By signcraft
Posted on Monday, April 27th, 2026
Ray and Rose Grossi of Midwest Signworks in Morris, IL, have been established in their market for over 40 years. Early in that time, during a downturn in the economy, they took a close look at how they ran their business. The changes they made have been fundamental in making their business a success—and a big part of why they are successful today. Here are the key points of the strategy they’ve used through busy and slow times to keep their business on track and profitable:
Fine-tune your prices. Because it’s often a fine line between what is worth their time and what will chase a customer away, now Ray and Rose quote the price for the job, then negotiate with the customer to remove features if necessary to stay within their budget. Even modest upgrades bump up prices and entice more customers, and that boosts sales.
Call them back today. They make it a point to return every customer contact, whether it’s a phone message or an email, promptly. “When when things are going crazy,” says Ray, “some calls just fell through the cracks. We don’t let that happen anymore. The last thing we want to do is return a potential customer’s call the day after they went somewhere else with their business.”
Take a look at your image. Another step for Midwest Signworks was an updated image. For many new customers, their online presence is the first impression of their shop and what they do. They wanted customers to know that we’re more than just a sign shop. They offer logo design and other related advertising products as well.
Offer related products. Like many sign shops, the Grossis realized they were leaving money on the table by not offering related products and services to their customers. T-shirts, caps, decals, yard signs, business cards and other stationery are just a few of the things a customer needs—along with his or her new sign. And, unlike signs, these items often lead to ongoing sales as customers use them up.
Put the time in. Finally, Ray and Rose decided that they needed to put in more hours at the shop be able to look at their business and to make these changes happen. Reviewing your numbers, looking at what gets results, and making changes in your sales and marketing takes time, and that time can’t come out of the time you need to get the work out the door. While longer hours aren’t fun, it shows in the bottom line.
