Have you ever had that sinking feeling, when the day simply slides in to a black hole, and sometimes it happens within moments! I have, but in particular I had it a few years back on walking into a business I was invited to evaluate and advise.

The sinking feeling came pretty quickly as I looked at the front window, it needed cleaning, the floor as I waked in the door had not been vacuumed in a long time, the front desk had grimy fingerprints where staff had turned the corner and held on to the counter, later I found out the toilets were an absolute disgrace, barely cleaned. Various other aspects of the business did not create a professional image either, the business owner felt that this had little to do with the businesses profitability as few clients ever came through the door. I pointed out that the staff cared about the presentation (even if not consciously), and how they felt was reflected in the way they dealt with clients. (That showed up later!)

Perceptions are everything.
I was always taught,you never get a second chance at a first impression. For me it is being on time and presenting appropriately to the person I am dealing with. Studies have shown that they will probably judge me in the first 5 seconds of meeting me (unconsciously) and this is followed up by the next minute and a half by my words and actions.

The same can be said of a business, the “suspect” walks in the door, makes a judgement… the sales person approaches and hopefully turns them into a prospect and then a customer but, only if the person decides that the image meets their expectation of what they were after. The same can be said of the staff in the opening example.

This approach to the psychology of a business also goes the other way, you can present a business in such a neat and tidy way that it may repel those looking for a bargain, they may consider your store’s contents too expensive based on the presentation levels. Smart business operators use this knowledge to their advantage and build a positive perception about the cost of goods and services they offer. Many then find they have fewer customers, however those that do enter are more likely to buy, sensing the higher value on offer.

I don’t want customers like that anyway!
I’ve heard it too often to mention, the grubby store (and probably its owner) says, “if they don’t want what I have to offer, then that’s their problem!” wrong, it is your problem and the thing to do is to get into customers heads and know that you are providing what they want, when they want it before they know they need it… (Tricky eh?) Take responsibility for the business you run and the image you hold, it is vital for people to create the right impression.

For some the way to maintain and build excellent standards of presentation is to utilize a checklist. Create a few pointers that you and your staff can work with. Then in time add to the checklist with many minor items listed as well as the major ones. Then allocate how often the staff should check the item and do something about it.

I mention these things to many of my clients and find that this approach works, however aim to check and correct these items at a suitable time, seeing staff cleaning at the start of the day is irritating to me as an early bird shopper. A commtted and motivated team player will ensure that little happens in the day to distract customers from making the all important decision to walk in the door and spend some cash.