First impressions can happen at any time, and they last mere seconds, making a dirty sign almost a death sentence in front of your brick and mortar.
The warm weather had me concerned about my lawn at the office, so I decided to get the hose out. I noticed my sign was no longer bright and stunning and it motivated me to grab some soap. After some elbow grease, we were back in business!
Why is this important?
Nothing grinds my gears more than a great business ignoring simple things like a dirty sign, dirty windows, cheap business cards, the list goes on and on. What they don’t realize is subconsciously, potential clients notice a lot more than you think.
“If you don’t care enough to clean your sign, you definitely won’t care enough to take care of me.” – Potential Client
First impressions are crucial. They are definitely not fair by any means, being the impact is huge and all you have to base it on is appearance or a few words, but that’s how we are wired.
I had a HUGE meeting with a client a couple of months ago and my lawn looked terrible! I remember trying to get someone to get the grass growing correctly and had two different companies come out to no avail! I was lucky enough to still sign a contract, but I knew it was going to take some doing after the CEO walked in. His appearance was stellar, words were chosen wisely, and his confidence was unmatched. It took everything I had to impress him, all because my lawn looked like shit.
I am not overexaggerating, just try this test for yourself. Go to your local maint street and take a walk. Tell me how you feel when you see a dirty sidewalk, unkept pots occupied with dead plants, or dirty windows. I guarantee you will feel no urge to walk inside. But I guarantee the places that strike your fancy are all clean, inviting, and deserving of your time.
It’s not just about signs.
First impressions can happen at any time. Walking down the street as in my case, or visiting your website, social media page, networking event, etc. Is your brand prepared and ready to handle any first impression at any given moment?
Take some time to inventory every piece of material, digital or not, and give it a score of 1 to 10. If you have anything that doesn’t deserve a 10, get rid of it or fix it right away. No excuses, just get it done.
Wait until I publish my post about business cards, you’ll probably hate me at the end of it.
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