{"id":56,"date":"2011-10-18T19:58:08","date_gmt":"2011-10-18T19:58:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/murphyword.com\/blog\/?p=56"},"modified":"2019-04-29T14:21:47","modified_gmt":"2019-04-29T18:21:47","slug":"first-impressions-a-customer-at-your-door","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/murphybusiness.com\/blog\/first-impressions-a-customer-at-your-door\/","title":{"rendered":"First Impressions: A Customer at Your Door"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\n\tThis is the first in a series of several articles on how to better position your company to potential and existing customers.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\tWe&#39;ve all heard the phrase, &quot;First impressions count.&quot; This is a true statement that is sometimes easily overlooked by a small business owner. It seems obvious, but if you have a physical location, you should always be thinking about maximizing your curb appeal.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\tThe first time a customer &#8212; an existing or potential one &#8212; visits your company, the customer should immediately feel comfortable and confident about doing business with you.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\tResidential real estate agents often request that homeowners looking to sell first spruce up their homes as much as possible in order to generate interest from potential buyers. The same is also requested from business brokers prior to listing a company for sale.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\tThe time to think about curb appeal is not just when selling, however. Having a professional and inviting entrance is sure to help retain existing customers and attract new ones.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\tStand outside the front door of your business and look at the impression you may (or may not) be making through the eyes of your customer. If a first-time visitor walks past your building, is he likely to enter your door? Here are some helpful tips:\n<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p align=\"left\" class=\"western\">\n\t\t\t<span style=\"color: #545454;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Is your company name and street address clearly visible?<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p align=\"left\" class=\"western\">\n\t\t\t<span style=\"color: #545454;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Speaking of signage, do you have enough &#8212; but not so much that it appears cluttered? And, is everything spelled correctly? You&#39;d be surprised how often we notice poor spelling and grammar: not the best first impression.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p align=\"left\" class=\"western\">\n\t\t\t<span style=\"color: #545454;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Is the exterior clean and pleasing to the eye? Perhaps a coat of fresh paint or some planters at the entrance might be a good investment.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p align=\"left\" class=\"western\">\n\t\t\t<span style=\"color: #545454;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Does the front of the company convey the message you want to send to customers?<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p align=\"left\" class=\"western\">\n\t\t\t<span style=\"color: #545454;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Is the entryway tidy, and is it easy for customers to reach the door and access the business?<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p align=\"left\" class=\"western\">\n\t&nbsp;\n<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\" class=\"western\">\n\t<span style=\"color: #545454;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Of course, first impressions don&#39;t stop there. Once the customer is inside, what does he see?<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p align=\"left\" class=\"western\">\n\t\t\t<span style=\"color: #545454;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Does your reception area include friendly, knowledgeable staff members to greet visitors?<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p align=\"left\" class=\"western\">\n\t\t\t<span style=\"color: #545454;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Is the lobby clean and uncluttered? (Keep an eye out for messy papers and disorganized working surfaces.)<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p align=\"left\" class=\"western\">\n\t\t\t<span style=\"color: #545454;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">If signage is present, it is helpful or distracting? Is your company&#39;s name (and\/or logo) prominently displayed?<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p align=\"left\" class=\"western\">\n\t\t\t<span style=\"color: #545454;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Does the lobby become an extension of the entryway and reflect the message you want to share with visitors?<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p align=\"left\" class=\"western\">\n\t&nbsp;\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\tMany small businesses employ the use of a welcoming sign in their reception area. If an entrepreneur knows of a visit in advance, most guests appreciate seeing their name as they enter the front door.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\tComfortable seating areas, flowers and plants and the offer of a beverage are other welcoming touches that visitors notice.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\tHere&#39;s hoping your visitors become long-term customers!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This is the first in a series of several articles on how to better position your company to potential and existing customers. We&#39;ve all heard the phrase, &quot;First impressions count.&quot; This is a true statement that is sometimes easily overlooked by a small business owner. It seems obvious, but if you have a physical location, &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/murphybusiness.com\/blog\/first-impressions-a-customer-at-your-door\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;First Impressions: A Customer at Your Door&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[5,7],"class_list":["post-56","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-business-consulting","tag-business-broker","tag-marketing"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Customer First Impressions In Person| Murphy Business<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"First Impressions: A Customer at Your Door\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/murphybusiness.com\/blog\/first-impressions-a-customer-at-your-door\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Customer First Impressions In Person| Murphy Business\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"First Impressions: A Customer at Your Door\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/murphybusiness.com\/blog\/first-impressions-a-customer-at-your-door\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Blog - 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