Seven tips that will boost your vehicle graphics sales

By signcraft

Posted on Monday, September 11th, 2023

Few businesspeople wake up some morning thinking it’s a good day to spend $1000 getting some great lettering on the company truck. Rather, most customers have only a hazy notion of why their vehicle needs powerful effective graphics.

Usually, behind that notion is their overriding concern: How cheaply can I get this done? Since their understanding of the value of good vehicle graphics is lacking, the price question is often the only thing that IS clear to them.

At this point, the sign maker has two options. They can sell the job as quickly as possible as a basic lettering project that simply identifies the company owning the vehicle, then move on to the next sign project. Or they can shift the emphasis to the tremendous advertising potential of vehicle lettering and try to sell a better-looking, more effective, and more profitable job.

These sales tips can help you take the route that gives the customer more value and the sign maker more profit. And vehicle graphics like those you see here show what that added value looks like on the street.

Get off on the right foot.

Start your dialogue with the customer by finding out if they simply want to identify this truck as belonging to his or her business or if their goal is to actively advertise their business. Identification provides the basic information to viewers; advertising attracts customers and generates sales.

Explain that design and production time determine the cost of the graphics, so the cost of vehicle graphics vary widely. You might mention that basic lettering on a pair of truck doors can cost just a few hundred dollars while a full wrap may cost $5000. Ask directly, “What’s your budget for this project?”

Stay in step with the customer.

Selling is like dancing, in that once you pick up on the customer’s step, you have to stay with them in order to make it through to a sale. If the customer is convinced that they want a conservative, formal design for their vehicle, then get in there and give them the very best design you can. It’s fine to offer options but understand and acknowledge the customer’s preferences.

Compare the cost to other advertising.

Signs are incredibly inexpensive when you compare them to other types of advertising. Find out what other local advertising costs per month —TV or radio spots, bus bench ads, online or print ads in newspapers or magazines, and billboard advertising.

Talk benefits.

None of us buy anything unless we need it or believe it is going to benefit us in some way. The benefits of quality vehicle lettering are many. They can be “rolling billboards.” They are seen by far more viewers than the storefront sign of a business. They last for five or more years. They aren’t restricted by the sign code and no permit is required.

Vehicle lettering provides far more exposure than most people realize. Get a traffic count from the local Department of Transportation office for a few of the main thoroughfares in your area. Those are great numbers to mention to customers during the sales process.

For businesses where their truck is on-site while a service is being performed, it can be an advertising bonanza. The van of the HVAC company, painter or carpet cleaner in a driveway can tell neighbors who to call for those services.

Offer an upgrade.

This is an essential part of every sales effort. Always offer the customer the opportunity to get a better value by spending a little more. Offering an upgrade is a standard part of almost every marketing effort, from the “good, better, best” grades of house paint to basic through deluxe models of automobiles. Marketing studies show that when offered two upgrades beyond the basic version, most buyers choose the middle option.

There are several ways to do this. Many sign people prefer to show two or three versions as quick sketches. Others do it with photos, showing examples of basic truck lettering, then showing a few more effective, more appealing projects.

Remind them of the visual competition.

Truck lettering, like all signs, is seen by a busy viewer, out in the busy world of traffic, buildings, signs, people and other trucks. For the customer’s vehicle to catch their attention for those few seconds needed to deliver the message, it must be attractive and interesting. It takes the skill and effort of the designer to do that.

Practice what you preach.

Your own shop vehicle should demonstrate the advertising value of effective vehicle lettering. The great-looking graphics on your shop truck are a terrific sales tool.

The ability to design and produce appealing, effective vehicle graphics should pay off for you as well as the customer. When the customer moves from a $500 job to a $700 one, you’re adding $200 to your bottom line without having to find another customer and produce another sign.

You’re selling your ability to create a sign that is a better value—even if it takes about the same amount of time and materials to produce. The customer is paying for design skills that have taken you years to develop.

And since your work is your own best form of advertising, producing signs that are more effective and attractive attracts more customers who want that type of work. In our world of generic sign work, it also sets your work apart and gives you something to sell beyond just low price and fast turnaround. It is also more creative and fulfilling, which increases the satisfaction you get out of your work.