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You never know who is going to walk through your business’s front door today. It could be a long-term client, a future investor, or even a competitor. There’s no telling who decides to visit. An opportunity could be at your doorstep, but a bad impression can ruin things very quickly.
Data suggests that a great first impression means that 72% of customers will spread information about you to six or more people. That’s literally free advertising with great effectiveness.
In this article, let us look at three ways to ensure that your business creates a solid first impression 100% of the time. Let’s dive in.
1. Aesthetics Matter: Declutter As Much as Possible
Visuals are extremely important, and a business that cuts a sorry figure isn’t doing you any favors. If you are serious about getting your aesthetics on point, start by assessing the situation. Are there random items, stationery, or chairs cluttering up the space?
If so, start planning on how you can streamline the environment so that visitors get a clean, welcoming view when they step in. Try role-playing as a potential client or visitor yourself, and make a note of what you notice as you enter your business.
You might realize that some aspects can be jarring to you. This might include furniture layout, decor, and even the very paint on the walls. We aren’t saying that you need to go all minimalist, but it’s always worth cutting out the bloat from a working business site.
Moreover, the physical environment is a great place to highlight your brand and its identity. Try to orient things in such a way that they reflect what your business deals with. So if you are dealing with products or services targeted at families, you obviously want to avoid making the environment feel too cold and clinical.
2. Use Technology
Every business worth its salt knows the importance of adapting to the times. Sure, you might score some brownie points with those who prefer the old ways, but we live in modern times. Technology is here to stay, whether you like it or not, and it makes sense to invest in tech that leads to better first impressions.
Self-service kiosks and visitor management systems are great options in this regard. However, make sure you don’t complicate things for no reason. We’ve all seen situations where using tech ends up taking more time and energy than doing things manually.
If a system is slow enough that a simple checking-in process takes longer than using pen and paper, then something is wrong.
According to Greetly, you can find systems that offer touchless visitor sign-in today. The whole point of using technology is to simplify and streamline things, so ensure that you thoroughly test any implementation for clunkiness before allowing the public to use it.
3. Ensure Your Staff Are Friendly
Aesthetics and tech are important aspects of any modern business, but a business is only as good as its team. Your staff will have a far bigger impact on first impressions than any other factor, which is why they need to be properly trained.
Ensure that you invest in good communication skills coaching if you aren’t satisfied with things currently. It’s not just enough that they greet visitors with a smile, skills like active listening and empathy are also going to be critical.
On the flip side, many issues in this context arise because managers fail to give their employees any responsibility or authority. As a result, you have a bunch of team members who cannot properly help a visitor because they “need to check with my manager.” first.
It frustrates everyone and most definitely ruins any first impression that is being made. Thus, empower your employees and give them the authority and tools to help visitors on their own. Sure, there will be things that they should check with you first, but for everything else, try trusting them a little more.
In conclusion, first impressions are more powerful than people give them credit for. They open up countless doors that your business can capitalize on in the future. This is particularly true in today’s world, where you can use the internet to do most things.
If someone is visiting your business in person, they are serious customers who will be conscious of the experience they have. Remember, it doesn’t take a lot of resources to ensure a good first impression, so there’s no reason not to invest here.
