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What Impression Is Your Small Business Making?

Guest post by: Jessica Swanson

Article Overview: What first impression is your small business making? Discover “clues” that you may need to revamp your image.

What Impression Is Your Small Business Making?

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 cup holders 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?

Believe it or not, a first impression is established within two to thirty seconds. 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 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 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...I actually forgot that I emailed them!)

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.)

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Article Tags: shoestring marketing, small business first impression, small business image, small business marketing



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