If the sound of a bulldozer sends shivers down your spine, it’s likely you’re a business owner who knows first hand the trials of road construction near your business.
When those ‘Construction Ahead’ signs suddenly sprout in front of your door, there are several ways you can mitigate the damage. The most important step to take, even before the jackhammers hit that blacktop, is to have your sign shop create temporary signage. That will keep your walk-in and drive-by business from hitting a profit-whacking slump.
Your next step is to line up temporary financing to handle the inevitable impact on your business, as walk-in and drive-by traffic will likely suffer a big hit during the road construction.
It’s not that people don’t want to visit your establishment. It’s that construction can make it awfully hard to do so if the local highway department just dug a small version of the Grand Canyon in front of your store. That’s exactly why you need to line up stop-gap financing as soon as you know the ‘movers and shakers’ are preparing to disrupt business operations.
One of the best strategies you can use to reduce the financial impact to your business is to ensure you have a highly visible message that tells your customers you are definitely open.
Putting up a large vinyl banner on the exterior of your building is the first order of business. In fact, you’ll need several banners of various sizes to help direct people to your shop’s entrance. Reward the brave customer on a disrupted sidewalk or street by offering an enticing discount. Then, advertise that hot deal in bold letters on a large banner. Offering a well-publicized discount will encourage customers to brave the mess.
If you have a grassy area visible from the street, plastic corrugated signage can be used to construct a temporary way-finding system. You’ve probably seen a collection of corrugated signage, in which each sign has a word or two in bold letters to direct a customer to your store’s entrance. You’ve seen it and remember it, because it’s an effective temporary way-finding technique.
Once construction is done, have another vinyl banner printed with a big ‘Thank You!’ to those loyal customers who kept your business going through the disruption. When the last highway construction vehicle pulls away, breathe a sigh of relief. You survived the tumult, because stop-gap financing kept the cash flowing. Congratulations!