First Impressions Count in Business
It’s almost a cliche but the saying ‘you never get a second chance to make a first impression’ is very true in business, and it starts with the business premises whether it’s a shop, office, factory or light industrial unit.
Whether for customers or to impress potential staff that they’re entering a pleasant place to work, effort put in on creating a positive impression of a workplace pays off.
What impression are you creating?
It’s easy to become complacent when spending many hours in a familiar workplace, but how does it look to visitors?
Ideally, a business premises should appear professional yet welcoming to visitors whether customers, suppliers, staff – indeed, any visitor.
Of course customer facing people in a business make a huge difference; if they’re disinterested and offhand then the most swish building won’t make up for it. Alternatively, polite, friendly staff will only get a business so far if the premises looks tired, tatty and rundown.
What can be done?
Exterior
It starts before the customer even sets foot inside.
Smart exterior paintwork and clear and clean signage help create a positive first impression. If your exterior paintwork is looking the worse for wear and a little shabby, then get it seen to.
Experts local to you such as these commercial painters and decorators in Suffolk can soon transform tired exteriors. If your main sign is looking past its best (or even worse if there is no legible signage) then have a new one made.
User friendly access
Is your car park tidy and clearly signed as to where people can park and how they enter and leave?
If there are weeds growing through the tarmac or gravel, or a large puddle forms every time it rains, then have these dealt with.
If it doesn’t already, ensure good signage efficiently shows people where to enter the building and entry systems (if applicable) are easy to understand and use.
Inside
Once a visitor steps inside, then there’s no excuse for mucky and untidy reception areas. Many garages and fast fit centres manage a neat and tidy area to accommodate customers waiting, so the fact a business might be engaging in the type of work involving dirty machinery or materials is no excuse for a dirty and untidy customer area.
More paint
If the interior looks shabby, don’t let visitors experience this as their first impressions once inside the premises – again, have some painting and decorating done. If you’ve used decorators to cheer up the outside of the premises, then maybe they’ll do a package deal to paint the inside too?
Taking it a stage further
If your premises is a store or a type of environment that needs to convey a message about you (a creative agency’s workplace for example), then examining aspects such as what subliminal messages you’re sending out and the psychological aspects may need examining.
For example, in stores – especially those beyond the ‘stack ‘em high sell ‘em cheap’ variety – considerations such as ambience and space (people feel negative if short of room when browsing) need to be addressed.
In a creative environment does the interior of the premises – especially the all-important ‘receiving’ area – suggest creativity or is it a dull dove grey reception with a couple of tatty sofas?
Expert help
For general ideas as to how to make your workplace attractive, welcoming and professional your expert decorators can often suggest ideas and colour schemes to help make the most of your space.
When investigating the detailed aspects explained above such as suggesting creativity and creating the ideal shopping environment, design experts are also worth talking to.