RISMEDIA, September 23, 2010—Having a strong, reliable partner is something all real estate brokerages hope to have in their vendor relationships. Such is the case with Leawood, Kansas-based Reece and Nichols, which has found a happy home for its sign production with Lowen Sign, located across the state in Hutchinson.
“In the five or so years we’ve been using Lowen Sign, we have been extremely happy,” says Patty Nizzi, director of marketing for Reece and Nichols. “They do a fantastic job of protecting and honoring our brand and making it shine. Continued consistency is important and Lowen never fails us.”
According to Nizzi, whose company’s uniquely shaped sign is “tall and skinny,” Lowen does a fabulous job on everything related to production, including color and sharpness of logo.
“It’s not often that you can find a company that succeeds at what I call the trifecta: price, quality and speed,” she says. “I had a friend once tell me that you can always find a vendor who will offer you two of those three traits, but can’t buy all three…especially from a marketing standpoint. Well, I think I have.”
As a company, Reece and Nichols places very large orders with Lowen Sign, several times per year. “Because we are such a healthy customer, Lowen came to us and asked if we’d be interested in doing a company-wide group order that would offer our agents special pricing,” explains Nizzi. “What’s great about doing this is that it was a win for everyone: the agents could order personalized signs at a discounted rate; Lowen gets the business; and from a marketing standpoint, it allows us to keep our consistency and keeps things very efficient.”
It’s that relationship with the vendor, branding consistency and ease of use that keeps Nizzi and her company happy.
“Lowen has a great online ordering system for our offices and agents,” she says. “When we were looking at sign companies, even five years ago, we wanted to make sure that the online ordering system would be easy to use but also secure, and we found that with Lowen. I love the platform.”
And so do her agents. “We have definitely seen a trend of top agents using the online system to create personalized signs within our company’s templates,” adds Nizzi. “They can add their photo or a logo. We want to build our company brand, but also want to help the agent. Having this option achieves both.”
The technological advances over the past few years certainly haven’t hurt either, says Nizzi.
“Technology has actually improved the printing and sign world,” she says. “We now have the ability to use digital printing and customization—something that used to be very expensive. Lowen does a great job of using the technology to its advantage to bring its clients high quality and speed. Plus, it also helps impact price. We are very happy with our neighbors on the other side of the state.”
For more information, visit www.lowensign.com.
