Your Signature is Your Lasting Imprint
Volume 12, Number 17
Issue 565
Just as a person’s signature on a document will last forever (or as long as the physical document may be preserved), the “signature” of a business’ impact on its community can last forever. “Forever” is a long time and my choice of this word could be debatable, but, for the moment, let’s just agree that “signatures” last a very long time. The best signatures are
memorable. Think about John Hancock’s on the Declaration of Independence. Think about the beautiful woman’s flowing signature. Think about the commanding signature of an attorney on a legal document. Think about the fact that people generally desire to write a bold signature on an important document. People think about their signature when placing it on an important document, as well they should.
I love looking at beautiful signatures. I think that sloppy ones are often the sign of something not thought about. A beautiful signature stands out--an average one doesn’t. A great signature says something important and wonderful about the writer.
Successful businesses know that they must place a unique and lasting impact on the community and target market that they serve. Much like the way in which every person has a unique signature, every business does, too. I know some people who have sloppy and horribly-written signatures. I’ve often subtly thought that people that sign messy signatures freely give the impression to strangers that they simply don’t care about what kind of impact that they leave. Are businesses like this, too?
If a business leaves its “signature” on the community that it serves in terms of its reputation and commitment to and delivery of a superior product generated by employees and owners that care, shouldn’t that “signature” be one that is memorable and lasting by means of its careful and memorable delivery?
We all know people whose personal signatures are sloppy and messy. We know businesses that are like that, too. Does this mean that if a business doesn’t take the time, effort and careful attention to leave a memorable, “pretty,” and artistic signature (exactly like a person that takes great care and effort with their personal signature), that they don’t care about how people look at their imprint on the community? I think that it does.
Businesses that don’t care about how their imprint--both the personal and the professional one--is left on their target market simply don’t get it. Businesses that do take the time, effort and attention to carefully and meticulously “write” their imprint on our community (their target market) are the successful ones.
Imprints of businesses are most visibly represented by the ethics that are conducted by the company in their day-to-day service to their customers. Is the product stood behind? Are apologies given when errors happen? Is the service rendered logically and carefully? Is the product or service rendered with passion and enthusiasm towards solutions-oriented assistance delivered immediately and with results?
I think that I, as a consumer, enjoy spending my money with companies that leave a “pretty” signature on the transaction. I like eating at restaurants and shopping at stores that are meticulous about making my viewing of their signature pleasing. They know that it is more fun for a consumer to look at a “pretty” and well-thought-out signature much more than a bland, mundane and quickly-slapped jumble of lines and letters.
Businesses that take the time to make sure that they leave a beautifully formed, cursive and exciting signature on our community get it. Those that slap their product down for consumers don’t.
Price is rarely the sole determining factor in the marketplace. Though, important, price is usually one of the last things that educated consumers who are most likely to be contained in a target market worry about. The best customers know that passion and enthusiasm towards making the transaction memorable (in a great way, of course) is the sign of a business that enjoys serving-up its beautiful, cursive and well-placed and formed signature for public view.
David B. Robinson, CPA
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