PERCEPTION IS REALITY
How your business looks to your customers is important to how they, others feel about your business

By Duane Brodt, Coles Marketing Communications

Remember back to the last time you walked into a new-to-you business.

How did you feel?

When you entered, did you notice how vivid the lighting was or how dark and dreary your surroundings were?

Did things smell fresh or did you notice a particular odor?

Was it loud or quiet inside?

What types of things kept you busy if you found yourself waiting, such as magazines, TV programming or radio tunes?

Perception is reality. What your customers experience from the moment they enter your salon until the time they leave is critically important as you strive to retain your faithful clients and welcome new ones.

Of course, the big things matter, like smiling and helpful employees, fast computers, efficient credit card approval machines and an overall comfortable, pleasing and inviting environment. But the little things matter a great deal, too.

Over the last two weeks, I took an assessment of the places I visited for the first time and weighed both my first and lasting impressions.

I found bite-marked pencils and pens in a Campbell’s Soup can on an information counter at a fitness center. That was kind of disgusting.

Ketchup globs on the service area floor at a car dealership. Equally disgusting.

A half-eaten sandwich, with chips, on the counter where I had to sign my credit card receipt at a gas station. Perhaps more disgusting.

Dried, sticky soda on a waiting room table where I put my car keys. Annoying.

A March 2005 edition of Sports Illustrated at a doctor’s office. Boring.

Those are things I’ll definitely remember if I – and I doubt it – ever visit those businesses again.
My perception of those businesses is my reality and I perceived them to be unclean, uninviting and unconcerned about my personal customer experience.

In addition to your daily work to provide a safe, comfortable, sanitary and enjoyable experience for your clients, keep in mind this Daily Five-Point Checklist that can help you focus on some of the smaller things that can help you make a big impression on your customers and create a more satisfactory personal customer experience.

DAILY FIVE-POINT CHECKLIST

1. Take a look at … your floors.
Throughout the day, ensure your floors are clean and dry. Make sure any area rugs or entrance mats appear straight and flat. Make sure no trash is on your floors. Straighten any chairs and tables that might get moved as your customers populate your store.

2. Take a look at … your windows and walls.
Make sure your windows, including entry doors, are clean and smudge-free. Same for your walls. Ensure you don’t have outdated material available for view, such as a wall calendar or a poster. Make sure any public boards where flyers or business cards appear are neatly organized.

3. Take a look at … your showcase area.
Make sure your front counter, typically the showcase area of any salon, is neat and clean. Coral your pens for credit card signatures in an attractive holder. Make sure any point of purchase items and marketing materials are organized neatly and are located away from where your customers may place their personal items while they’re signing their receipts. Ensure no one leaves food or drinks on your front counter.

4. Take a look at … those common areas.
Make sure any magazines offered for customers are recent, in tact and neatly organized. Make sure the trash containers aren’t overflowing during the day. Ensure coffee cups, napkins and tissues left behind by customers are picked up and disposed of.

5. Take a look at … conditions outside.
Make sure trash – especially cigarette butts – aren’t littering the entrance to your salon and adjoining businesses. During inclement weather, make sure the walkway to your salon’s entrance is safe and manageable. Make sure your signage outside appears clean and is fully functional if lighting is involved.

Duane Brodt is an account manager at Coles Marketing Communications, a full-service public relations, marketing and communications firm in Indianapolis and the Agency of Record for ETS Tan, the global leader in the manufacturing and distribution of indoor tanning beds and tanning equipment.