“I said…Did you hear what I said?”. Communication is like that sometimes. We sometimes assume we’re on the same page as the person we’re talking to only to experience frustration later. Especially when working with customers, we may think we’re moving forward until we hit a snag. The customer thought we said one thing, when we meant another.

We sell vehicle wraps. Sounds simple since it’s just one thing, right. But just like any marketing communication, there is so much more to consider than just verbal interaction, as if that wasn’t enough to consider. After all, we communicate with our customers in a variety of ways. We see them in person, talk on the phone, text, email and message them in social media.

What is your percentage of responsibility in communication?

When you listen to someone would you say you are 100% responsible for receiving the transmission? You try to be an active listener, take notes, and ask questions if you need to clarify something.

When you speak to someone, how responsible are you as the transmitter of the message?

I love to ask this question when I teach communication at my company. Most people will say they are 100% responsible when listening, but aren’t sure how to answer the question of transmitting.

If you want to be an effective communicator, the answer to both questions is 100%. If actions get off track due to communication we’ll get used to accepting responsibility and this gives us an opportunity to sharpen our communication skills. It’s just as important that we make sure they understand us, and we should take responsibility for them as well.

But right from the start, we realized that we had to address this topic as a potential NIGHTMARE. One of my first jobs was refused because the Forest Green lettering wasn’t the right shade of green. It was perfect on my color chart right next to the words “Forest Green”. But the customer had a different idea of what that meant when he ordered it on the phone. He pointed at a different green and I got to do the whole job again. I’m lucky to have learned this valuable lesson early in the game of business.

I decided to view every form of communication as potential for trouble. Even in areas I hadn’t anticipated. So I started testing everything I could. Nothing is worse than doing a job twice or potentially losing a customer altogether.

Some areas were obvious. Customers need to see what they are getting. We all interact visually to some extent. I need to see a picture of just about any information I’m taking in, otherwise I could be visualizing a different scenario than you are. So, for everything we do, the customer receives a proof, which is a computer rendering of the job we’re doing.

We’ve learned to proof everything. Even if it’s just a few letters on a rectangular object. You may get 10 people that will keep saying, “make it bigger” and the next person will say “I just need the identification numbers”.

So we have learned that we are communicating so much more than a design to produce.

We communicate vinyl color. Try doing that on the phone. “How dark is your green?”, “I just want a medium blue, not dark or light”, “What color would you use for my business?”. The fact is, on the phone, our customers don’t have a color chart. They may have never heard of a PMS chart because up until now, they never needed one.

We communicate marketing priority. Priority is always important. Many times a customer will approach us and give us their logo, phone number, pictures they would like to use. Then… they give us 15 bullet points to add. So we work with them to establish a priority of information, and they often realize it’s best to discard some information. They always pause to think about what one message is more important than another, which is valuable to them in other forms of marketing as well. This is an area where we are qualified to offer suggestions, but ultimately those decisions are made by the customer, or they authorize us to make them for them.

We help our customers communicate with their customer demographic. While designing a wrap, we ask lots of questions that help us to bridge the gap between them and the people they want to sell to. For instance:

Who do you want to talk to with your vehicle graphics?

What do you want the vehicle graphics to say to them?

What do you want them to remember from your graphics?

Where will the vehicle be when they see the message? At a client’s house? On the road? In a parking lot while they are eating out or buying supplies?

What do your other forms of marketing look like? We reference magazine ads, printed materials, web site, etc. Since we are supplying one form of marketing for our clients, we definitely want to see if that harmonizes with whatever else they are doing.

We communicate design. This is difficult at first, because there isn’t anything to refer to yet. We ask if they have already seen something they like or don’t like. We make sure they want a unique design that does NOT conflict with another company in their industry. And we especially will always guide them away from a design that already represents the look of another one of our customers.

We communicate emotion. We get to know our customers and what emotion they wish to invoke when their design is viewed by their prospects and clients.

We communicate ordering details such as quoting, scheduling, fleet pricing, life of the materials, care of the wrap, and lots of other ‘normal’ things.

As you can see from the list above, it isn’t easy for someone to buy a vehicle wrap, especially their first one. As a relatively new product, we find that first time buyers sometimes feel that they don’t know enough about wraps to ask the right questions that would keep them from being taken advantage of. They want to know what to expect since this is a large transaction initially, even though it may be the least expensive marketing tool in their arsenal.

One of the greatest compliments we receive is ” I really enjoyed the buying process. Your people walked me through it with ease, and made it easy for me”.

Of course the best thing to hear is “I love my wrap, and I get new customers all the time because of my investment. Wish I would have done it sooner”.

By anticipating the next nightmare you might be able to avoid it now. When it comes down to it communication will make or break your company, use it well.

John Wiley, President

  Edwards QR code is applied as a second application to allow the ability to change the decals as his marketing messages change from season to season.  This allows us to remove the QR code and apply a new one without damaging the original graphic.

We here at Dream Street Graphics, worked closely with Project 9/11 Indianapolis on wrapping their semi truck and collecting donations for the monument itself. We used our QR code on this truck to help spread the word and collect donations.

What are QR codes?

QR Codes are 2D-barcodes containing text or often the web address of a mobile site.  Free barcode reader applications for most mobile devices can be downloaded and used to decode these bar codes using the device camera.

Codes can include references to video, audio, mobile websites, text message or phone number dialing, calendar appointments, contact information, plain text or more.

QR Codes are an instant vehicle to deliver additional information found in print – instant interactive information for your customers.  No matter what your products or services are, if you want your audience to have a Quick Response (QR) experience to compliment the print message, you need QR Codes.

Because QR Codes are online, this enables you to effectively measure the reaction and engagement with that audience. Have you ever wondered the value of the phone book, or how many leads were generated from a specific print magazine ad? When they scan the QR Code, you’ll know if your advertising dollars were well placed or need to be moved to another publication.

We create the QR code and the information that is specifically tailored to the item or service being promoted, along with considering the environment in which it is delivered.

Understanding the viewer’s environment will drive script more than the actual product or service. If the QR code is to be used in the Sunday newspaper flyers, typically that audience is sitting in their living room enjoying coffee. That display should have emphasis on great audio to provide a multi-sensory experience. If the setting is has a high amount of background noise, a text based video should be developed – providing an effortless informative experience.

A potential client is looking for an interactive experience that you can provide to answer their questions and inform them – ultimately, driving them to a purchase.

Lindsay Davenport began working at Dream Street Graphics in November of 2005 as an administrator. “She started out in an administrative position answering phones and spell checking all of the proofs that went out. Little did we know that she would become my ‘right hand man’.”, says John Wiley, President of Dream Street Graphics. She celebrates her six year anniversary this November. She has been an adaptable survivor when you think about the challenges many small businesses have faced with the huge changes brought about by a recession.

Lindsay graduated from Franklin Central High School in 2001. From there she began working for St. Vincent Hospital on 86th street as a Unit Representative for three years. “That was the best job that I could have began my career with. It taught me to organize, multi-task and how to interact with the family members and was really a basic training course in customer service. I only decided to move on from there because I felt that I could utilize my skills better in a small business environment.”

After some temp jobs Lindsay came across an ad for Dream Street Graphics seeking a great organizer to help create processes and systems while keeping our clients happy. Lindsay was interested in the concept of marketing with vehicle graphics and wanted a challenge. Talk about multi-tasking! She performed the strenuous duties of keeping the work flow moving along smoothly, and so much more. If anyone could learn through osmosis, it’s her. Hungry to learn more, she learned marketing, design, sales, and constantly improved her organizational skills. She didn’t wait for someone to see potential in her, she took the first step.

Lindsay was really the first employee that we hired with a new, multi-stage system. We realized that when customers are looking at proofs, they almost never check basic information, especially text. Customers rightly assume that we should already have this handled. So we devised a test that most experienced Admin’s couldn’t pass. Not only did Lindsay pass our test, but she found a couple of errors that we hadn’t even realized were there. She did so well, we just had to have her.

Working for a small company usually means wearing a couple of hats, so to speak. Lindsay proved invaluable with processes, customer service and even helped with accounting. But she also communicated well with the customers. In our business communication can be a daunting task. We are communicating all the basics plus a whole lot more. We discuss color, priority of information in the design, and our designs have to help our customers get more business. That means we have to understand their customers as well. Try doing that over the phone. Lindsay has always been up to the challenge and realizes that in marketing, you never graduate. You never stop learning and growing. And we don’t want to be guilty of holding her back either

Lindsay realized that the first conversation with our customers was the moment when they would decide whether to use us or a competitor. She behaves like an owner, and really cares about Dream Street Graphics, and our customers. She always tries to see things from an owner’s point of view. This is an invaluable quality. It also earns her the title of “Trusted Advisor”.

In the six years of employment at Dream Street Graphics, she has taught herself Illustrator and Photoshop to become one of the lead designers for the company. She has a unique ability to conceptualize an idea quickly. Customers always love her ideas. She has also been a part of the creative advertising for our company, too. Having this wide set of skills is necessary when it comes to understanding the challenges posed to other Dream Street Graphics employees. She helps trouble-shoot problems and co-create with the other designers. “Who gets the credit doesn’t matter, as long as we’ve done the best we could do as a team” is her motto.

She even took charge of redecorating our office. Lindsay recalls, “I wanted to give the company not only a modern feel when you came in, but an energy of free thinking inspiration so you know right away that we are capable of creating what hasn’t been done yet. We have focused our company on one thing that we do better than anyone else. Everything about our company should reflect that focus.” We couldn’t agree more.

“My favorite thing about working for Dream Street Graphics is that I am never bored. I have my hands in six different jobs for thousands of customers every day and I love it! I just don’t think that I could do just one job for the rest of my life. I need the chaos of always being busy and I love my customers, I have a great work environment. I work. I contribute. I am appreciated!”

Some of my favorite jobs are: Williams Comfort Air, Scooters Aquatics, Plumbing Heating Paramedics, WZPL, and Edwards Dashboard Drive-In.

Inspirational Quote: “You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.” Winston Churchill

This month’s employee spotlight is one of the creative minds behind the design force that keeps Dream Street Graphics running. Born in Jacksonville, Florida, Robert Rini’s family moved to Indianapolis at an early age. He noted that even then he was creatively driven; often producing detailed drawings of everything from his family to the landscape of his yard. Growing up he didn’t get into graphic design right away, even though he was always talented on the computer.

In high school at Arsenal Technical, Rob was very involved in the arts department. He was a staple in the theatre program producing intricate stage designs, in addition to excelling with sculptures and painting in various advanced art classes.

After graduating high school, Rob decided to attend Indiana State University. After a year of general studies (which all freshmen were required to take before choosing a major) he was introduced to their graphic design program and became instantly hooked. He stated that one of the reasons was because ‘the possibilities for what you can visually create are virtually endless”. This statement holds true when viewing his portfolio during his time at Dream Street Graphics.

After graduating from college, Rob always focused on the business aspect of graphic design. His talents were noted immediately after graduation, landing a full-time position shortly there-after. He worked his way up the ladder gaining valuable experience until he found the graphic design opportunity at Dream Street Graphics. No second-interview was needed, and Rob happily accepted the position at the beginning of September 2010 (one year ago).

Rob’s favorite part of working at Dream Street Graphics is that it keeps his creative juices flowing. By nature, Rob is a problem solver and that works to his advantage with how the design process works. Clients typically come in with an idea of what they would like and Rob is a big part of the process that turns their vision into results. In general, he loves helping people out and is only truly satisfied with his work, when the customer is more than satisfied.

In his free time, Rob enjoys spending time with friends and family, a staple in his life. Being a very social person, a stranger isn’t a stranger for long with Rob. He truly is an asset at Dream Street Graphics.

Inspirational quote: “That’s what she said.” – Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Favorite project: Collins’ Farms Diesel Pulling Truck – lots of freedom to design, got to make a loud and sloppy graphic that precisely reflected the nature of the customer’s business