Your business has just seven seconds to make a first impression on customers. Whether you’re meeting with a new client or customer for the first time or interviewing a potential new employee, it’s important you make a positive, professional, and trustworthy first impression. By paying attention to key details, you can ensure your business makes the right impact on customers, clients, and employees, and that you’re ultimately viewed as someone people want to do business with.
Make sure people can find you
Your business website essentially functions as your brand ambassador 24/7. It should provide customers with basic information about your business, answer common customer questions, and ultimately help customers begin a relationship with your business. If, however, someone lands on your website and struggles to find the basic information they need, a bad impression can be instantly formed, and they’ll instantly click off and go to one of your competitors. So, make sure your business website not only looks good, but also clearly displays your business address, postcode, directions, and phone number. Directions should be clear and straightforward to follow, while your postcode should also work in Google maps and sat navs.
Don’t neglect landscaping
Although easily overlooked, the landscaping around your brick-and-mortar premises plays a key role in forming impressions of your business. Your landscaping should ultimately work to enhance the look, feel, and functionality of your building. For example, placing colorful flowers and potted plants around your entrance instantly creates an attractive and welcoming space for customers. It’s also important to tailor your landscaping to your local climate. Louisiana, for example, has a subtropical climate with Alexandria, in particular, featuring long hot summers and short cold winters. So, in this area, Japanese ardisia and monkey grass are easy-to-grow and low-maintenance plants that make an attractive border for pathways. Alternatively, if you’re in a cold state like Vermont, native plants include silky dogwood, common winterberry, and buttonbush. Attractive shrubs that naturally thrive in your local area are the best choice for your business’ landscaping.
Answer phone calls professionally
When customers call up your business, it can be frustrating and off-putting to be met with an automated message or put on hold in a queue. In fact, 57% of customers rank being put on hold as their biggest annoyance concerning telephone customer service, while 52% hate dealing with rude staff and 51% dislike automated phone menus. So, make sure you have real, polite, and professional humans on hand to answer calls from customers. Moreover, those employees should be knowledgeable enough to answer queries first-hand without needing to pass the call over to someone else. Answering phone calls professionally goes a long way in creating a positive first impression of your business.
Making a positive first impression is essential for business success. By making it easy for people to find you online, taking care of landscaping, and answering phone calls professionally, you can make sure people are left with a positive and trustworthy first impression of your business.
