Are you making the right impression?
First impressions are really important for your business. A clientβs impression may determine whether they do business with you or not.
Here are some tips from SCORE to help create good first impressions.
1 Pride of ownership should be apparent in all of your business assets. Make sure your office is neat and clean. Your staff should be well-dressed and professional in appearance. Work vehicles should be clean, well-maintained and dent free.
2 Pay special attention to how you and your staff communicate with clients. Always identify your business when answering the phone, and make the customers know you are happy to talk to them. Give them your undivided attention and make them feel special.
3 The number one thing consumers want is to feel respected by the people they do business with. Create a list of every point of contact you have with your clients. Meet with your staff and brainstorm ideas to make the client feel special at every point of contact.
4 If you work from home, have a quiet place to talk on the phone so your client will not hear the doorbells, kids talking or dogs barking.
5 Be careful when using speakerphones or hands-free devices, especially in your car. Clarity is often compromised and can cause the other person to become frustrated.
6 Be certain your website looks good and is mobile-optimized. The information visitors need should be easy to find and your contact information should be clearly posted on every page.
7 Use your domain name as your email extension. Do not have an email address that ends with gmail, aol or yahoo. If you use one of the free source email extensions, many people will immediately conclude you are not a serious or legitimate business.
If you create an environment where your clients feel respected, they will do business with you and refer other people to you as well. Itβs a great way to separate yourself from your competition.
