What’s In A Signature Anywho?

Some of my blog posts are for retailers and some are for consumers. Others are for just about anyone. And some others are for, well, no one except me or not even me. Today, this post is more for business owners in general, but this could really apply to anyone with a business.

Since becoming El Presidente of all the Jaftex Companies, I had to revamp my email signature that is attached to all my email replies. It actually was the perfect timing because somewhere during the Covid situation and working from home so much, my signature kind of disappeared and people were getting the good old:

Regards,

Scott

While I was using the “Regards, Scott” and thinking about what my new signature would say, I started looking at everyone else’s signature more closely. The conclusion that I made was that a lot of people don’t really care about their signature and the importance there of.

With that, I am going to discuss a few specific situations where a signature could prove to be invaluable and why you as a business owner should take the time to include a thoughtful signature on every email.

• The most aggravating signatures were the emails from the many customers that wanted to place an order with me, but just signed their name i.e. Thanks from Kathy. Yes, thanks to you too Kathy for the order! But, we have never met before and I am not a detective. So kathy@gmail.com, please help me by supplying me with all the information that I need to process your order so I don’t have to email you 5 times and drive you nuts. In other words, help me help you by not wasting your time….and mine. Let’s be efficient.

• You are a shop owner in business and of course you want to be spreading the word about your shop all the time to the world. If you think about it, every single email you send out has the potential to bring you more business….it’s almost marketing. Maybe it is marketing. Why not include all your info like your address, phone number, website, Facebook page, etc.? Think of all those people you email. Let’s say your customer has a friend who happens to ask, “What’s that quilt shop you go to again with all the amazing Jaftex Fabrics?” At the click of a few buttons, your friend can share your details because they are readily available on an email she just got from you. Yes, I know that everyone can use google and such, but why not help yourself and make it easy? People don’t want to have to go searching as most of us are naturally lazy lima beans. It doesn’t take you a lot of time and it doesn’t cost you anything to have a detailed signature.

• Perhaps you are using your email to conduct sales for your quilt shop. Don’t you want your customers to have all your info right in front of them in case they have questions? In case they want to call and buy something else? OMG, your signature could lead to a sale! In case your customer has a problem that you can easily fix and maybe you don’t want to have a disappointed customer for an extended period of time? I am being simplistic, but trying to get the point across nonetheless.

• Maybe you have a Youtube page or a Facebook page that you want more people to know about. Throw it on to your signature. It is surprisingly another good way to get noticed and pick up new fans, followers and most importantly, new potential customers. We likey (sic) new customers!

• If you didn’t know already, I am pretty OCD. Every person’s business card I receive is entered into my contact list. The same thing goes if you send me a digital signature. You go right into by contacts and then I can easily find you whenever I want. Then I don’t have to go searching around and wasting time. Just sayin.

• Let’s talk about my signature a little which I have included at the bottom of this post. Not too long ago, I went to a social media conference and someone suggested that you have all your social media handles on your signature. I thought it was a great idea. I also thought it was a great idea to include the link to our exclusive retailer page since so many of my emails are to retailers. Have I gotten more followers from this? I can’t say for sure, but I am putting myself out there and giving myself the opportunity to attain a new member. Every little bit counts.

With that, I highly suggest you take a few moments to update your signature and share your info with the world.

MY SIGNATURE WITH A FEW REDACTED ITEMS (NO OFFENSE!)

Scott Fortunoff
President of all Jaftex Companies
(FreeSpirit, Henry Glass, Studioe, Blank, A.E. Nathan & Fabric Editions)
49 West 37th Street
NY NY 10018
C 917 751 —-
W 212 686 5194 x 218
Facebook Page: @jaftexpresident
Instagram Page: scott_fortunoff
If you are a quilt shop owner, please join the Jaftex Retailer Page:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/retailersgroup