Instant Custom Signs – Drew Brims' Blog

I was struck by a paragraph in Aron Ralston’s book, 127 Hours (Now a Feature Movie!) where he states:  “There’s a mostly unspoken acknowledgement among the voluntarily impoverished dues-payers of our towns that it’s better to be fiscally poor yet rich in experience – living the dream – than to be traditionally wealthy but live separate from one’s passions.  There is an undercurrent of attitude among the high-country proletariat that to buy one’s way back into the experience of resort life is a shameful scarlet letter.  Better to be the penniless local than the affluent visitor.”

Ralston tempers this with:

“(But the locals depend on the visitors to survive, so the implied elitism is less than fair.)”

Which side of this equation are you on?  Supporting the “High Country Proletariat” with your hard-earned vacation pay?  Or are you part of the “High Country Proletariat”?  Whichever side of the equation you inhabit, do you ever wish you were on the other side?

While I am not a mountaineer or even a back-country hiker like Mr. Ralston, I do enjoy the outdoors.  Whether it’s skiing, biking, fishing or running, my happiest times are when I’m out in the elements, (sun, snow, rain – whatever) enjoying the creation we are blessed to have at our doorstep.  And yes, there are times when I wonder if I could give up the suburban life and become a full-time ski instructor, or a running coach. I think we all have a part of our brain that yearns for the other side of the fence.  And there are those who have done it.  I know several people who have followed their dreams and make a decent living out of their passion, whether it’s working outdoors or in music or animal care or human interaction.

Something that has stuck with me since my youth is an opening statement by a Farm Management lecturer at the Farm College I attended in England in the mid 1960’s.  He said, “Whatever type of farming you enjoy doing, be that type of farmer.  If you love dairy, be a dairy farmer.  If you love raising pigs, be a pig farmer.  If crops is your thing, be a crop farmer… and so on.  You will never be happy or make much profit doing something you do not enjoy.” Though I left farming in the early 1970’s, this advice has stuck with me and I have tried to ensure that whatever career path I followed (and there have been many paths), the primary criteria always had to be that I enjoyed doing it.

Do I enjoy what I do at IC Signs? You’d better believe I do!  I couldn’t go to work every day, thinking, “I don’t want to do this any more!”  We have a great staff who are skilled in their jobs, some fabulously loyal customers, a happy work environment and we even make a dollar or two at the end of the day!  What more can a person ask for?  And on the weekends, you will find me playing the high country proletariat role, teaching people to ski, fishing and/or training for the next marathon.  Life is VERY good!

How about you?

I love getting feedback. Here on my blog, you’ll get commentluv. This is  plug-in that allows you to leave a link back to your own site when you leave feedback. But you don’t have to be a blogger to leave a comment. I’d love to hear from everyone.

Until next time,

Drew

Tags: 127 hours, Aron Ralston, Drew Brims, IC Signs, living the dream

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Last year, one of my colleagues was going through a rough family patch and asked for some time to sort things out.  Being the sage that I am, I told this employee that they should take the time they need to heal but to remember,  “It’s not what happens to you that defines who you are, it’s how you deal with what happens to you that shows what you are made of”.  I’m probably paraphrasing here.

The employee took a couple of days off and returned to work refreshed, invigorated and healed.  Two things worked to my advantage.  First, this person was not in the production team so a couple of days off did not interfere with deliveries.  Second, had they been at work, they would have been distracted and not very effective anyway so better to go home, grieve and return when ready to work.

This incident and my words of advice struck a cord with me a little later in the year.  I’d been training very hard for a 3:45 marathon time.  The training schedule involved training 6 days a week and running further distances than I had ever done in training before.  I was confident that I could run a marathon in 3:45, a time that had eluded me to that point.  In the weeks leading up to the race, my legs were sore, I was tired, I just wanted to get this thing done and over with.  The marathon of choice was the Prince Edward County Marathon.  I was ready. Finally, I would achieve my goal of a 3:45 marathon!

On the Saturday before the race, I was awakened at 5:30 am with a violent leg cramp.  The muscle was tighter than a drum and nothing I did would relieve the tension or the pain. I had to accept that I could not run that weekend. All that training had seemingly gone down the drain!  Then I recalled my sage words of advice: ‘It’s not what happens to you…’  I had to suck it up!  I put on a brave face, limped around and we enjoyed the rest of the weekend in Picton, one of Ontario’s prettiest towns.  On Sunday we went to the finish line to watch others cross, cheering them on for the last hundred yards or so.  We cheered so much, we were hoarse by the time we left town.

As it turned out, the race was extremely tough with strong headwinds most of the way.  Most people were at least 10 minutes slower in finishing than they predicted.  I would NOT have achieved a 3:45 in this race.

Two weeks later, recovered from the cramp, I ran the Toronto Marathon and did finish in under 3:45…just.  I had not planned to run this one and my training had peaked two weeks earlier so I was surprised to finish in my goal time.  What had seemed so devastating in Picton turned out to be a blessing in disguise.  I was pleased that I had not let the disappointment in Picton get me down.  But if my own words had not come back to haunt me, I’m not sure my attitude would have been the same.

Funny old life, isn’t it?

How about you? Do you find yourself having to dig deep sometimes? I love getting feedback.  Here on my blog, you’ll get commentluv. That’s a plug in that allows you to leave a link back to your own site when you leave a comment. But you don’t have to be a blogger, I’d love to hear from all of you!

Until next time,

Drew

Tags: determination, distance running, Drew Brims, Instant Custom Signs, perseverance, Toronto Marathon

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Happy Employees Make Great Team Members

The other day, someone asked me what I was most proud of in the time we’ve been operating Instant Custom Signs (which we now call IC signs in an effort to separate ourselves from the “Instant” component.  More about that in another post).  I had to think for about half a second and then replied, “it’s the people who work here and the people who’ve worked here over the years”.  It’s how we’ve seen them progress in their jobs, in their personal lives and in the way they gladly take on more responsibility.  We’ve had some people stay with us a short time and some a long time.

For those familiar with our group, you will know that Brian was my longest-term employee at 15 years.  Brian came in for a short time to get us through a busy period and just never left.  He retired just before Christmas, fifteen years later!   We miss Brian’s dry wit and his vast knowledge of just about everything from planes to boats to cars to natural history.  Brian really is a walking encyclopedia.  And he was never satisfied until the project he was working on was just perfect.  I’d like to think I’ll find that kind of dedication in a person again but I don’t think it will happen.

Then there’s Peter who has been with us at least 10 years.  Peter joined us as a high school summer student and decided to stay.  He is now our Production Supervisor and embraces that role, performing at a level beyond our expectations.  He jumped right in and developed systems to streamline the operations in the assembly studio.  His congenial manner allowed him to smoothly move from assembler to supervisor without ruffling any feathers.  We sent him on a training course for first time supervisors and he came back with increased energy and renewed self-esteem.

Jeff was slugging freight in and out of trailers when he applied for an assembler’s position at ICS.  Having just graduated from college as a computer programmer, he was really looking for something in that field but at the time, there was nothing available.  He was a good worker and a quick learner so we were happy to have him and he was glad to be in our employ until a computer job came along.  We thought he would be gone in 3 months but was over 2-1/2 years before he finally landed a job in that field.  We were happy for his success and celebrated with him but sad to lose such a dedicated and willing worker.

One person who will remain nameless for obvious reasons started having personal problems during his time with us. He was a strong, giant of a man who had carpentry and assembly skills from many years in the sign and construction trades.  Despite his size and rough appearance, he was as gentle as a lamb and I never heard him use foul language.  In fact, one day we were at a job site and some workers for a construction company were using expletives instead of adjectives and he turned to me and commented on their poor language skills.  When his personal life went into a tail-spin, he turned to over-use of alcoholic beverages as a salve for his pain. One day he didn’t show up for work so I contacted one of his friends and we went together to find him.  We found him at home, sleeping off the effects of a long night of drinking. With encouragement from us and some help from a recovering alcoholic that I know, we got him to go to AA.  Some time later, he went back to construction, which pays more money than the sign business and he stayed in touch for some time.  The last I heard, he was doing well, was not drinking and had his life straightened out.

These are just a few of the many people we’ve employed over our 18 years in business.  We’ve appreciated all of them and each has brought a new experience to our lives.  As they moved on to a new chapter in their lives, I like to think we’ve helped them a little bit on their journey.  We treat them as human beings, not employee numbers.  And they have responded by giving an honest day’s work.  I don’t recall anyone who skipped out early or took advantage of us in any way without asking permission.  Was this the hiring process?  Maybe.  Was it because we only hire a certain personality type? I don’t think so.  We’ve had many different personalities over the years and none have disappointed.  I like to think it’s because we treat our employees with respect and honesty.  We let them know what is expected of them and they respond in kind.  I wouldn’t change this even if we had 100 employees.

How about you? Does your business treat their employees well? Do they show respect and honesty? I’d love to get your feedback. Here at IC Signs, you’ll get commentluv. That’s a plug in for bloggers. When you leave your comment, you can leave a link back to your own blog.

Happy signing!

Drew

Tags: Advertising, Drew Brims, ICSigns, Instant Custom Signs, Marketing, relationship, team

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Unsolicited Praise for Porter Airlines

First, let’s get one thing straight.  I am not receiving any kind of compensation for writing this.  I am merely telling you about a great airline.

Porter Airlines operates short-haul flights out of Toronto’s Island airport (officially called Billy Bishop Airport) which for some of us is a better location than Pearson International.  They fly Bombardier turbo-prop planes to destinations like Ottawa, Montreal, Halifax, Boston and Chicago.  I flew to Ottawa several years ago on Porter and was amazed at the level of service, the comfort of the terminal (free coffee, sweet treats, water, pop, juice).  Now the terminal has computer terminals, wi-fi for your laptop, booths to work in and chairs you can sit in without getting a cramp in the nether regions.

Then there’s the planes.  The leather seats have deep cushioning.  A little short on headroom when standing (but that doesn’t matter as most of their flights are less than a couple of hours anyway) but lots of leg-room when sitting which is what matters.  Flight staff are all courteous and efficient in executing their duties, which on a short flight involves a light snack and drinks at the most.

And there’s the price. You would think this is a luxury airline with luxury prices but you would be wrong!  Porter’s prices are consistent with the other guys.  In fact, their prices are a lot lower than major airlines if you have some flexibility in your schedule.

Why do I bring this up?  I was wondering how to ship the family to Boston so they could be with me for the Boston marathon.   I checked the usual airlines and gagged at the prices.  Then I remembered Porter and how great their prices were when I flew to Ottawa for a one-day round trip.  Their price to get the family to Boston was much less than the others and the trip from home to Toronto’s Island airport was less stressful than to Pearson.  Not only that, but by flying on Friday evening rather than Saturday, my tickets were half the price!

The flight was uneventful, luxurious and enjoyable.  Since we arrived at the airport much earlier than necessary (thanks to my wife’s obsession with being everywhere ahead of schedule), the Porter agent was able to put us on an earlier flight. And so we arrived in Boston several hours before we were scheduled.  Nice touch, Porter!

Why am I telling you this?  Not because I think Porter needs more advertising, nor, as I said at the outset, am I gaining anything from writing this.  I’m telling you this because, unlike other airlines around the world, Porter makes money!  They are increasing services to other locations, adding to their fleet of aircraft, increasing staff, building onto the terminal building.  They are doing the exact opposite of their competition.

I’m convinced that Porter’s success is due to their commitment to customer service.  Who would have thought the traveling public would want to ride on aircraft with their legs stretched out, on seats that are deeply cushioned and don’t feel like church pews on the backside.  And how about the waiting room where beverages and snacks are free?   Not just any coffee – there’s cappuccino, herbal teas, items that normally cost more if you had to pay for them.

Unlike the “other” airlines (and I think you know to whom I am referring) Porter offers small luxuries that individually don’t cost a lot but will keep me coming back to fly with them whenever I have to travel to one of their destinations.   I think Porter is a case study that is worth reading.  Great customer service, efficient passenger movements, luxurious seating on the planes and in the lounge, free snacks while you wait all add up to an airline that you look forward to taking.  When was the last time you said that about traveling?

We try to do little extras at our business too.  Things like answering the phone and not letting it go to voice mail.  Like delivering orders on time (who would have thought that was a novel idea?!).  Added services at no charge like artwork services, guidance and assistance in installations when needed.  These things don’t cost a lot but have kept our customers coming back time and again.  To us, it’s standard practice to make the customer “feel like a somebody”.  Shouldn’t all businesses think and act like that?  Porter thinks so and so do we here at ICSigns.

What about you? Do you know of other companies who treat their customers like a somebody? I’d love to get your feedback!

Happy signing,

Drew

Tags: Advertising, Boston Marathon, customer service, Drew Brims, ICSigns, Instant Custom Signs, Marketing, Porter Airlines

1 Comment »

Get Ready….

I read an interesting article in a running magazine the other day by a sports psychologist.  He was talking about how top athletes deal with stress and how they stay calm under pressure.  He compared the athletes’ stories to high performing business people, sales people in particular, and how they deal with pressure.

As it turns out, both groups deal with stress and pressure the same way – preparation.  Athletes prepare through training (physical and mental) plus cross training to keep themselves balanced.  Business people prepare through research and practice.

A man was walking in New York trying to find Carnegie Hall.  “Excuse me,” he asked a stranger walking beside him, “How do I get to Carnegie Hall?”

Came the reply, “Practice! Practice! Practice!”

Yes, an oldie but still current.

Business people who are prepared for a big meeting and practice answers for all possible questions, go into presentations confident and calm.  They would only be under stress if they were unprepared.  No athlete would dream of facing a major challenge without proper training.  They all want a track record of wins, not defeats.  Middle of the pack athletes don’t go to the Olympics.  Only those who consistently win, receive that privilege.  Athletes and business people who consistently practice, train, prepare and research, rise to the top and are sought after as team members and team leaders.

I know I’ve made many comparisons between sports and business in my blogs and I believe the same disciplines apply to both enterprises.  I’ll never be a top athlete – it’s too late for me to achieve anything so grand!  But I can lead my team of sign making staff to heights of accomplishments they didn’t think possible.  I believe that with the right training, the right amount of encouragement, challenges and regular praise and rewards, when justified, will spark them to achieve great things.  Every day I see new things happening in our shop that put a smile on my face.  Today, a customer came in to pay for a job we installed a few days ago. He wanted to shake the hand of the person who installed his sign and thank him for doing such a fine job.  Such praise from a customer meant a lot to the person who did the installation.  This was one more accomplishment for this person who has risen in our company and is taking on more and more responsibility.

Likewise, our sales team is taking on new challenges and achieving great results.  Our production team is creating better and better signs with less waste.   We are all athletes in the world of sign making.  We’ve been practicing, training and achieving.  We are a well-oiled machine!  And it feels GOOD!

How well prepared are you?  I’d love to get your comments.  Here on my blog, you’ll get commentluv.  For any bloggers out there, when you leave a comment, you can leave a link back to your own blog. How great is that?  But, you don’t have to be a blogger to leave a comment, I love hearing from everyone.

Happy Signing,

Drew

Tags: Advertising, Drew Brims, ICSigns, Instant Custom Signs, Marketing, preparation, Signage, Sports, stress, team

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Get More Than You Bargained For… At the Same Price

I was talking to the owner of another sign shop recently and he was telling me how he charges much more for a full-colour, printed banner, than a single colour vinyl-on-banner model.  He was shocked that some sign shops charge the same amount for either process.  I didn’t offer my opinion.  I just smiled as enigmatically as I could.

Yes, the perceived value of a full-colour printed banner is much higher.  It’s more exciting, can be vibrant and eye-catching compared to a plain old one-colour-of-vinyl-on-a-white-background banner.  But the truth is, it costs about the same amount to produce either banner.

I was a bit surprised by this fact but I ran the numbers several times and after taking into consideration the labour cost for processing the vinyl and applying it to the banner, we can produce a full-colour banner for the same price!  That’s why we only have one price for banners whether they be full colour or spot colour.  In fact, if there is more than one colour on a banner, we would print it anyway.

I’ve spoken of the advances of technology before and how they’ve allowed us to offer better products for the same or less.   In fact, looking back over the last 20 years, here at ICSigns, our prices have held quite steady.

What other industry can boast that fact ? !

Ten years ago, we produced most of our signs on computer-cut vinyl, laying one colour down at a time, only deferring to the large format printer if too many colours were involved.   Now the reverse is true.  Over 90% of the signs we produce are printed.  One reason for this is that designers are aware of the capabilities of sign makers who have the right equipment.  They send us files that are choc-full of colour, knowing we can reproduce them with a level of accuracy not possible 10 years ago.

We get excited about the signs we produce.  Just this week we made a huge banner for a customer that we thought was exceptional in design.  A picture of it is here at the top of the post.  It sits on a wall outside his boutique and looks dynamic.  You can’t help but notice this banner if you are in the area. It’s a lifestyle image and the colours are spectacular!  And the cost was very reasonable compared to the alternative of layers of coloured vinyl on a white background.   It’s a far superior product at a very reasonable price!

The full-colour print extends to most other signs we produce as well.  We now have materials that we can use on back-lit signs, POP signs, awnings, even parking signs (ever wish you could have a reserved parking spot for your customers with your logo or a life-style picture on it?  You CAN!). The possibilities are endless and it doesn’t have to cost any more.

I would love to hear about your experiences and  get your comments.  Here on my blog, you’ll get commentluv. That’s great for you bloggers out there. By leaving a comment, you can leave a link back to your own blog. But you don’t have to be a blogger to leave a comment. I’d like to hear from all of you!

Happy signing,

Drew.

Tags: Advertising, Design, Drew Brims, Full Color Banners, ICSigns, Instant Custom Signs, Marketing, pylon signs, Signage, Signs, storefront signs, Vinyl Banner

2 Comments »

At ICSigns, We Take Customer Service Seriously

This will be the last ski-related blog for a while – I promise!

I have just returned from a week’s ski vacation at Big White in BC.  At the end of the last day, I was retrieving our skis from the lock-up but one of our locks refused to release.  I started to feel pressure because a shuttle bus would soon arrive to take us to the airport and if we missed that, we could miss our flight home.  I analyzed the situation and realized that the lock body and outer covering had become misaligned, trapping the bar which held the skis.  No amount of pressure or tapping (or swearing) would convince the lock to release.  My only resource was to go to the front desk and ask for assistance.  The lock was ours but it is the same model that the accommodation loans its guests to lock their skis in the lock-up room.  The man at the front desk assured me they had had the same problem with the locks and he knew how to resolve it.  With screw-driver in hand, he accompanied me to the lock-up and deftly released the lock.  I thanked him profusely and we were able to board our bus on time.

Why am I telling you this?  Not because I was impressed with the service at our accommodations, which I was, but because of what happened later.  Upon arrival home, I decided that the four locks we had were of little value if we could not retrieve our skis at the appropriate time.  So I sought a solution.

Ski Key (the name of the lock system) is a product that is used Canada-wide.  I wondered if the company had a solution to my problem.  On Sunday, I went to the internet and searched them out.  Their website has a ‘Contact’ button which I clicked on and sent a short note expressing my concerns and asking if there was any warranty for locks that were several years old.  To my surprise, later that day (Sunday!) I received an email from the president telling me that yes, he does warrant his products and if I was to take the locks to any ski shop, they would replace them with new ones.  And if they had any questions about the exchange, they should call him directly (he gave his phone number).  He informed me that some of the locks from a manufacturer had this problem but he has since changed manufacturers and the problem has been resolved.

This is the point of my blog this week.  Taking ownership for our mistakes and resolving the problem without question so that the client becomes a champion of your product rather than a detractor.  Here is someone who is passionate about the product he sells and stands behind it despite the fact he will have to replace probably thousands of locks.  He has decided that the reputation of his company is worth more than the cost of a large batch of locks.  I admire that and I also know how that feels.

Several years ago, we too had a product failure with a batch of large printed signs that were sent to Montreal and environs.  The laminate detached from the print, obviously an adhering problem.  These were no ordinary signs but a large and complex system suspended from the ceiling.  As soon as I was informed of the problem, I flew to Montreal and inspected all the locations where the signs had been installed.  I decided that all had to be replaced and even though it was not us that had installed them (the customer’s contractor had done that) we would go on site, take down the old signs and re-install the new ones.  We did that as soon as the new signs were printed, using a different batch of laminate that the manufacturer assured us would not come apart.  This was an expensive venture for us but the customer appreciated that we stood behind our product and we resolved the problem without any disruption to their operations.  Happily, the new product proved successful and we sold many more to the customer.

Yes, here at ICSigns, we stand behind everything we sell, even if that stance costs us time, material and money.  We will not compromise on quality or customer satisfaction.  To me, that is more important than anything.

How about you? Have you experienced these kinds of inconsistent results with your suppliers? I would love to get your comments. Here on my blog, you’ll get commentluv. That’s great for you bloggers out there. By leaving a comment, you can leave a link back to your own blog. But you don’t have to be a blogger to leave a comment. I’d like to hear from all of you!

Happy signing,

Drew.

Tags: Advertising, customer service, Drew Brims, ICSigns, Instant Custom Signs, Marketing, ownership, relationship, Signage, Signs, Ski Key, skiing

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I am convinced that sustained success cannot be achieved in the absence  of consistency.  Consistency is one of the cornerstones to success in any enterprise be it business, or sport.

I was reminded of the importance of consistency while taking a ski lesson during our March Break vacation in BC. Mike, our instructor (a level 4 which is the highest ranking attainable) was speaking and demonstrating consistency in executing the three phases of a turn.  Without consistency in all three phases, we can never become good or great skiers.  I won’t belabor the details of the three phases but you skiers out there should know what they are (if you don’t, take a lesson and learn them).

While riding up the chair lift with Mike, we were chatting about life, where we come from and what we do in the off-season.  As it turns out, Mike has a landscaping business in the Peterborough, Ontario area.  He is the third generation to be involved in this business – now there’s consistency!  Bill asked what my line of work was and when I told him we make signs, he related his experience with his local sign shop.  Until recently, he had been very happy with the quality of work from his sign supplier and they had been doing business for many years.  However, something changed in that organization last year and the quality of a job delivered was not what they were accustomed to – inconsistency.  I didn’t get all the details but his issues were unresolved and now he will be taking his sign business elsewhere.  If Bill is experiencing this inconsistency, then the other customers at the sign shop will also be experiencing it. A steady decline in clientele can be expected.

Consistency in the face of adversity is also important. Managing staff issues or equipment failures sometimes requires us to adapt to ensure that the end result is a positive experience for our clients.  Sometimes that means using alternate methods to achieve the same result.  I began writing this on a piece of paper because my laptop crashed while on vacation and there was no-one there in the mountains, an hour outside Kelowna, to fix it.  Rather than wait until returning home and getting the laptop fixed, I hand wrote this, transferring it to a digital file later because it’s important that I be consistent in publishing my content.

One of our clients recently sent an accolade to us in response to a job we had done.  He said it was great that we consistently delivered what we said we would, when we said we would. Accolades to us are unsolicited remarks from customers which we read out at our weekly Production Meetings.  They are the first items on the agenda and the entire team is present.  For us to be consistent, I feel it is important for the entire team to be on board and to hear how our customers feel about our work.

Consistency is something we strive to achieve all the time at Instant Custom Signs and I know the results speak for themselves.  We could not have retained repeat customers for 10, 12  and 15 years if not for consistency.

How about you? Have you experienced these kinds of inconsistent results with your suppliers? I would love to get your comments.  Here on my blog, you’ll get commentluv.  That’s great for you bloggers out there. By leaving a comment, you can leave a link back to your own blog.   But you don’t have to be a blogger to leave a comment. I’d like to hear from all of you!

Happy signing,

Drew.

Tags: Commitment, consistency, Drew Brims, ICSigns, Instant Custom Signs, Marketing, relationship, Signage, Signs

2 Comments »

Congratulations to all Canadian Athletes at the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games!

You may think I’m jumping on a band-wagon here and maybe I am but I think it’s worth adding my voice to the growing chorus promoting the virtues of our Canadian athletes at the Winter Games.  I was extremely impressed with the way our athletes performed and when they won medals, gave credit to the many people who helped them along the way.  Alexandre Bilodeau, the classic example of Canadian humility, when congratulated about being the first Canadian athlete to win a gold medal on home turf, pointed to his brother as his inspiration and spoke of the many more medals his team-mates would win. As thrilled as he was to win a gold, it was just another day at the office and he didn’t want all the credit for just laying down the greatest on-snow performance in the world.

Others, Like Clara Hughes, delighted to win a bronze medal in her last Olympic event.  (She wasn’t disappointed it wasn’t a silver or gold!)

Scott Moir kidding Tessa Virtue that they had won silver when in fact they won gold.  (The fact that Tessa doesn’t even look at the placing says much about her character – she just goes out and does the best performance she can.)  There are so many more moments from the last two weeks that will resonate with me for some time to come.

Yes, the hockey game against the US was a thriller of major proportions and the script could have been written in Hollywood – Sid the Kid gets the winning goal in overtime after Canada gave up the tying goal with 24 seconds to go in regulation time.  But let’s be real here.  These are all professional athletes who make big salaries playing for teams owned by large corporations.  As important as the victory was to our national pride, it really was just an all-star game. The players all went back to their high paying jobs on Monday morning.

The real heroes in all this are the athletes who worked two jobs and sacrificed careers to compete for their country.  Through the “Own The Podium” program, the Canadian government coughed up some decent coin so that athletes could concentrate on their discipline and hire the coaches and support staff they need to perform at world-class levels.  That was an excellent investment in the future and the results speak for themselves as Canada was first in gold medals and third over all.

How many young people will be inspired to try out for sports they might have ignored before these games?  It’s about time we inspired young people to get off the couch, move away from computer games and encouraged them to get outside and enjoy every opportunity this great county of ours has to offer.  And these Olympic games have provided them with wonderful role-models.  Articulate, humble, skilled at their craft and generous with their time to speak to the media.

Congratulations to all the athletes, to all the organizers, the volunteers, the B.C. and Canadian government, and anyone who was involved in these games.  It was a great show, an exciting two weeks of euphoria for Canadian sports fans.  Let’s keep the ball rolling through the London Olympics in 2012 and Sochi in 2014.  Let’s stay focused on the goal.  Support our athletes so that they can again stand proud but humble on the podium.

What did you think of the Olympics. I’d love to get your feedback!

Cheers,

Drew.

Tags: 2010 Winter Olympics, Alexandre Bilodeau, Canadian Athletes, Drew Brims, ICSigns, Instant Custom Signs, Olympics, Sports, Vancouver Olympics

1 Comment »

AT ICSigns, You Get More Than You Bargained For

As Mick Jagger sang….  ♫ ♪  You can’t always get what you want. But if you try sometimes, you just might find, You get what you need! ♪ ♫

OK, so maybe I don’t need those extra pounds! But, I love it when I get more than I bargained for in a deal.  It doesn’t matter what it is or how small the extra. It could be that extra large scoop of ice cream or getting your windshield cleaned at a full-serve gas station (when was the last time that happened?).  We all love to get those little extras and I know it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg to provide it.  Many businesses these days tend to concentrate so much on the bottom line that they lose sight of customer service.

Airlines are one industry that has lost sight of customer service.  It wasn’t enough that they used to lose our bags regularly.  Now we have to pay extra for checking bags, or even taking bags on the plane.   Snacks used to be supplied – not any more.  I used to get two hot meals on my flights to England (dinner and breakfast) but now it’s just dinner.  Breakfast is a stodgy ham roll and a fat-laden muffin. That does nothing for your constitution after sitting in a cramped position for 8 hours!

Okay, I’m getting into a rant here and that was not my intent.  I’d like to talk about one positive experience I’ve had recently and how I feel about the organization.

My 15 year-old daughter wanted to take her level 1 ski instructor course just before Christmas.  It was 4 days on the slopes and I thought it was a great idea.  Moreover, I thought I would also apply since I had thought about doing this for some time and because it would be me that had to drive her to the ski resort anyway, so why not?  We took the course and both passed.  My skiing has improved for the experience and I enjoyed the course immensely.  That was what I expected and I felt good about it.  The bonus came afterwards, at our ski club where we offered our services as instructors.  Unbeknownst to me, as part of the deal, the Director of Snow Sports and his supervisors put on a ski training session for instructors at the end of each ski day.  The Director is a level 4 ski instructor who can analyze a person’s skiing minutely and give amazing feedback on how to improve. Who wouldn’t appreciate that extra guidance? For me, this was a huge bonus.  Instruction by a Level 4 ski instructor is expensive and the best instruction money can buy.

How do I feel about this organization?  Great!  Will I continue to be an instructor there?  Absolutely!

What do we do at ICSigns that offers a bonus to our customers?  Well, for one, we’ve never charged extra for a rush job.  We pride ourselves in being able to shuffle our production schedule to accommodate emergency orders.

And we give other extras.  Recently, we made repairs to a sign frame for a customer without charging for it. The sign was in our shop for a new acrylic face and graphics and the repairs ensured the sign would give many years service.  The customer appreciated that.  Likewise, some customers need us to deliver product to them.  We do so willingly because we know that by doing so, we are cementing our relationship with the customer.  It may cost us a little to give these extras but what it does for us in customer relations is priceless!

Have you forgotten what it’s like to be treated to great customer service?  Or perhaps you are trying to find a business that believes in good, old-fashioned care for the client.  If so and you need great signs, please put us to the test.

In the meantime, tell me about your last great experience with customer service. I love to hear from all my readers.

Happy Signing,

Drew.

Tags: Advertising, customer service, Drew Brims, ICSigns, Instant Custom Signs, Marketing, relationship, Signs

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