Despite having to struggle through the recession, and compete with the continuing threat and invasion of large companies, some smaller sign-makers are not only surviving under increased pressure, but are exceeding growth targets, continually expanding and diversifying into new sectors.

Going forward

Lincoln-based sign-maker, Allen Signs, has kept its foot firmly on the accelerator throughout the most recent downturn, and has continued to drive sales forward.

“For us the biggest change was at the start of the recession. During previous downturns we have tended to take a cautious step back and just watched what’s happened.” says David Allen, managing director of Allen Signs.

(Above and below) Lincoln-based Allen Signs have focused on driving the business forward
throughout the downturn by adapting to the latest trends and demands from its customers
such as vehicle wrapping

He continues: “This time we were much more focussed on driving the business forward by getting our name out there. We are more in front of our customers now than we have ever been in terms of getting our profile out there, and tools such as social networking sites have really helped.”

Social media can be an invaluable marketing tool, but the success of any business still relies on good customer relations. Family-run Allen Signs has made a conscious effort to become more customer centric.

“I think you can get complacent in the way you deal with people , and  we’ve become much more focussed on the customer's needs in recent years,” says Allen, who adds: “We are not fortunate enough to have lots of future jobs in the bag, but this has allowed us to become much more focussed on making sure that we are giving our customers the kind of service that they want in the time frame they've specified.

“We like to work in partnership with the customer, rather than it being just a straight forward transaction, so we are managing their process for them so we can therefore take the stress away.”

Balancing act

But while a company is driving the business forward into new markets, it can often be difficult to continue to serve current clients. Smaller firms often struggle with finding the time and manpower to consistently generate sales in both areas. Birmingham-based Eventsigns ensure that both their core market and any new business opportunities are given equal attention.

Eventsigns supply signage for a range of sectors including gantries banners and
timing equipment for the Wales Rally GB

“We keep in contact with our regular customers by letting them know what we have on offer. Even if they don’t want to buy anything at this stage, we are still keeping our name infront of them. We are also concentrating our efforts on the networking side and chasing any referrals, because this is a good way of getting extra business,” says company director, Vaughan Allcock.

He adds: “We like to deal with clients by first of all listening to them about what their project is and their budget, and then we come up with a solution.”

We like to deal with clients by first of all listening to them about what their project is and their budget, and then we come up with a solution”

Allcock adds the main difference between the smaller sign-makers and larger firms is the customer service: “We prefer and actually endeavour to work face-to-face, talking to the client direct, and I think there is a lot to be said for that. Bigger companies have a larger turnover of staff, so a customer could be talking to lots of different people throughout one project, whereas with a smaller firm, there is much more consistency.”

Eventsigns was founded in 1984 and initially provided flying banners for sponsors on televised motor rallies—a service that continues to this day. But the company has since evolved to cater for all sectors of signage.

The majority of Eventsigns’ order book is made up of promotional signage

“We progressed to producing different signage over the years because of demand. Our clients asked us if we could supply a range of products so we reacted by expanding into other sectors of the industry,” concludes Allcock.

The company has continually invested in developing technology to keep up with demand over the years, and now the majority of Eventsigns’ order book is made up of promotional signage, vehicle graphics for commercial fleets, exhibition graphics, and the usual one-off projects for members of the public.

Diverse offering

Print-services-provider Farndon House has also seen success by adapting to change. During the downturn the company saw its promotional merchandise side of the business suffer, but overcame the problem by concentrating on reusable bags.

“We import natural cotton bags from India, and we print them here in-house. The majority of which are used for things like business exhibitions, schools and charities,” explains managing director Mark Ford.

He adds: “The business that we have built up from there has evened-out the losses of the merchandise side. So we’ve adapted and looked to alternative markets.”

Print-service-provider Farndon House has seen success by adapting to change. (Pictured)
Examples of branded clothing created for corporate clients

Farndon originally planned to use the screen printing process for clothing but instead saw a gap in the market: “When we purchased the equipment, there weren’t that many other printers and stockists for the bags, a lot of businesses in the promotional merchandise market were just re-selling from a group of trade suppliers,” says Ford, adding: “We are now doing a lot more with the equipment than we anticipated.”

The key goal when diversifying into new sectors is the ability to offer more services to new and current customers. Farndon House has now found that the next step for them is to educate clients on the range of services they offer.

Ford continues: “Quite often when we get enquiries for bags through the internet, customers initially think that we are just a bag printer. When they realise we also produce other promotional material it gives us an opportunity for a bigger order from the initial enquiry.”

Farndon has set a goal of becoming a one-stop print supplier to cater to growing demand.

“Everything is under one roof. We can keep the consistency over the range of products that are being bought,” explains Ford, adding: “From an ease-of-use viewpoint, the one-stop provider is ideal. In the past people were willing to pay a little more for this service. Time saving and hassle-free service was seen as worth the extra initial cost. But people now are now much more savvy, and with the aid of the internet, we do still have to be competitive.”

Getting connected

All three businesses agree that social media marketing is going to continue to grow in importance in the coming months, and all recommend that small firms concentrate on this area for future success.

“This is an incredibly easy way of keeping your name out there and picking up potential new business,” says Farndon House’s Mark Ford.

Farndon has set a goal of becoming a one-stop print supplier to cater to growing demand

Ford adds that networking events can also carry benefits: “We’ve always found networking really helpful, and we’re members of a business network group. This acts as a sales force for your business—as members of the group can pass on opportunities to you. I’ve been a member of a network for more than ten years, and I have always viewed it as a bonus for generating new business.”

Ford has also experienced the sense of community between small businesses: “We’ve found that building good relationships with companies who are selling into the same sector as us, but are not our competitors, is a way of generating new business. Web and graphic designer introduce us to potential projects that we normally wouldn’t have had the opportunity to work on.”

The most important thing to remember when keeping the business ticking over is to be able to cater to your customer demands, and as EventSigns’ Vaughan Allcock has found, the most important requirement is fast turnaround.

“If somebody came on the phone today and said they have got an exhibition tomorrow, we could turn the job around in 24 hours. Meeting demand is something that we have concentrated on in the last couple of years.

Allen Signs wrapped a series of replica phone boxes buy printing the artwork onto vinyl
using latex inks and its 1.55m HP Designjet L26500

“We’ve kept faith with quite a few suppliers. We bought our first vinyl cutter back in 1989 from Spandex, and we still purchase the vast majority of our equipment with them today,” adds Vaughan.

“Price is important but so is quality and back-up service. If you do buy something that you have a problem with, it is always better to deal with a reputable company that will sort the problem out quickly. To have a supplier you can rely on is so important for a small business.”

So, there are many channels that smaller firms can tap into to help support their business. Taking the proactive approach and driving sales forward, branching out into new sectors and investing time in social marketing are all areas that should not be ignored if you want to thrive in the current tough market. But the most important part of any business is the customer. This is something that has not changed with a developing industry. A clients’ requirements should always come first, whether they are large projects or small purchases.

As Allen Signs’ David Allen says: “You only survive by looking after your customer, and you have to be willing to go that extra mile for them, even if that is for first time projects.”

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