The Small Business Show Features The Sign Depot

Talking (Sign) Shop

President/Owner of The Sign Depot, Peter Moir, spent some time talking shop and signs with Linda Ockwell-Jenner and Steve Bentley on The Small Business Show. The premise of The Small Business show is to feature members of the small business community and discuss what has has got them to where they are today. In the episode below you will hear Peter speak about what brought him to the signage industry and he sheds some light on how our sign shop runs day to day and year to year.

Behind The Scenes at The Sign Depot

As you may have noticed, we also gave Linda and Steve a behind the scenes tour of our production facility where we house our showroom, vinyl department and wood-working area. By keeping the majority of our production in-house we are able to control the project from beginning to end. This gives our customers piece of mind. They know they are receiving a top quality sign that has been crafted by our expert sign-makers. The sign that they receive will often exceed their expectations, which creates a long standing business relationship with our company. Finding suppliers that you can trust and rely on are the basis of any successful business to business relationship. It can assist with growing your business and creating a great brand in your industry.

Lessons Learned

Peter mentioned the lessons he has learned after being in business for more than 25 years. We hope by sharing these tips with the Small Business Show that we have inspired other small businesses in some way. Let us know in the comments what you thought of the show or any lessons you have learned from it. For more information about The Sign Depot be sure to visit our CONTACT US page and connect with us by email or our social channels.

Sign Depot Business Client Spotlight – The Bauer Kitchen’s Amandah Wood

Get To Know Amandah Wood

1. Amandah can you tell us about your role at The Bauer Kitchen?

As New Media Culturalist for the Charcoal Group, I manage The Bauer Kitchen’s online community through their Twitter account @thebauerkitchen and their Facebook page. In addition I was brought on to update the overall online presence of TBK, by developing a new website, that functions on every device and represents the TBK brand more effectively. The new site reflects TBK’s upbeat, soho image and allows guests to make reservations, browse food and drink menus and check out upcoming events. I love being able to interact with TBK’s guests online everyday, the restaurant has a vibrant community and loyal regulars which makes my job really rewarding.

2.       What drew you to this role?

I was originally recommended to Jody Palubiski (Managing Partner of the Charcoal Group) and Cindy Perri (Brand Guardian) by a friend on Twitter who had been following the stuff I had been working on during my Bachelor’s degree. I reached out to Jody and Cindy and we discussed how my experience might make me the kind of person they were looking for. I was about to graduate from the New Media program at Ryerson University and was overjoyed at the possibility of working for a group that had been such a huge part of my life growing up in Kitchener-Waterloo region. Time and again the group has proved not only their excellence in service and food but they truly believe in supporting local, and hand crafting every possible element of the dining experience. They also embrace new technology and innovation and try to think outside of the box. I knew I would have no trouble representing a restaurant that aligned so perfectly with things I care so deeply about. This is what really drew me to the role.

3.       The restaurant industry has a lot of competition.  What do you do to make sure that The Bauer Kitchen stands out? 

The short answer to this is that the incredible team at TBK makes it easy. Conrad and his team are consistent when it comes to attention to detail, positivity, and passionate service. Chef Brian leads a culinary team as equally passionate in their craft and supporting the local food community surrounding them.

I believe this is what keeps people coming back.In terms of online I work hard to make sure our online presence reflects that of our restaurant. When someone tweets us, has praise, concern, or simply checks in on Foursquare when they visit, we reach out to them to thank them for coming. It’s also very important that we let the community see the ‘human’ side of the brand, that we are local individuals and real people just like them. Society also loves to share photos of their food and TBK guests are no different. There are hundreds of photos on Instagram from our guests enjoying cocktails, food and time with friends. We share these photos on our website and social feeds because guests enjoy seeing real people’s experiences. I work with two very talented designers who hand craft every design element on the website, our social materials and branding overall. They’re the ones who make everything look fantastic and maintain the TBK brand. TBK walks the walk the brand has so much to say and so much depth in character. It’s really because of the people who build it, and I just do my best to make sure we’re telling those stories.

4.       What do you think are some of the deciding factors that keep customers coming back to The Bauer Kitchen?

Consistency & passion. Business folks bring their clients for meetings because they know they’ll get the same great experience every time. Friends come back because they love the diverse selection of cocktails and the upbeat environment that makes it ideal for socializing. Wine lovers know they’ll always find something they like as our sommelier Jake keeps the extensive wine list ever changing and of course the delicious, delicious food. Together, this team exudes this passion that all of the Charcoal Group restaurants have, and that, is truly magnetic.

5.       How do you attract new clientele to the establishment?

By always thinking two-steps ahead. We use technology to our advantage. the maegan™ platform is a good example of this by introducing new ways for a guest to use the restaurant experience. We are always asking ourselves “what’s next?”.We also love socializing events like Cinq a Sept, that reflect the casual and social nature of The Bauer Kitchen and the community surrounding it. Every Thursday between 5pm to 7pm we encourage people to join us around the bar for drinks and good conversation, we also provide complimentary appetizers that offer a sample of our menu.  Teaming up with other local businesses is such a great way to build connections and introduce us to new markets. For example, using local suppliers like the Bauer Butcher and Caudle’s Catch on our menus, Promotional Elements for parts of our employee’s uniforms and retail program in the Bakery, Sign Depot for signage needs, local contractors for architectural elements, offer in restaurant promotion like our last one with Goliger’s travel, Centre in the Square and Spike Mobile for additional promotions, and supporting local arts and technology (ie. maegan and Communitech) in events. That’s just a few off the top of my head, there’s too many to mention but we are always interested in connections.Mostly we reach out into the community and leverage word of mouth via regular guests and those who have enjoyed their experiences in the past.

Build Your Business With JR Waddell

This month The Sign Depot is featuring a few of our Sign Depot Demo Day attendees that are in the Business Marketing Industry.  When we and issue with our industrial dust collector we called on the assistance of JR Waddell.  He and the team at Hogg Mechanical made recommendations that were best for workshop. We chatted with JR Waddell of Hogg Mechancial about the changes in advertising and marketing over the years.

Get To Know JR Waddell

JR can you tell us the nature of your business/job description at Hogg Mechanical and how you got started?

Hogg Mechanical is a 138 year old full service HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) company spanning the era’s of wood/coal/oil/gas/geothermal/solar. We help residential and commercial properties with all of their heating and cooling needs by providing the perfect comfort level!

My title at Hogg Mechanical is Business Development and Communications which is a somewhat fancy name for sales and marketing. Business to Business sales for commercial buildings and marketing for residential houses. I met Ryan vanDyk (Sales and Operations Manager at Hogg Mechanical) in my previous position at the Greater KW Chamber of Commerce. Hogg was aggressively looking to grow their business and knew that online/social media was becoming a huge presence in the area. They wanted to capitalize on this fast paced emerging trend and we came to a mutually rewarding agreement. With this Hogg Mechanical’s online presence was born.

How much time and effort do you think companies should put towards their marketing/advertising?

We think all industries and companies are different. In our industry our leadership team dedicates approximately 45% of our time to marketing/advertising. The HVAC industry is extremely competitive in Southwestern Ontario and we feel that we are doing an amazing job staying ahead of the game. We allocate approximately 6 to 7% of our budget per year towards marketing and advertising.

How often do you see your efforts turn from leads to sales?

We have about a 60% conversion rate of our leads to sales. We constantly strive to generate the best leads and feel that Quality over Quantity is our competitive advantage.

Working for a company that has been in business for many years, what challenges do you face when it comes to implementing changes?

Our first step is to ensure that everyone on our team is brilliant at the basics. Setting realistic change patterns and taking baby steps towards an end goal. We have had success in accepting that co-workers change at different paces and styles. We approach this in a way that allows everyone to adapt and grow at their own reasonably oriented pace and style.

How do you stand out from others in your field?

We truly let our customers dictate what we offer and how we offer it. We found the old approach of HVAC companies selling what was best for themselves as opposed to what was best for their customers inhibited growth in today’s market. Ex. Our generously priced $45 tune up fulfilled a need in the market for homeowners to have a reasonable way to keep their heating and cooling equipment running safe, efficiently and with having an educated piece of mind about their Air Conditioners, Furnaces, Fireplaces, Pool Heaters etc.

Want to learn more about JR Waddell and Hogg Mechanical? Make sure to RSVP for our Sign Depot Demo Day on June 20th to network with JR and many other fantastic business industry professionals. We will have lots of onsite demos and our expert signmakers will be on hand to let you know how we can enhance your marketing through the use of custom business signs.