You Never Get a Second Chance

The other day I was sitting in my car in a parking lot, waiting for a friend. As I sat there, my eyes were drawn to some activity at the building across the street. A man was furiously cleaning the glass on the entrance door, first on the inside and then on the outside. When he walked outside, my attention followed him and slid over to the building itself. I noticed that the exterior of the building was faded, dull, and badly in need of new paint. Seepage from the air conditioning unit was trickling down one wall and turning into rust. I looked back at the man intently wiping the door glass clean. Through the open door behind him, I could see an interior that was reflective of the exterior: faded, dull, and badly in need of a facelift. I admired his meticulous work on the glass but thought that he was missing something.

He was missing the big picture. While keeping a business clean is important, cleaning a place that needs paint and a facelift will not make nearly as much impact as would cleaning an attractive facility. Customers' first impression of a place that needs a facelift will be not be positive, no matter how clean it is. Whether we like it or not, customers' first impressions have a big impact on a business's revenue.

Why?

These first impressions are reflective of you and the way you do business. They contribute to how comfortable the customer feels about doing business with you. After all, if you don't maintain your building, how well will you perform your work? These first impressions also determine the type of customer that your business attracts. When your building looks rundown, you are more likely to attract unprofitable customers, many of whom may not have the income to do repeat business with you. The rundown appearance of the building may also prompt customers to think that they ought to pay less for your services.

What does this have to do with marketing?

My definition of marketing is any communication that you have with your customers. This includes the look of your buildings, inside and out, your clothing, your supplies, your equipment, your letterhead, and every way the customer comes in contact with your business. Every contact that your customer has reinforces or forms an impression. The first impression is the most important because it sets the groundwork for future impressions. You never get a second chance to make a good first impression.

Take a look at your building. Does it need a paint job or a facelift? Look, too, at your uniforms, supplies, equipment, materials, and Web site. If you find them wanting, update them. Make that first impression a good one.