While depositing a check to the company business account, had a brief conversation with the bank teller who inquired about the business we are in. I told her “our company installs signs and LED lights for all types of businesses”. Suddenly, she became more interested. “My husband and I recently purchased a restaurant which has old signs, can you give us an estimate for new signs?”
Within couple of days of this encounter my project manager and I scoped out and sized the restaurant signs. They were old and rustic showing the affects of time and weather. Subsequent to the site survey which included precise measurements by our bucket truck technician, we sat with the couple owner in their restaurant and began taking notes of their sign requirements.
Initially, we were not interested in discussing signs for Manor Café, but rather we wanted to understand what is going on with their restaurant. Our customers need signs and LED lights installed or repaired. Before we help, we would like to know their needs fully, so we can provide them with comprehensive solution toward helping them attain their business goals.
Any successful business has a good story to tell. So does Manor Café. The new owners, as soon as the couple bought the restaurant, started receiving calls from long-time patrons inquiring if the restaurant was still open for business. Apparently, the old owners had considered shutting down the restaurant and that news spread in the community like wildfire. Upon hearing this, and after looking twice at the three old signs on the restaurant property, my Project Manager and I knew this restaurant didn’t need just signs but it required full branding. Keeping in mind the clients budget, we did our due diligence and gave them a quote within 24 hours for the best material possible at the best price.
After discussing customers requirements in detail, and receiving their logo design we began to work on completely branding our clients business. Somehow it felt as we were branding our own business. In some way, we hoped were branding our own company by impressing the client couple.
Regardless of our customer’s business, it is imperative to understand their needs as much as possible, knowing several iterations of requirement gathering will most likely follow. What matters is how the customer wants his or her product or service done, not how we may want to do it, or how our company has been doing it in the past. Every signage project has custom: set of challenges, processes and variables, while the end results of all our projects are consistently same: bright, attractive signs and customized LED lights which save significant energy and costs.
We designed, manufactured and installed three signs which we hope will welcome, both, old and new patrons and increase customer traffic for Manor Café. Shortly, after we completed installing the signs, we were given the contract to replace old interior lights and parking lot lights for Manor Café with new LED lights saving them costs – which we happily did, marking the completion of a full branding signage and LED lighting project for Manor Cafe!
Implementing the Manor Café sign and LED projects, we confirmed that networking with people, quick response time, and executing work based on solid understanding of the clients’ needs, can help us win more business.