Sign, Sign, everywhere a sign
I spent last week vacationing in the Toronto area. I am always amazed at the overwhelming number of signs and marketing messages everywhere I go.
I did see an interesting one though. The City of Toronto sells advertising space on the grass hill on the north side of the Gardiner Expressway. It’s a good spot, traffic moves quite slowly past there most times of the day.
Blue Jays Sponsors
We spent an evening at the Rogers Centre at a Blue Jays game. Wow, they have a lot of sponsors and advertisers. We sat in the TD Comfort Zone, looked out at the WestJet flight deck and watched the Home Hardware clean up crew between innings. They really know how to give their major sponsors bang for their buck.
Where to Eat
At our office on Union Street, we have one restaurant within a one minute walk of our office. While on vacation, my wife and I were at a window table at a coffee shop on Dundas Avenue watching the sea of humanity flow by. We noticed that the block across the street had ten restaurants. None of them were chains, all independents. I know the population base is huge in downtown Toronto, but does anyone eat at home?
It Pays to Play Nice
A colleague was getting pricing on some home renovations. One of the reps that visited their home spent most of the time bashing their competitors. Potential customers don’t buy into a negative sales pitch. Talk about the positive things you have to offer, and the benefits of working with you. Don’t be negative about competitors.