I had an interesting phone call the other day, a gentleman on the phone asked “Why should I go with Amcoe Sign in Fremont”? Our name was given to him by the property management company of the business park he was moving into. He said there are many sign companies in the Silicon Valley, why you? That got me thinking, for a startup business who has never purchased signage before, how would they know a good sign company from a great one? So I have made a list of what to look for in a quality sign shop.
1. Greater signage knowledge – Many issues in the field can be fixed by knowledge. Years of installing signs give the upper hand to sign companies with years of experience.
2. Accessibility – When you call the sign company, do you get a live person? or voicemail? This becomes relevant when things go wrong.
3. Better installation materials – People don’t realize the difference between cheap hardware and quality stuff, but we do. We learned the hard way over the years that installing with cheap hardware only makes more problems. Do it right the first time.
4. Faster service – When your sign breaks, it ruins your brand, get it fixed asap.
5. Constructive counsel on sign types, configuration and placement – When designing a sign, a quality sign company can give you options to construct signage at a reasonable cost or kick it up a notch for a more costly elegant facade. But sometimes the most expensive signs are the most minimal. It all depends on the design of the construction.
6. Reliability & Longevity – THIS is the number one thing on my list, unfortunately, many, many, sign companies come into business and go out of business 2, 3 or 4 years later. It’s a tough market. Everyone thinks you just click a big red button that say’s “Make Sign” and it magically appears. Running a sign company is a high risk business and very complicated. Look for sign companies that have been around for a while and have a good sign portfolio with many projects under their belt. Signage needs to be maintained and serviced, you want a quality company around for years to come to continue to make you look good.