The old expression is true, notably that ‘First Impressions Count’! (It’s the same man in the picture above but most people will subconsciously view him differently on a first contact by his appearance).
Any SME Business has a similar challenge, in that it needs to understand (and if required to amend) the perception of how it is viewed by existing customers and the first picture it paints to prospective new customers.
In this day & age your Website, your Social Media communications, your E Mails to prospective customers and everything that you communicate needs to be a consistent professional representation of both you & your business. Think of all the major product brands, the big supermarkets and other big businesses that you recognise and communicate with-the corporate identity, the styling & presentation format carry a consistent theme and appearance-does your company’s do so?
When you communicate with prospective customers, and interact with your existing customers, do they see you in your best light?
Are your communications consistent? Does your company ethos shine through? Do you consistently highlight the strengths of your business, and point out the benefits your customer offer makes above its competitors? It doesn’t need tens of thousand of pounds of expenditure or umpteen meetings with ‘consultants’ to review and fine tune your proposition to your target audience! But before you next communicate with existing or prospective customers take the opportunity to look at how you speak with them, and review what benefits you seek to offer, and put yourself in the recipients mind. Are you the casual comfortable man with a beard above, or are you the clean shaven well groomed person next to him?
NB. Nothing wrong with beards! – check my linkedIn profile!! https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-frost-11496628/
Ian Frost
