If you only want a place to print a business name on some pens, FastSigns in Lynnwood is probably not for you.
But businesses looking for signs, banners, interactive displays and graphic design will find all of those things as well as other options they might not know about from the company.
When Dan Wilson purchased the FastSigns franchise with his wife Lisa 15 months ago, he didn’t know about all of the graphics options and services that his new company could offer either. He had to start at the beginning.
But the former Gulf Coast exploration manager who later owned his own oil company has been able to apply skills and interests from his earlier career to this new venture.
“On Monday it was oil business and on Tuesday it was franchise,” Wilson joked.
Used to the uncertainty of the oil business which can be up one day and down the next, Wilson did not hesitate to implement changes at FastSigns that he felt would prove beneficial — and he was right.
The biggest change Wilson made to the business was his targeted customer base. FastSigns Lynnwood at 2921 Alderwood Mall Blvd., Suite 104, used to focus on the construction industry.
Every construction site requires a large number of signs, many mandated by law. Contractors usually call for bids on this signage and the lowest bidder gets the job.
“That was a third of our entire business if not more,” Wilson said. “We eliminated that entirely. You can’t maintain profitability by always being the low bidder.”
Instead, he decided to put emphasis on customer service and quality and began to make use of the full range of products that his company can offer. This allowed him to serve a more diverse customer base with a variety of signage and graphics needs.
One of those customers is Sean Barnard, a supervisor at a large maintenance service company in Bellevue. Barnard purchased graphics and installation services from FastSigns for his company’s fleet of industrial trucks located in Bellevue and Lynnwood.
He’s also purchased aluminum signs for his company.
“They have been invaluable with their services,” Barnard said. “They were very flexible with accommodating our schedule to include working weekends and after hours. They even installed graphics on three of our trucks in Anacortes on a weekend.”
Graphic design is a side of the business that Wilson would like to see used more often.
FastSigns is a chain with 575 franchises in nine different countries. The company was founded in Dallas, Texas in 1985.
The company prides itself on being able to help customers create and promote their brand. It takes special skills not only to create these graphics but also to communicate effectively with customers to ensure they are getting the look they desire.
Often customers don’t know what they want, Wilson explained, or they only have a vague idea of what they think would look good.
It’s the job of a graphics designer to draw out what it is the customer really wants and then providing that service or look. It can be a challenging job.
“They may say they want a banner but they don’t really want a banner,” Wilson said. “They want vinyl on their windows. They just think of a banner as something to go along the length of a building.”
The artistic side is even more subjective and harder to communicate. This is why Wilson made a few personnel changes when he took over and why he believes that good communication skills and customer service skills are so important.
Something else he feels is important is staying on top of technology and being able to give his customers the best he has to offer in digital graphics and digital signage. This technology features animation, video and sound to catch a customer’s eye. It’s easily changed and can display multiple messages.
“The future of signage is digital signage,” Wilson said. “If you’re not in it now, you’re not going to be in business five years from now.”
Wilson also likes the digital white boards his company offers. They’re like education white boards where you can write on the board but require no projectors or messy markers.
“You don’t need to have an extreme amount of training to use it,” Wilson said.
Wilson hopes that more businesses will come and look at what’s new and what he can do for them. He already serves a number of companies and corporations, both large and small, from insurance companies to grocery stores. He’d like to see even more retail and aerospace customers come his way.
When asked if he missed the oil industry, Wilson shrugged. He spent half of his life as a geologist in the field but he doesn’t miss the stress. In fact, he finds a lot of satisfaction from FastSigns.
“It’s been a good life change for me,” he concluded.
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