How to Get That Extra Sign Sale

You’ve heard all the standard objections to adding an additional sign to a location. Like “My customers already know where we are”, “I think our current sign is enough” or “I don’t think an additional sign would generate much new business.”

How do you get past those objections? Here is one method that can help – and it involves just a few quick calculations. This is an excellent sales approach for channel letter signs.

First, get one key fact when you make your sales call. What are the current gross revenues of the prospect’s business? Make sure you get that essential piece of information. If your prospect will not provide that number, make your best educated guess.

Then, make a few simple calculations. The University of San Diego’s “Economic Value of On-Premise Signage” study* says the addition of another on-site sign typically results in a 4.75% annual gross revenue increase. Take the prospect’s gross revenue figure and multiply it by .0475.

Take the result of that calculation, and divide it by the sign price – that gives you the number of times in a year the new sign would pay for itself (in gross revenues.) Then take the number of days in a year, and divide it by that number. That gives you the number of days it will take for your proposed sign to pay for itself in increased gross revenues.

Check this brief example:

Your proposed sign price: $3500
Your prospect’s annual gross revenues: $472,786

$472,786 * .0475 = $22,457 = Estimated annual gross revenue increase from adding an additional sign

$22,457/$3500 = 6.42 = the number of times a new sign will pay for itself in one year

365/6.42 = 57 days = the number of days it will take for the new sign to pay for itself (in gross revenues)

So your new sign pays for itself in 57 days. Less than 2 months after your sign is installed, your prospect is money ahead. That information should make this a much easier decision for your prospect. Use this to differentiate your proposal from the other sign companies bidding on this project.

*Contact us for a free copy of the University of San Diego’s excellent “Economic Value of On-Premise Signage” study.