For 30 years my neighborhood garage, Merriman Park Automotive, had been completely hidden from customer view, set back nearly 100 yards from the street. After many invisible years, they decided to construct a major 14'x48' billboard at the entrance in hopes that their awareness would increase. The board had excellent visibility from as far as a half mile away in two directions. After a year of the billboard’s presence (see example above left), I stopped in one day and casually asked if their business had increased as a result of the billboard. In unison, the entire crew exclaimed, “Not at all!”
I suggested that we do something that might attract a bit more attention (see example above right). They were baffled as to what could be more attractive than what they had done but reluctantly agreed to put up my sign anyway.
After a few months I stopped in to see if anything had changed in their business as a result of my idea. They said that “nothing had changed for the past three months.” My heart sank. “But, they continued, last week 8 new customers came in because they said they saw the sign and never knew they were there before.”
Disaster averted.
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