Increasing Connectedness. My special offer for 10/7 thru 10/13/2020.

[Robert Armerding]

As technology has taken a central role in our lives, opportunities for face to face connections are diminishing.

On top of that, attention spans have contracted.

Is the need for conversational skills disappearing? Or, is the need still there?

Consider this: If we learn anything from COVID-19, it’s that real human connection matters. Add in the complexity of many sign projects, people have to talk with people. Yet, it is easy to think that a sign order is just a transaction. It is easy to think that there is no need to become engaged in a real human-to-human interaction. Or, at least there is no need for anything more than a minimal conversation.

What if the key to tomorrow’s successful sign making business comes down to human connectedness? Let’s team up to explore this situation.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

As technology has taken a central role in our lives, opportunities for face to face connections are diminishing.

On top of that, attention spans have contracted.

Is the need for conversational skills disappearing? Or, is the need still there?

Consider this: If we learn anything from COVID-19, it’s that real human connection matters. Add in the complexity of many sign projects, people have to talk with people. Yet, it is easy to think that a sign order is just a transaction. It is easy to think that there is no need to become engaged in a real human-to-human interaction. Or, at least there is no need for anything more than a minimal conversation.

What if the key to tomorrow’s successful sign making business comes down to human connectedness? Let’s team up to explore this situation.

I am trying to teach my kids the importance of human interaction and in todays world, that will become a skill that separates you from others. It always has been important but it will become even more rare and valuable as time goes on IMO. There are many businesses and even people here that are trying to automate the interaction side of things, ordering, checking job status, file submittal etc which is fine but if you allow it to be a substitute for real human interactions altogether then you are leaving the door wide open to lose customers. You have to make business personal so there is some guilt when a person goes somewhere else, no matter the reason.

 

[ikarasu]

Part of me feels like this is just one of those self help scams to get people hooked and feeling better about themselves, so you can make a quick buck.... those "Weirdos" you see on TV That are all about self encouragement / help...and it always turns out that the person was just grifting them.

The other part of me doesn't see what it has to do with signs. In our business...we don't need to make really good connections with people to encourage them to come back, we need to make really good product that puts us ahead of the competitors.

Yes...you can't be a dick, you can't treat your customers like trash, and you need a basic form of communication - but most people on here who have their own shop have that. They know how to run their business and how to be successful.

Then theres others like me, who hate dealing with people. Theres a reason I don't own my own shop...and my own personal stuff is 99% online - people are idiots, and I don't want to put up with their crap. It's not that I can't, or don't know how to... I just dont want to. I'm sure I'm not the onlyone on here like that.

Point is... I think S101 isn't the right base for what you're trying to accomplish. I think you'd have more like on Youtube or a podcast, or something else. I doubt you'll make your merchant fees back, let alone a profit with what you're trying to do here... No offense to you, you could be the best listener, life coach, or whatever it is you have your mind set on.

I think you need to take your own advice and to listen and read the room...

I Hope I'm wrong and you're successful and help many members here. I just feel like you're setting yourself up for dissapointment because this is S101, not business 101... people are here to learn how to make signs and talk about signs, improve their techniques and talk to like minded people.... Your services are better suited for a business101 site, where people want to learn how to run their business better.

I'm not saying to leave S101, or to give up - You want people to reply and tell you what they think...so there it is! You have 40 years in the signmaking business, and I'm sure you have a lot to contribute - If you look at your topics, the ones that get the most views / discussions are the ones about signmaking...such as your who still hand paints one. A topic thats been brought up a million times is probably the one that got the most traction... because people here live and breath signs... Not stuff thats almost/couldbe/definately has nothing to do with signage.

Just my two cents! I read all your threads, and as you always point out theres hundreds who read them, but barely any responses... most people do read them and give them a chance. It's just not a topic most people are interested in (No offence...again, it's not you, it's just not what this website is about)

 

[Gino]

Robert, you made me stop and think about things. What would it be like to be a sign newbie ?? I'd be asking questions out the wazoo and listening and soaking up all I could, as I did over 50 years ago. I'd be watching, hands-on and just eager to try my new found experiences. Listening would be my job...... for learning, not exploring.

Unless I'm wrong, most newbies for some reason already think they know it all. Why else would they have bought a computer, a printer and media...... and THEN ask question on how to use it, where to buy cheap sh!t and how to get more suckers ??

Nope, 'fraid not. I'm not calling you out, but after our many PMs and whatnot, I have found that your listening skills do not exist. You turn every question addressed to you into another silly question of your own. It's almost like that old album..... why is there air ?? There are no good answers. As mentioned, I hope you do well, but your real agenda has not yet surfaced, so until that happens......... good luck.

 

[kcollinsdesign]

Robert, you made me stop and think about things. What would it be like to be a sign newbie ?? I'd be asking questions out the wazoo and listening and soaking up all I could, as I did over 50 years ago. I'd be watching, hands-on and just eager to try my new found experiences. Listening would be my job...... for learning, not exploring.

Unless I'm wrong, most newbies for some reason already think they know it all. Why else would they have bought a computer, a printer and media...... and THEN ask question on how to use it, where to buy cheap sh!t and how to get more suckers ??

Nope, 'fraid not. I'm not calling you out, but after our many PMs and whatnot, I have found that your listening skills do not exist. You turn every question addressed to you into another silly question of your own. It's almost like that old album..... why is there air ?? There are no good answers. As mentioned, I hope you do well, but your real agenda has not yet surfaced, so until that happens......... good luck.

Well I'm calling the guy out! Nothing but a bunch of mumbo-jumbo. When it is not perfectly clear what someone is trying to get across, I just sweep it into the dustbin of failed sales pitches.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

One of the best things about owning your own business is choosing your direction. You don't have to deal with customers that you don't like, you can run off people that you feel are cheap or time wasters, you can fire employees that you don't enjoy working with and you don't have to understand where people are coming from or be empathetic. You don't have to maximize your sales, or drive revenue to the point beyond where you are comfortable if you don't want to grow. That is what is being missed in all of this here. Telling people that they need to learn to listen in order to capture more sales is assuming that everyone wants more sales. I hate when people come into my shop and start telling me all of the other types of work that I could or should be doing or other industries that I should be marketing to. I don't want to.
All of what you (robert) are talking about I am very good at. I was top in outside sales almost every year for each company that I worked at but I hated it. I had no choice but to be brow beat on a daily basis by customers and on cold calls because you don't have the luxury of only selling to the normal people. I took it on the chin when I started this but worked hard and don't have to take the garbage now. I don't have to "listen" to people. I do things my way, it's efficient, consistent, good quality and profitable. If they listen to me and are ok with how we do things then we are a good match. If they want me to listen to how they want things done then it's not going to work. I'm not a dlck about it but I work for myself because this is what I wanted. My employees are content because there are no surprises either, we essentially put out 1 product and have the same expectations across the board. I am not in the traditional sign business which makes it a little different but all in all its really not.