What’s Your Sign?
By Debbie Allen, All Rights Reserved

Signs play a very important role in retail. They help you get attention, sell products and promote our business brand. Information from signage directly influences consumer purchases. That is why it is so important to get it right.

I recently noticed an antique store that placed their sign sideways for drivers to view, but didn’t have a sign on the building. So when you were looking at the store from across the street in town, you could not tell what type of business it was. Another sign I noticed was so badly in need of repair that it left a very negative and poor image about the business. Your sign is not only there to get noticed, it sets the tone and image of your organization.

Make sure that your outdoor signage is placed in an area for maximum exposure to both drivers and pedestrians to easily view. For example, a sign placed on a 90-degree angle just above the entrance to your business can help grab the attention of street level pedestrians. Always list your hours of operation, phone number and  website near the door, in bold, easy to view letters as well. Using signs effectively inside your store is essential in making your customer’s shopping experience pleasant and your selling power improved. If you have a large space, you’ll want to add signs to break your store into departments. Always place signs at eye level, next to featured items.

7 Ways to Increase Sales with Signs:

1. Keep all of your signs looking professional. The more professional and polished the look is, the more prospective customers value your store.

2. Always be consistent with color, and your store’s brand.

3. Use larger text for easy to read signs. It can be frustrating if you have to pull out reading glasses to read signs and price tags while shopping.

4. Tell what your business is all about from your sign. It always amazes me when I see a business sign with just the company’s name on it. The company name alone does not give enough information to make prospective customers stop. For example, a store that I drove by dozens of times in my area had only their name posted on it. Not knowing what the store was all about, I never stopped in. Then one day they posted a banner that said, ‘We now have furniture’. That day I stopped in, and now it is my favorite store. But just think of how much business they lost before they improved their signage.

5. Use light background with dark lettering for easy to read signs.

6. List features and benefits with bullet points to stand out.

7. Talk to your customers with your signs. Showcase featured items that give valuable information and create emotion with words. Walk your store as if you were a customer, and look at all of your signs. Think of your signs as silent sales people. Are they working for you? Are they easy to read and understand?

Put your signs to work for you, and watch your sales soar.

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Bio: Debbie Allen is one of the world’s leading authorities on sales and marketing.  She is the author of five books including Confessions of Shameless Self Promoters and Skyrocketing Sales.  Debbie has helped thousands of people around the world attract customers like crazy with her innovative, no-cost marketing strategies and secrets to sales success.  Her expertise has been featured in Entrepreneur, Selling Power and Sales & Marketing Excellence.  Sign up for her FREE 6-week e-Course Business Success Secrets Revealed ($97 value) and take the online business card quiz to rate you marketing online now at www.DebbieAllen.com.