Good Morning
Last Sunday my wife and I stopped by a Subway to pick up sandwiches for a late dinner. It was almost dark and we were able to see their lighted sign from a distance so we could turn in the correct parking lot. We weren’t sure they were still open but saw the lights were still on and the open sign (we had tried another Subway, but they closed early on Sundays). As we walked in I noticed the other stores on the strip were all dark and none had their signs lit, maybe it was still too early for them to come on. When we left, it was dark out and still the signs were not lit. As we left we had to turn with the traffic, because traffic was too heavy to cross it.As we drove home (my wife was driving) I noticed how many businesses’ signs were not lit. I also noted how many were on.
Years ago I was a manager for MotoPhoto, a retail one-hour photo finisher that also sold frames, film and photo accessories. We shared the building with a beer bar and was in front of a super market and located on a very busy street in Dallas. I think we closed at either 6 or 7 pm nightly.
When I took over and saw how active the area around my store was at night, I made sure that the lights on my signs were working and that the timer was set properly. In the winter I made sure they went on around 5 pm and turned off about midnight when the bar next door closed. We also had one light that was always on so you could see into the store.
Because of the lighted signs we were able to pick up some new customers who told us that they never knew that there was a one hour photo lab in the area. They were taking their film to the super market behind us or the drug store down the street, which took a week to get back.
If you have a retail store and are wondering whether to spend the extra dollars to keep your sign on past opening hours, let me ask you this: How much in lifetime value dollars is a new customer worth to you?
Till next time,
Great Things Happen, But You Have To Take Action NOW!
Philip Freedman
Your Doctor of Customer Acquisition, Retention and Enhancement
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