Ask Specs
Contact Us

"*" indicates required fields

Content Collective Archives

What's a misconception clients or partners often have about the work (and what's the truth?)

Change orders are no big deal. The truth is that properly dealing with change orders can be the difference between making a profit or not.
Henry Van De Werken
Owner
Sign Business Solutions

That sales is easy. It isn’t easy, but it is simple. Talk to enough people, say the right things.

Cody Chambers
Vice President | Sales Operations
Havells USA

Clients (particularly first-time signage buyers) often do not realize what goes into making signs, so cost and timelines can often be outside their expectations. Having solid communication to manage expectations and not leave things to be assumed would be a best practice item.

Margaret McAuliffe
Senior Project Manager
Leon’s Signs

There can be misconceptions about the sales position in our industry as manufacturers or vendors. Yes, traveling to cool places and events are a lot of fun, but at the end of the day we are still there for work, not vacation.
Carter Mahlum
Sales Rep
Daktronics

That our work is easy or we’re being paid too much for something that gets completed quickly. The truth is we’re able to get jobs out the door fast because of our experience. We know the right questions to ask and take potential pitfalls into account. It wasn’t always that way, but we’ve learned from our mistakes and fine-tuned our processes. Rob Matthews Director of Production & Installation Matthews Mobile Media

That everything is easy and why don’t have we have signs on the shelf ready to go. Truth is, we are a custom sign shop and everything is built by hand per order.
Adam Ortega
Estimator/Expeditor
Lumineo Signs

It’s just a small sign. Size doesn’t equate to workload in signage. Ashley Baumeister Social Media MBS Sign Supply

What is one thing you with someone had told you earlier?

Using too many colors makes a design look busy. It hides your main message and distracts the eye. You should limit your palette. Pick two main colors and one accent color to create clean branding.

Tiffany Burdynski
Head of Order Processing
Creative Sign Systems

This industry is not for the faint of heart; you need to persevere through tough times and avoid complacency during good times.

Louis DeSantis
Owner
Sign Shop Illuminated

Take risks – Don’t be afraid to try something new, even if you’re unsure what will happen.
Networking is very important throughout your career.

Lindsey Lupino
Senior Project Manager, Team Lead
Cima Network

Don’t be scared to fail.

Brittany Nelson
Design Manager
North American Signs

Accordion item title

Clear, complete communication is the key to almost every operational success.

Wade Neff
Strategic Business Unit Manager
Strategic Factory

What's the strangest on-the-job "field moment" you've ever had?

Early in my career, I was working on an out-of-town installation at a hospital in the Midwest. Because space was limited, the facilities team set us up in a workroom inside the morgue. For the rest of the week, we shared both the service elevators and our workspace with the hospital’s morgue staff and their regular deliveries. It certainly made for an interesting work environment.

Greg Ferko
Sales Manager
Art Display Company

My installation team was completing a sign refresh when they discovered that someone had used Christmas lights inside a sign cabinet to illuminate it.

Kelsy-Ann Wedelstadt
Senior Sign Consultant
Creative Sign Company

One of our installers had to climb over a barbed-wire fence to install a sign in the middle of a pasture, with a herd of bulls nearby. He spent the entire installation with one eye on the hole he was digging and the other on the bulls, hoping none of them decided to take an interest in construction. Thankfully, the sign went in perfectly, the bulls remained unimpressed, and everyone made it back over the fence in one piece. It’s a good reminder that no two days in the sign industry are ever the same.

Matt DiSalvatore
President & COO 
Creative Signs Inc.

The strangest field moment for me was driving around in the middle of the night making sure sign on/off switches were set correctly.

Tommy Allen
Director of Operations
Allen Industries

We once had a general contractor accuse our installers of stealing equipment and tools from a jobsite. Our team would never do something like that, and frankly, the tools we use are much better quality. The contractor demanded to search our truck, and of course found nothing. Later it turned out someone else had taken the tools before we even arrived on site. Needless to say, we never worked with that contractor again.
Preston Pauole
Sales Manager
Signarama-Sandy

When communication breaks down on projects, what's usually the root cause and one habit that fixes it?

The root cause is usually a lack of clarity. Ask the questions, double-check understanding and spend a few extra minutes on the front end to prevent hours of confusion later.

Bethany Tindle

Director of Project Management
Springfield Sign

Breakdowns happen when communication is not organized. After an important call or in-person discussion, someone should follow up with a written summary or list of takeaways so everyone can catch discrepancies early.

Phil Lawrence
Vice President and Co-Owner
Graphic Components

Misalignment between company and customer is often the source of breakdowns. Internal and external kickoff meetings help the PM understand the scope, expectations, communication preferences, timeline and risks.

Sarah Phillips

Director of Project Management
Trademark Signs LLC

Poor communication often starts when everyone assumes the next set of hands will handle a challenge. Do not kick the can down the road. Be proactive about solving problems.

Preston Pauole
Sales Manager
Signarama-Sandy

Information often does not get passed to the people who need it, or details get lost in new email threads. Kickoff calls and project update calls help review information and keep things moving.
Hollie H. Weaver
Program Manager
Elrod Engineering

Breakdowns often come from unclear milestone expectations and a lack of communication when customers, architects or engineers make changes. A regular touch-base meeting, plus asking customers to document changes by email and updated plans, can save time and money.

Sheena Adams
Senior Project Manager
Identiti

Share