There’s Another Process Besides the Sales & Buyer Processes

I call it the “Here’s what happens next” process and it includes what you will do, when you will do it, and what the customer should expect. It is used both during the sale and after the sale.

The easiest way to illustrate this is to give you a real life example. I spent the bulk of my latter career in the electric sign industry. After having been a selling partner in one company and the N.W. Division Sales Manager for another large sign company, I elected to spend my final years as a commission only salesperson.

In a sales position, while I only worked with one local company, I did so as an independent contractor. No salary, no benefits, I operated on my own and out of my house. I probably had more fun doing this than at any other time of my 45 plus years of B2B sales and management.

The electric sign industry is custom manufacturing combined with multiple levels of approvals including municipal permits. It often entails coordinating with a variety of other trades ranging from architects and engineers to general and specialty contractors.

While I had always recognized that very few of my clients understood this process, I had never formalized it and put it into writing. When I did both, the results were amazing. Here is what it looked like …

The Process of Investing in a Permanent On-Premise Sign

First Meeting:

The account executive meets with the client to determine wants, needs, and desires. This information would include sign type, colors/styles preferred, and what is the available budget.
If possible, a determination is made if the landlord (if applicable) has established a sign criteria or master sign program for tenants and what that may entail. Otherwise, follow-up is made to the landlord to ascertain answers to these questions.
Applicable measurements and digital photos are taken of the building, property, and specific sign placement areas. Adjacent signs and property uses are noted as are access areas and potential hazards in sign placement area.

Research Phase (typically less than 1 week):

If not already done, verify property zoning and the existence of any landlord sign criteria or municipality-approved master sign program. This may also include verifying any previous sign variance that may have been granted for the property.
Determine what municipality governs the property in question and if there may be any overlay districts such as CCDC, Historical, Convention Center, etc.
Research applicable sign allowances for property based on zoning, agencies, and landlord requirements. This will include maximum heights, square footage, type of sign allowed, and methods of approved illumination.
Determine approx. time frame needed for permitting whether or not any kind of sign variance or establishment of a master sign program will be needed and the time necessary to accomplish those tasks. And, the likelihood of a favorable outcome.
Particularly on new construction, meet with architects to determine the suitability of sign placement and available access for installation and servicing.

Design Phase (typically 1-2 weeks total):

Prepare design requests for submission to the Art Director. This includes photos and measurements of applicable areas of the building and/or property and building colors. Convey to the Art Director client desires in terms of the type of sign(s), colors, styles, and available budget. Identifies maximum sign allowances in terms of height, square footage, setbacks, etc. as have been established by government agencies and landlords.
The Art Department prepares specified color drawings depicting the proposed signs for pre-review by the salesperson and, in some cases, by the client.
The proposed signage package is sent to estimating for pricing and document preparation.

Presentation and Evaluation Phase (typically 1 week):

Account executive prepares documents and presentation materials.
Designs and colors are verified with the client to be representative of their desired sign vision.
Any needed design modifications or revisions are discussed in which case the project is returned to the design phase.
Investment costs and financing options are discussed.
The client places orders and approves final drawings and tender deposits.

Permitting Phase (typically 2 weeks for a standard permit but up to 3 months or more depending on variance or city):

Permits are applied for and secured. This may include any or all of the following: sign permit, electrical permit, zoning certificate, building permit, erosion permit, review and approval by the landlord, overlay districts such as historical, CCDC, convention, etc. In some municipalities, stamped engineered drawings may be required.
Variances and planned sign programs may require multiple meetings with government agency staff and multiple public hearings. In some cases, neighborhood meetings and notifications are also required.

Manufacturing and Installation Phase (4-6 weeks):

Prepare shop drawings and verify colors and materials.
Order necessary materials and any specialty products needed to complete the job.
Identify target dates for completion and resources necessary to accomplish that goal.
Coordinate with dig line if necessary and secure any required installation permits such as right of way, parking, and traffic control.
Coordinate with subcontractors such as masons, electricians, excavators, and general contractors.
Install sign(s) and verify client satisfaction.

THE TOTAL APPROXIMATE MINIMUM TIME TO COMPLETE THE PROJECT = 90 DAYS DEPENDING ON PERMIT TYPE/MUNICIPALITY & PROJECT COMPLEXITY

Not only would I review this with the customer, step by step during our first meeting, I left them a copy of the same. Here are a few of the benefits …

Customer education
Setting realistic expectations
The customer understands their roles in ensuring a timely installation
Demonstrating that I am capable of following through
Showing how hard I will work for you
Satisfied customers
I differentiated myself from my competition

Armed with this document, and having reviewed it with my clients, I was able to manage and agree on expectations vs. those being arbitrarily set for me by the client. Even worse, the client, not knowing any better, would often have expectations that they might never share with me. For example, while the average sign project might take 90 days, they were thinking two weeks.

Finally, this entire process demonstrated my commitment to customer education which was a key component of my personal selling style. Your thoughts?

Please be sure to check out these top 100 sales blogs on Feedspot. I am honored to be one of them!

Are you thinking about a CRM? If you would like to explore whether or not Nimble CRM might be right for you, please book a free 30-minute Zoom consultation with me by going to my calendar. To learn more about our Nimble training and implementation services, please visit our Nimble CRM training services page.

In addition to Nimble CRM, I also offer sales training and training on LinkedIn as well as getting started with AI (Artificial Intelligence). I can even assist with hiring new salespeople with initial interviews and pre-hire DISC personality assessments.

I would also be happy to connect you to managed I.T. and telephony services or to a marketing professional who I know and trust or to an automated yet personalized and human-to-human LinkedIn prospecting system. Please reach out to me at craig@adaptive-business.com for an introduction!

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Craig M. Jamieson

Managing Member at Adaptive Business Services

Craig M. Jamieson is a lifelong B2B salesperson, manager, owner, and a networking enthusiast. Adaptive Business Services provides solutions related to the sales professional. We are a Nimble CRM Solution Partner. Craig also conducts training and workshops primarily in social selling and communication skills. Craig is also the author of "The Small Business' Guide to Social CRM", now available on Amazon!