Yesterday, I was cruising around town with the windows open, singing along to Adam Lampert and just feeling pretty darn good.
I parked, got out and did a sassy little twirl of the car keys when two young high school-aged boys approached me and asked if I wanted to buy my kids a season pass to one of our local amusement parks.
Now, here’s the mystery… my kids weren’t even with me. (Can you hear the Twilight Zone music playing in the background?) Here’s the even greater mystery, I don’t look a day over 30…35. So, obviously I look way too young to have kids.
Hmmm…how in the world did these adept young men know that I had children?
Oh yeah… they saw me exit my minivan:
That would be my 2006 Dodge Grand Minivan…decked out with the latest double DVD player (for dual action watching), something like 25 cupholders and so much extra storage space, I think that it actually could seats twelve. (And, by the way, this supersonic baby can go from 0 – 30 like a bat out of hell.)
It took these kids no more than 10 seconds flat to stereotype me into the “suburban mom of three” box. I was pigeonholed before I ever knew what hit me.
It’s one thing to get categorized into the “suburban mom” box, but how many small business owners truly realize the significance of first impressions?
Did you know that a first impression is established within two to thirty seconds. (I did NOT!) More importantly, once a negative perception or impression is created, it is virtually impossible to reverse.
So, the million dollar question is:
What first impression is your small business portraying to your current customers, clients and prospects?
Here are a few “clues” that you might need to revamp your overall image:
1. Peeling paint. As I was sitting in my vet’s office the other day, I noticed that the paint in the waiting room was literally peeling off the wall. My first thought was that if they couldn’t afford to paint the waiting room, they probably couldn’t afford the best medicines. I have a new vet now.
2. Worn-out parking lot. If your parking lot is filled with cracks and crevices that house 4-foot weeds, it’s time for a repavement job. Enough said.
3. Dirty bathrooms. What customer is going to enjoy visiting a grimy bathroom (note the picture at the top of the post…) with filthy toilets and overflowing wastebaskets? (Answer…NONE!)
4. Rude service. If you think that first impressions are reserved only for appearances, you couldn’t be more wrong. I was standing in line at a cute, little boutique ready to spend some of my hard-earned mula. The problem was that the clerk couldn’t tear herself away from her cell phone. Needless to say, I took my money elsewhere.
5. Amateur website. I, of ALL people, understand the importance of a shoestring budget when launching your business. But, your website is the very first place that your online customers, clients and prospects are going to meet you. Spend the time (or the money) to create a professional presence.
6. Out-of-date marketing materials. I was working with a client the other day who was complaining that they blog, but never seem to get any traffic. So, I took a peek at their blog and noticed that they only posted once a month (and hadn’t posted in over three months). If you’re going to implement a marketing strategy, then do it right: persistence, patience and tenacity are the name of the game.
7. Your social media picture. If you’re using Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn (you are, aren’t you?), then make sure to use a professional looking profile picture. Skip the blurry pictures; pass on the “default” profile pictures; and, keep the picture of you chugging down that beer at your best friend’s wedding safe inside your photo album.
8. Your customer service response time. How many of you have waited and WAITED for your phone or email message to get answered. (I emailed the Secretary of State inquiring about a lost driver’s license question and it took them THREE months to get back to me…why even bother?)
So, never forget that your small business first impressions can literally make or break you. Take the time to assess the image that you present to your clients and customers to ensure that you are making the exact impression that you want. (Kind of like that sassy, little impression I make when I drive around in my racy, hot mini-van.)
Here’s my question for you: what other “first impression” small business nightmares have you personally experienced? Share away…..
About Jessica Swanson
Thanks Jessica. The things that cause us to succeed and prosper are so simple we almost miss them! Keep up the great work!
Good advice, but I wouldn’t call repaving a parking lot a shoestring activity
So true- as a customer, I wish more companies knew these things that seem so basic. Gina http://www.hirebetterblog.com/
I have read Blink (great book)! Isn’t that the truth! He might be the greatest chiropractor on earth…but, my guess is that he’s losing A LOT business on the first impressions that he is sending out to his prospective clients.
You’re right…virtual businesses are exempt from a few of these points. And I agree…first impressions are SO important, sometimes we forget!
Thanks, Jessica. This is an excellent article. There was a study some time ago (http://www.websiteoptimization.com/speed/tweak/blink/), that you have 1/20th of a second before people make a decision about your website (and thus your business). Wow.
As a personal experience, there is a chiropractor down the street from my office who also goes to our church. I absolutely refuse to step foot in the door of his office because of his shabby building, weed infested parking lot, and just run-down look of the whole place. He’s probably fine as a chiropractor, but I’ll never know.
As the owner of a virtual business, I don’t have to worry about your first three points. But the rest definitely apply. First impressions are so important. Thanks for giving us some tips to think about.