Couple weeks ago, many of your favorite peeps from Georgia Printco made the quick trek down to Orlando, Florida for two important sign shows… The ISA (International Sign Association)  show and the Sign World show. Quite convenient how they worked out on the same weekend because it gave our CSR’s double exposure to the industry… both on a customer level as well as a vendor level. This overlap gives us in the wholesale sector a feel on how the inustry is doing on a level above, below, and within our market. I personally did not attend this one, someone had to help hold down the fort, but the message they returned with is a very good one.

Now, I will be the first to say that I am sick up to my eyeballs with the recession… yes, we all have felt its impact and we are all hoping for a 2010 that will blow the socks off of 2009, but how do we stay positive as we slowly regain our stature with the ups and downs of the still unstable market? This is where the message brought back from the show comes into play… “Fake It Till You Make It.”   Ok, I admit its not a new concept, but its a good one.  Perception is powerful and I mean even personal perception…. if you look at  the glass as half empty, then that thought process and overall emotion will effect you and your daily functions as well as everyone around you.  How can you motivate a sales team or production team if the department  isn’t pumped?  You have your team use tools to boost activity and potential business connections.   Being able to effectively “fake it” isn’t at all fake… Allow me to explain -  Yes, the concept of “faking it till you make it” sounds a little “grey” but it is giving yourself  and your sales team the ability to turn a little down time into productive time. In order to “fake it” you have to have a market audience so that they will turn around and help you “make-it” when your hard work starts to pay off.  Here’s a two good ideas to get you started….

Network! – This is where your sales team applies the “fake it” attitude around your customer base. As an example, if things are a little slow this week, use this time as a chance to show off your work. Social Media is FREE! – Have your sales staff post photos of jobs that you have completed to showcase your work… you might not be busy at the moment, but you sure have plenty of work to show. Not to mention the extra PR will only improve your chances of being noticed and remembered.

Contact Referrals – So your sales team have aquired contacts through other customers or you have a few business cards stashed away from the last networking social… TIME TO PULL EM OUT! Take a moment to give one of these referrals a call… no, you might not make  a cold-call sale, but you reached out and made a connection. Connections grow, so the more connections you make the stronger and wider your web can grow. Eventually this WILL pay off and this is a great way to create positive habits… if your sales team gets accustomed to making those follow-up referral calls, they will probably stick to it once your business has picked back up.

Every shop is a little different, but the overall goal is the same in 2010… Stay afloat and maybe even grow a little. You can’t fake everything, but until you make it, there’s no harm in trying something new to keep the morale up and business moving forward.