You Never Get a Second Chance to Make a First Impression

Some time ago, I was hired as a marketing consultant for a pizza parlor that had aspirations of opening up several locations.I immediately told the owner that people form an impression by the way things look, sound and feel. He didn’t get it. The inside of his salon was bland with mismatched furniture, no graphics on the walls, no point of purchase materials, and there were no pizza box toppers in play. In addition, he was trying to be all things to all people. He was selling subway sandwiches, lattes, u-cook pizza or we cook. It was a jumbled mess...

Sadly, the owner was under the false notion that if he could just do direct mail and had a few colorful posters on the front window, all would be well. It doesn’t work that way. While he had an outstanding product, the first impression was a lasting impression. The net result was very little repeat business and a business that lacked “juice” or energy. This business died for lack of enthusiasm.

Here are a few things you can do to insure greater success:

1. Make sure that your environment comes across with a coordinated, well thought-out theme.
   
2. Always go first-class with your advertising. Cheap paper stock or photocopies do little to sell the value of your business.
   
3. Use the right words. Develop the language that best expresses your product or service. The word you choose must always answer the one important question every customer wants to know: “What’s in it for me?”
   
4. Develop a polished, professional website. You’re better off not having a website if you can’t put something up on the net that is compelling and professional.

Remember first impressions – they’re important!

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