Should you be a business owner, you will understand the importance of a good first impression. That first interaction with your business can sway a customer to your side, which is obviously a good thing, especially if competition in your industry is fierce.
But what if you create a bad first impression? You will find it difficult to bring in many customers if their first interaction with your business is a negative one.
So, what can create a bad first impression? It’s worth finding out as you can take steps to amend any issues before your business starts to suffer. Here are just a few of the things that could deter potential customers from using your business.
#1: The Outside of Your Premises
If you’re running an offline business, you will be hoping to attract customers to your doors. But what if those doors are damaged and uncared for? And how about the walls of your premises or your signage? If these are also in a state of disrepair or are simply bland and unappealing, then your customers’ first impression will be a bad one. The same applies to the area where your customers park their cars. As with the other aspects of your business exterior, you should pay somebody to maintain your parking lot if it is damaged in any way.
The takeaway for you is this: If you want customers to see inside your business premises, make sure your exterior is up to scratch, or they might assume the indoors is as bad as the outdoors.
#2: Your Website
You have a website for your business, right? Especially if you’re an online business owner, this will be crucial if you want to make sales. But what impression are customers getting from your website? If pages are slow to load and if the design is cluttered and confusing, then site visitors will get a bad first impression. Too many pop-ups can also be a problem as can 404 errors when customers click on links to pages that are no longer there. Your potential customers will be infuriated!
So, consider your website. Does it need a makeover? These design tips can help create a better first impression so make changes if you need to.
#3: Your Employees
Your employees are the human face of your business but your potential customers will be less than happy if those faces are sour and grumpy! They will be less than impressed if your employees are rude on the phone too. A bad first impression will also be created if your employees are nowhere to be seen! Any lazy employees on your payroll could be taking a longer than expected break, leaving your poor customers with nobody to turn to.
You need to ensure your employees do a better job of representing your business if they are negligent in any way. Customer service training will help as will a gentle reminder that customers are the people helping to pay their wages.
Here’s hoping your business is creating an excellent first impression. But if it’s not, perhaps because of the reasons we listed here, do what you can to turn things around. Your business will prosper if you do.
