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More than Survivors
As Katrina barreled down on the Gulf Coast late last summer, businesses battened down the hatches. Unfortunately, many would not survive the onslaught.
Crystal Clear Imaging, however, not only managed to keep the doors open, it exponentially expanded its business. One reason for its ability to grow is the simple fact that the storm knocked out a lot of the area’s wide-format printing supply line. But that’s only half the story…
“We were probably the first wide-format printer to come back after Katrina. We lived at the office. Most of our employees lost their homes, including myself. We were hungry, we were on a mission, and we’ve grown the business tremendously since then,” explains Arthur Boisfontaine, a partner at Crystal Clear Imaging.
Roadside promotion has been especially effective for Crystal Clear Imaging in New Orleans.
There was a sharp spike in demand for outdoor advertising in New Orleans and surrounding areas, particularly vehicle graphics. Even now, communication in the city is not up to par, so the best and sometimes only way to get your message out is through printed graphics. Boisfontaine estimates that they’ve printed more than 100 vehicle graphics so far this year in response to this communications breakdown.
Sales Storm
The other half of this survival story is sheer moxie and determination. Crystal Clear Imaging focused on creating an ingenious sales approach, building a burgeoning business nationwide, and even on the high seas. Cruise line and casino customers utilize graphics mounted to glass and plexiglass for game faces and signs. Crystal Clear Imaging also does national, regional, and local point-of-purchase graphics for chains like Smoothie King, Aveda, and Shane’s Rib Shack.
In New Orleans, where communication is still somewhat sketchy, vehicle graphics have become prime advertising movers. This brilliant wrap includes LexJet Perforated Window Film and LexJet Clear Vinyl Laminate for Perforated Window Film.
“What we do a really good job of is putting programs together for our clients, and showing the cost effectiveness and value of volume packages. We’ll go to a hospital, for instance, and create a contract based on a certain amount of graphics for the year, give them a great price based on that, and help them monitor their marketing costs. Then, when we get a commitment, it gives us more purchasing power with our vendors, because we know what our volumes will be,” says Boisfontaine.
Boisfontaine and his staff work hard to hone their sales process. Basically, he says, it boils down to finding out exactly why a customer isn’t buying from you, and then providing the right solution to the objection. Crystal Clear Imaging will host a lunch-and-learn at a customer’s site, for instance, to both educate and find out more about customer needs. Boisfontaine reports that this has been a very effective sales tool.
Furthermore, says Boisfontaine, it’s one thing to sell the features, advantages, and benefits of your product, but quite another to get complete buy-in from your staff. That’s a big part of the battle, and Bosfontaine and his partners ― Guy Keller, Johnny Davidson, and Trey Weaver ― win the battle by investing heavily in people. They pay full benefits and handsome commission packages for salespeople.
Printing graphics for Crystal Clear Imaging’s latest big-time customer acquisition, the New Orleans Saints.
“As owners, we’re not taking much more home than we did last year, though our revenues are through the roof. We’re setting up the company to do great things,” says Boisfontaine.
Unique Products
Moreover, Crystal Clear Imaging is taking advantage of potentially disruptive technologies. Case in point is a new division the company created called Crystal Vision, a program that helps retail and casino clients drive point-of-purchase sales through dynamic digital content on plasma screens.
“I see the potential for a lot of light box work going to plasma screens. I didn’t want to lose that business because we didn’t have a solution. It complements what we do. We’re trying to provide a turnkey graphics service,” says Boisfontaine. “We don’t make our money on the hardware. We make money on the content. We take a static PDF or TIFF file, and convert that into animated and real-time content. So far, we’ve placed about 200 screens.”
Another area in which Crystal Clear Imaging is finding opportunity is wall murals. The company is currently developing a program with a photographer to create life-size sports-action murals, which are primarily planned for use in people’s homes.
Crystal Clear Imaging is working on an exciting consumer-oriented concept utilizing LexJet EASY WallCal Graphics. The idea is to work with photographers who shoot local sports and sell the removable wall graphics of kids playing their sport to their parents. The wall graphics are a fun addition to the child’s room or a game room.
“LexJet’s low-tack adhesive solvent material for wall graphics (EASY WallCal Graphics) is a no-brainer; it’s a product that we’ve been waiting for. A great application for the material is doing die-cuts of people or shapes, moving them around, and providing a different look every day,” says Boisfontaine. “We printed a sample about three or four weeks ago. It’s moved from every wall in our office at least three times, and it’s still doing fine. A mother or father can buy a die-cut sports-action shot of their child, for example, and put it up in their child’s room.”
The company recently moved into a 26,000 square-foot space, and has added a Gandi Jeti 5000, a Roland SolJet 540, and a Seiko Color Painter. Even with the expansion, Boisfontaine says the company is already outgrowing its facility.