HOTELS

Bart Berkey

Spinning Signs & Site Inspections
August 18, 2008

Have you ever been driving down the street and noticed someone trying to catch your attention by wildly throwing around a sign above their head and around their body? When I was traveling back from vacation, I noticed one very talented young man on a street corner near a new housing development that was very good at the art of "spinning signs." I did some research on the idea of "human directionals" and uncovered some interesting information.

"Wade Swormstedt, editor of Signs of the Times, a trade magazine for the sign industry in Cincinnati, Ohio, explains that this is a variation of a technique long used in advertising. "Motion attracts attention," says Swormstedt, "which is why you will see chasing neon lights, signs that actually rotate, full-wrap transit vehicles and trucks whose only purpose is to carry ads."

This gentleman that I viewed was so good at spinning, in fact, that he never slowed to allow anyone to read his message.  He simply wanted to perform regardless of the intention of the advertiser. From these still photos, can you tell me what the message is? 

Do we do this? When I worked for a convention and visitor's bureau, I toured many properties in the new city I was representing. On one very important site inspection, the hotel was told the details of a particular VIP group. This association was bringing retired military personnel to the city for their annual conference. The average age was over 80, and many of them had physical mobility challenges. The sales manager insisted on showing us their brand new racquetball court and then described every detail from the type of wood used on the floor to the thickness of the glass wall for over 20 minutes. The client was limited on time to begin with and never had a chance to view the most important part of the hotel (the ballroom) and thus chose another property. 

The sales person was so focused on "performing" and showing knowledge that the needs of the customer were totally ignored.  Ask your sales team at your next meeting, "What are you doing to be noticed and to fulfill the needs of your customers?"  Motion may attract attention, but may not attract business.

Posted by Bart Berkey on August 18, 2008 | Comments (2)