Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Monument Signs Sign-A-Rama - Kearny Mesa in San Diego



Sign-A-Rama - Kearny Mesa in San Diego
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Sandblasted Signs Sign-A-Rama - Kearny Mesa in San Diego



Sign-A-Rama - Kearny Mesa in San Diego
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Large Format Digital Print Signs Sign-A-Rama - Kearny Mesa




Sign-A-Rama - Kearny Mesa in San Diego
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Monday, May 25, 2009

Take Your Message to the Streets


It seems harder and harder for legitimate businesses in San Diego to get noticed these days. All the standard avenues of advertising have been filled with road blocks.

It is certainly understandable why consumers want to be selective about what they allow into their sphere of influence. We are all consumers after all and so can relate to the feeling of being bombarded by advertising everyday. The abuses of overly aggressive marketing tactics has created the necessity for us to seek shelter behind Pop-up blockers and SPAM filters installed on our computers, subscribe to no call lists, TiVo on our televisions and satellite radio. Just to enjoy a little privacy we plug i-PODs in our ears to tune out with. But now that we have all built our fortresses against advertising with our technology, how are businesses with real value supposed to reach potential customers? If you are a business owner this question concerns your future.

SIGNARAMA - Kearny Mesa suggests one way to avoid being filtered is to take your message to the streets with custom car wraps and vinyl appliqués for your delivery vehicles. Think about it. The one place, where we all must pay attention to our surroundings is on the road. Even if our i-PODs are plugged in, the radio is blaring or cell phone is ringing we still must pay attention to the traffic around us. Haven’t you found yourself reading bumper stickers and slogans emblazoned on the vehicle in front of you at a red light? Haven’t you ever found yourself reaching for a pen or your cell phone to jot down a phone number or web address of a service advertised on the side of a van or truck that you were just thinking about the other day? So, why not bring your advertising message or most compelling offer to the back windows, side panels and bumpers of the vehicles you already have in service?

The street is a busy place. Use the opportunity while stuck in traffic to convert your vehicleinto an advertising machine where it can do the work of marketing even while standing still.

Your advertising message can be handled subtly and traditionally with a simple logo and phone number. With an amazing two-way material from SIGNARAMA - Kearny Mesa, you can completely wrap your van or truck with full color graphics without impairing the driver’s visibility in the least. And with SIGNARAMA - Kearny Mesa’s reasonable prices you can afford to up-date your messaging and look of your entire fleet regularly, while keeping your image fresh and relevant.

When compared with the cost of any other form of advertising, which is usually based on numbers of impressions or a rental fee set with a time limit, such with billboard advertising, the cost to you to use your own vehicle as a traveling billboard is only the cost of the sign material and installation. No rental fees, and no sales commissions to pay.

If you like the idea of utilizing your vehicles in this way to do your advertising, but don’t have an idea or an advertising campaign to work with give SIGNARAMA - Kearny Mesa a call. We help solve these kinds of challenges everyday. Our on-staff designers are experts in what works for this mode of promotion. We can help you develop an effective and memorable message for your business.

Be creative, be humorous and make your point unobtrusively with vehicle wrap graphics and decals from SIGNARAMA - Kearny Mesa. And we promise, no salesperson will call during dinner.

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Sunday, May 17, 2009

Financial Foundations: Now is the Time to Tighten Belts

Financial Foundations: Now is the Time to Tighten Belts



Now is the Time to Tighten BeltsSmall business owners should review basics and business for ways to cut costs.

With the ever-changing financial situation facing small business owners today, there are more challenges than ever. There are many small things business owners can do that will add up to substantial savings.

Everyone needs to be paying careful attention to cash flow – it’s the lifeblood of any business. Beyond that, there are a number of tried-and-true suggestions to save some much-needed cash:

· Have an insurance check-up — Review your insurance coverage with your agent, and then shop around. Insurance premiums are competitive, but you won’t know that unless you shop around.* Manage your energy usage — Install one power switch for all your office devices. You do not need to leave your printer, mouse, monitor and modem on. Look into your dark office and see how many small, glowing red lights are on - you are paying for all of them.

· Look for free shipping — Many office supply companies now have virtual office catalogs and free shipping. Many stores have discount cards or point systems you can take advantage of.

· Buy in bulk — Join with several colleagues to buy larger quantities of brochures, paper, etc.

· Use your frequent flyer miles — Many frequent flyer programs allow you to redeem the points in goods or services as well as airline miles.

· Make lemonade from lemons — Get cash out of your slow-selling items. Use them as sale items or loss leaders. Getting cash out of slow-selling items creates cash to invest in faster moving items, which create greater margins and more additional cash.

· Look first at your largest expenses —Payroll is generally the No. 1 expense category. Review your staffing-to-sales ratios and reduce where necessary. Provide incentives to your sales force to produce greater sales and customer satisfaction.

· Examine how your money is spent — For example, are your advertising and marketing dollars the most effective use of that money? Are they delivering the most bang for your buck?

· Audit your assets — Large items, such as property, buildings and manufacturing equipment, are easy to keep track of; however, assets such as laptops, printers, fax machines and mobile electronic devices can easily be lost or forgotten. You may be paying taxes and insurance premiums on items you don’t own anymore. If you haven't done an inventory of your assets in a while, set aside time to list everything your company owns. Don't forget furniture, fittings, fixtures, etc. Any items that are no longer in existence can be eliminated the next time you update your insurance and when taxes are due. Having an accurate asset list can also help with insurance recovery in the case of a disaster

· Manage your fuel consumption carefully — Mobile companies are suffering more than most, because they can’t erase fuel costs without also cutting out revenues. Getting to your destination more efficiently will immediately cut up to 10 percent off your fuel cost. Use planned routing, trained dispatchers and navigation systems. Train drivers to reduce their speed and avoid excessive idling.

Incorporate a cash-gap plan — Improve the gap between money out and money in.
Example:You order raw materials and have negotiated to pay for that material within 30 days. It takes you 90 days to create your finished goods. You give your customers 60 days to pay their bills.

You now have 90 days between the time you pay to the time you receive payment. You also have additional time to create the finished goods (60 days). In this scenario, you are paying cash out 150 days before you are receiving your payments for these goods. How can you decrease this cash gap?

1. Negotiate additional payment time with your vendors.
2. Look for alternative vendors that provide better terms.
3. Negotiate shorter times for your customers to pay you; provide incentives.
4. Pay bonuses to your accounts receivable staff to shorten the payment cycle.
5. Shorten the time you take to create your finished goods.


Review your liquidity ratios:
1. Current ratio
2. Quick ratio
3. Inventory days
4. Accounts receivables days
5. Accounts payables days

The cash you don’t have right now because of this gap is cash that you need to pay back lines of credit and therefore reduce interest payments. Or it’s cash to invest. Now is the time to take stock of where and how you are spending money. A few small measures here and there may be just what you need to keep your business afloat during the rough times, so that you can take advantage of the good times to come.

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Monday, April 27, 2009

Member of a Worldwide Network


We are a part of the largest sign franchise in the world, with over 850 stores. Sign-A-Rama - Kearny Mesa creates innovative designs and produces them in vinyl, large format digital print, screen print and other techniques to get your message out. We pride ourselves in taking care of the customer and doing it right the first time. Our satisfied customers include Northrup Grumman, Westfield Malls, Cushman Wakefield Properties, Simon Malls, San Diego County, and many more organizations eager to market their products and services, with cost effective signage.

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Sunday, April 5, 2009

Eight Killer Steps to Attract New Business

It’s hard enough to get more prospects and new clients during a booming economy when people feel free to spend money. But when the global economy is suffering, it’s much harder to get prospects to take action.

The following eight steps for more effective prospecting can help attract new business.

1. Broaden Your Perspective
Determine how you can create a leap in demand for your products and services. Don’t go solo. Assemble a group of advisors and get their input and creative ideas. Include people who have differing points of view from you. Not easy, but critical.

2. Be Nimble and Innovative
You’ll never have all the facts. Make quick decisions. Be fearless and make tough choices. Create new uses for your products.

3. Dazzle Your Current Customers
Your current customers need care and feeding. Don’t ignore them at the expense of new business, because they’re actually your best source for new business.

4. Prioritize Wisely
The most important activity for any salesperson is to do what’s “closest to cash” as the first task of every single day—whether it’s following up with a prospect, writing a proposal or closing a deal.

5. Become the Expert
Companies hire experts because they can’t afford to make mistakes. Position your company as the expert with a specific product or in a specific market niche.

6. Stay Connected
Network like crazy. Attend a minimum of one event a week. You never know who you will meet and what you will learn. Never let your network go down. Networking is an essential referral marketing activity. So go make connections and build your business.

7. Don’t Cut Prices, Increase Value
There’s a lot of chatter about cutting prices in a lagging economy. But by cutting services, you’re cutting your profits even further. Instead, consider how to “get in and get started.” Divide your offering into smaller chunks, get results and create traction.

8. Commit to Building Your Referral Business
Referrals are always terrific, but they mean even more in a soft economy. Don’t let the lagging economy trickle down on you. Take charge and make your phone ring again! Let your prospects know how much you care about them. Tell and show just how much you appreciate their business. Inform them that you’d like to help people just like them. And, don’t forget to thank your prospects and clients for their referral.

Follow these tips and you will get more referrals by leveraging your contacts and clients. You will attract new business. You will accelerate your sales. And you will achieve higher results without increasing your cost of sales.

"Word of mouth" is one of the most valuable forms of advertising. It's powerful, effective, and very inexpensive! Your satisfied customers can be your best spokespeople and biggest cheerleaders. However, even happy customers can use reminders that they should "tell a friend." How can you encourage customers to do it? Here are some ideas...

Create a formal "tell a friend" program, which rewards your customers for spreading the word.
Include a flier about your business and the products and services you offer with each purchase; encourage customers to pass this flier onto a friend.

If you have a "bricks and mortar" office or store, place an attractive sign in a visible place encouraging clients to tell their friends about your business.

If you send out regular emails to your customers, add a P.S. suggesting that they forward the email on to others who may be interested.

Order a roll of pre-printed "We love referrals" or "I'm never too busy for your referrals" stickers, and place these on your letters, envelopes, brochures, invoices and other printed materials.

Ask! A great time to bring up the subject is just after your customer has expressed their satisfaction with your product or service. "I'm so glad you're happy," you could say. "Do you know of anyone else who could benefit from our service? I would certainly appreciate the referral!"

A positive testimonial about your company - delivered directly from your satisfied customer to a potential customer - is one of the most powerful forms of advertising. It pays to encourage your customers to tell their friends about your business.

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Wednesday, February 4, 2009

VINYL - Vinyl application instructions for large decals

For proper adherence, all surfaces should be considered as dirty and should therefore be cleaned prior to any vinyl application. Household surface cleaners, such as Windex, are acceptable; however, we recommend a 2-to-1 mixture of water and isopropyl alcohol. After thorough washing, wipe the surface dry with a clean, dry, lint-free cloth.

Air and surface temperature must be above 55 degrees Fahrenheit for the application of the vinyl. Apply the vinyl using the following steps:
(Note: It is recommended that a novice installer have a helper present on the following steps. It is not a requirement however it will help insure a quality installation.)

  1. Measure and mark the area you wish to apply your vinyl using a water-soluble pencil. Water soluble pencils are available on our accessory pages. Precision marking will help assure a level application. Once you have the overall area defined and marked, you should have a good idea as to where the upper right and left corners of the decal should be placed. At this time, take your decal (paper and all) and tape the right upper corner of it to your predetermined area. Have your assistant hold the upper left corner of the decal in place while you stand back a few feet and look at it. If you like it's placement, move on to step 2.
  2. Tape the left corner in place and put a piece of tape down the center of the decal. At this time, using your water-soluble pencil, place a mark on the right and left side of the decal. Make sure you mark both the tape and the surface you are mounting the decal to. You will be aligning these two marks later, so be sure you can see them clearly.
  3. On the Left side of the decal, hold the paper and peel off the tape until you reach the center of the decal. (The decal should stay stuck to the application tape at this time) Cut the paper as close to the center as you can, without scratching your surface.
  4. Spray the surface on the left side with water or application fluid (we recommend the application fluid) Note: do not spray water or application fluid when using reflective vinyl. Reflective vinyl should be applied on a dry surface. Place the left side of the decal down on the surface, taking care to line up the lines you drew in step 2. With the application tape still intact, squeegee the decal to the surface by applying pressure with smooth even strokes. Start at the middle of the decal and work your way out to the left. Note: Before you squeegee, make sure there are no wrinkles in the decal or application tape.
  5. Lift up the right hand side of the decal and remove the remainder of the backing paper. (It is ok to lift up the piece of center tape at this time). Apply application fluid to the right hand surface. Place the right hand decal taking care to align your marks on the right hand side. Again, start at the middle and squeegee toward the right hand side of the decal. Note: Before you squeegee make sure there are no wrinkles in the decal or application tape.
  6. It is a good Idea to wait just a couple of minutes before you remove the application tape. This allows the application fluid to begin drying and will prevent the decal from trying to come up. Once it is adhered to the surface, squeegee the entire decal a second time. Then carefully peel the tape off the entire decal.
  7. It is common for there to be some small bubbles throughout the decal. These bubbles will leave by themselves within a few weeks. If you have any major, bubbles you can eliminate them by carefully heating the area with a hair dryer or heat gun, then puncturing them with a needle and applying pressure with your thumb. Note: You can do more damage than good by chasing the smaller bubbles. They will leave themselves as the vinyl breathes and the application fluid evaporates.

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BANNERS - Perfect Location For Your Banner

If you have decided to purchase a banner, it is very important to place your new banner is a position that will do your company the most good. By selecting the proper location, you can ensure that your new purchase will perform up to expectations and that it will be able to function to the utmost.

The old slogan, “Location, location, location,” applies to much more than real estate. When you are placing a banner, this is the most important factor. Here are some useful tips to help you find the best location for your banner.

  1. Make it Visible - Placing a banner on the side of your building or under an overhang can greatly reduce the ability of potential customers to see this banner. You will need to make sure that your banner is located where it can be easily seen from the majority of directions and angles.
  2. Try it Out - Before you finalize your banner's position, try hanging it in several different angles. Then, place yourself in your customer's position. Is it visible from the road, sitting in a car? Can it be easily seen from across the street in multiple directions? You will need to find the one location that provides the most visibility. Take some time with this step to make sure that your final location is the right location.
  3. Remember the Elements - Weather can be detrimental to your new banner. If it is not secure properly, your banner may flap in the wind, making it unintelligible to passing pedestrians and vehicles. Make sure that your banner is located somewhere where there is at least some protection from the elements. If this is impossible, make sure that the banner is well secured and that it will not flap in the wind, obscuring the text.
  4. Get Feedback. Try to find a few impartial friends to test-drive your banner. Ask them to walk and/or drive by your location and get their input on what they think of the banner. Ideally, do not reveal what your banner says to these test-drivers. It is important to make sure that they are able to read the banner as they pass-by.

    You know what the banner says and your brain may automatically fill in places that may not be completely visible. By conducting this test, you can make sure that everyone will be able to read your banner, regardless of whether they are walking or driving by.

  5. Don't Be Afraid to Change. If your banner is not performing up to expectation, a move may be in order. Try a few different locations at first, to see which one provides the desired effect. Once you have narrowed down your options, you will be able to select the best location for your banner, based on actual customer reaction. This step should be carefully documented to provide you with the most useful data.

    By following these steps, you will be able to get the most out of your banner, both in actual life of the banner and effectiveness in getting your message across.


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