the riff raff as much as I would tire kickers and busy body's. I know I have enough trouble with interruptions with no advertising. ("Yeah, I've been driving by and seeing all these logs so I thought I'd stop in and see what's happening"). Unless you desperately need more attention fast, I think you may have valid concerns. I would bet you'd get a lot of curiosity seekers that may out weigh the buying customers.

Then too, this is just my two cents and may have no bearing on reality in any way. :)
"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." J. Lennon

Frank_Pender

Geoff, I believe you answered your own question.   
Frank Pender

Faron

Goeff, I have a sign at the corner of my mill with phone numbers, because we operate the mill when we aren't farming.  It is amazing how many people don't see the phone numbers on a very prominent sign.
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for dinner.  Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote. - Ben Franklin

Percy

Ill pose an argument for the 'Yes" side to a sign. Cuz I just finished building one...heh  ;) ....A year ago,our sawmilling group(Thick And Thin Lumber) had a big sale cause we were overstocked on alot of fence pickets and such. Now the fall isnt a good time for these type of sales but we made signs and posted them allover the place including where the sale was gonna take place. WE had an excellent day selling alla that stuff. I asked every customer how they heard about the sale. About half said from the signs. Advertising works but if you dont want to let people know where you are, you could put one up somwhere else that met all requirements/laws and I think the results would be positive. Anyways Heres my sign......
GOLDEN RULE : The guy with the gold, makes the rules.

BBTom

I have a small sign (about 2' x 3') at the corner of the property.  I don't get many of the tire kickers, riff raff or other undesireables.   I have gotten a few jobs from it, and quite a few lumber customers.  I kept it simple and to the point.  Only thing on the sign is ---

Hardwood Lumber
419-892-2598
Custom Sawing

Works for me, here, might not work for anyone else, anywhere else.  Life is like that!!!
2001 LT40HDD42RA with lubemizer, debarker, laser, accuset. Retired, but building a new shop and home in Missouri.

Frank_Pender

Percy, where in the heh are you going to hang that monster?  Must be at least 16 to 20 feet long?
Frank Pender

Geoff

We do a little custom sawing, but mostly value added wood to consumers and contractors.  Signs are ok if done well, as the above one certainly is.  We're set up pretty well for walk in, but I question exposure to theft.  Anyone had experiences with that?

Geoff

dewwood

Geoff,
I would not be concerned about the theft issue especially if you have some sort of theft protection be it a dog a gun or even a security light or beeper.  We have an alarm that sounds in the office which is in the house and it lets us know if someone walks or drives in the yard.  I do have a sign at the end of my drive but since I am not on a main highway it is more of a directional thing(when giving people directions) than advertising although I do occasionally get people who stop after seeing the sign.  The other thing to consider is if you are considering placing a sign on a major highway check with the local and state regulations regarding signs.  I am 1/2 mile from a major highway and have permission from the landowner to erect a sign but since US 20 (the highway) is a federal highway the state will not let me put up a  sign since it will jeopordize their federal funding.  Apparantly all federal highways fall under a beautification program started long ago that  prohibits signs along their highways.  In our case if your business is located on the property it is permissable to erect a sign or if the property is zoned commercial then it is possible to get a permit to erect an offsite sign.

Since signs are not exactly cheap I would investigate the permitting process prior to spending time and money on a sign.  Other types of advertising may be more productive if you can identify your market and try to reach them more directly.
Selling hardwood lumber, doing some sawing and drying, growing the next generation of trees and enjoying the kids and grandkids.

ellmoe

Geoff,

   If you need more business a sign or two will help. Sometimes bigger is not better, though. We have a double sided sign, each 8x12, with alot of information on it and it has been there for years. A year ago we started rotating a series of the small vinyl signs with the wire stand. We have 8 different signs and each one features a different product (fencing, flooring, mulch , etc.). The results of those signs was surprising. Many people came in saying, "I didn't know you had a mill here", or, "do you sell retail?". Of course these and other questions are answered on the big sign, but they didn't seem to notice it. I guess after awhile the permanent sign became part of the landscape.  The small signs help us "push" what we need or want to move most. I think they are the best advertising money that we have spent.
   Now, on the negative side. Time wasters. We are near Disney and the rest of the Central Fla. attractions. I have more than once thought about changing our name to 'Sawmill World' and start   charging admission! ;D Only seeing a government car pull into the mill filled with "suits" coming "to help" would upset me more than seeing a car full of retired men pulling up.
In the winter I can count on constant visits of older gentlemen with nothing to do and plenty of time to do it in. If I had plenty of time and money, and a short order list, I'd enjoy the  inevitable conversations. However, the reverse is true and these visits can be costly. I've had to learn to break off discussions quickly and to monitor my employees that suddenly develop a deep respect and interest in the older generation. My, they can stand a listen to their stories for hours! :D
Anyway, I haven't decided yet, season passes or daily admissions?

Mark
Thirty plus years in the sawmill/millwork business. A sore back and arthritic fingers to prove it!

Percy

Quote from: Frank_Pender on October 24, 2005, 08:33:36 AM
Percy, where in the heh are you going to hang that monster?  Must be at least 16 to 20 feet long?
The plank that the 2X4 letters are on is 4X16X 24 feet. It will be installed over the driveway of our new property, kind of a gate thingie. Ill post the pics when its done( some time this week hopefully.)
GOLDEN RULE : The guy with the gold, makes the rules.

Geoff

Percy,

Let me know what the results are...


Ellmore

Thanks for the tidbits.  Although I'm in my late 30's, I spend over 90% of my time with folks over 70 and know the distraction that they can be for staff.  Coffee with the local farmers every morning is enough for me.

I've had many retired guys come in, kick boards, tell me about everything that's going on (sometimes including what I should be doing) and want to spend $1 on a $12-type board.

That being said, we have looked after customers across a wide geographic region for years, but rarely anything on the local scene.  It would be interesting to try it for a while and see what comes up.

We're on a good route to the cottage country, but of course any measure of success would be seen in the spring since winter's coming fast.

Percy

Quote from: Geoff on October 24, 2005, 09:11:34 PM
Percy,

Let me know what the results are...


Ellmore

Thanks for the tidbits.  Although I'm in my late 30's, I spend over 90% of my time with folks over 70 and know the distraction that they can be for staff.  Coffee with the local farmers every morning is enough for me.

I've had many retired guys come in, kick boards, tell me about everything that's going on (sometimes including what I should be doing) and want to spend $1 on a $12-type board.

That being said, we have looked after customers across a wide geographic region for years, but rarely anything on the local scene.  It would be interesting to try it for a while and see what comes up.

We're on a good route to the cottage country, but of course any measure of success would be seen in the spring since winter's coming fast.
Heya Geoff.
Ill post a pic and let you know if it helps or not.


On the "tire kickin" thing, when I first got my LT40 back in March of 97, I was very visible and I had every old coffin dodger commin by to "Check er out". After several days of getting nothing done, I finally politly told em I HAD to get to work. They said "Hooray. Its about time.Now we can see this thing work." Point is,- in my effort to be reasonable and polite, they kinda thot I was lookin for advice. The next day I built some really cool benches outta WRC logs for them all to sit on. They came around every day for weeks and watched and talked amongst them selve and Id have lunch withem. I learned alot from them, once I figured out how to handle them... ;D
GOLDEN RULE : The guy with the gold, makes the rules.

Minnesota_boy

Percy,
You gotta rethink that sign board.  By the time you get it high enough to get the loggin trucks in there with the way they load, nobody's going to be able to read it.  Maybe you can have two entrances?  :D ;D ;D
I eat a high-fiber diet.  Lots of sawdust!

Jim_Rogers

Years ago, I took a marketing class with the Small Business administration at a the local college. They said once you've picked out what type of printing you want on your documents, such as letter heads, invoices, envelopes, business cards, to keep the font type on them all the same.

So when I wanted my "job sign" for my portable business, I just gave my business card to my sign painter and had her make me up a sign an exact copy of my business card.



On the top of this "job sign" a attached a standard "U" bolt, like you'd use to hold a tailpipe to a muffler, and attached a small rope to that. Now when I go to "road jobs" and I take my sign along I can tie it to a mailbox post or a small tree out front of the job and it won't blow over in the wind.

In the above shot it is tied to my fence post down front, and when I hand out my business card it looks just like my sign. When people see my sign it looks just like my business card. That helps them to understand that they've found the correct place.

I have also added my 800 phone number to my business card but haven't yet to my sign.
My truck door signs are a smaller version of my job sign.

Hope this helps.

Jim Rogers
Whatever you do, have fun doing it!
Woodmizer 1994 LT30HDG24 with 6' Bed Extension

Percy

We put up our gate/sign today....was a bit of a jog as it is 17 feet clearance and 22 feet wide...but with a backhoe and some patience , we gotter....

GOLDEN RULE : The guy with the gold, makes the rules.

Fla._Deadheader


Sign doesn't look so big, now ??
All truth passes through three stages:
   First, it is ridiculed;
   Second, it is violently opposed; and
   Third, it is accepted as self-evident.

-- Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)

SwampDonkey

Quote from: ellmoe on October 24, 2005, 08:32:46 PM
I've had to learn to break off discussions quickly and to monitor my employees that suddenly develop a deep respect and interest in the older generation. My, they can stand a listen to their stories for hours! :D

I can certainly relate to that. It always would happen on the farm right when we are the busiest. Then father would have to go off and 'entertain', while his hired crew stands around because he wasn't present to team them. You'de think he was driving slaves.  ::)
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Ernie

Quote from: Percy on October 24, 2005, 01:27:38 AM
,our sawmilling group(Thick And Thin Lumber)


We get a lot of work from ex customers of a local miller who adheres to the thick and thin philosophy all in the same board :D :D :D
A very wise man once told me . Grand children are great, we should have had them first

tmullen

Geoff

Have you thought about using your vehicle as an advertisment. Most sign shops can put lettering and such on your vehicle to make a moble sign.

tmullen
when in doubt
fire out

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