When it comes to making a success out of your business, the best thing to do is secure that first impression. When a potential customer comes to you, or you chase down a lead with an offer, the person on the other end needs to immediately see your value.
They need to know you’re the professional for them, that what you’re selling is just what they’re looking for, and that’s a lot harder than many first time entrepreneurs may think!
Sure, you know your product is a good one. But the people you’re trying to market to don’t. They need to be convinced, and you can set this up just right by ensuring you come across right from the first point of contact.
And that’s where you can use a bit of professional polish, both literally and metaphorically.
Let’s go through a few things below that you can easily do to come across as the best small business in town.
Don’t Just Talk About Your Business
If you’re talking to someone who might want to buy from you, don’t focus on you. Yes, you need to make a sale here, and that means getting the benefits of your product across, but don’t bring the conversation back around every time.
Talk about the consumer instead, and how you can help them.
Enquire about their life, be interested in what they have to say, and don’t be afraid to laugh and joke with them as well. A sales pitch should be anything it needs to be, and that sense of personality will always make a lead feel good about you. It’s not unprofessional to be personable; in fact, it’s the winning method in the modern shopping world.
Be Up to Date in Communications
Think about your time in the online world here. How often do you send out newsletters? Maybe once a quarter? Maybe a couple times a month? It might not be enough! You need to be on a person’s mind from time to time, without being in their face, and that requires value in your content and a consistent marketing schedule.
And this makes an excellent first impression. You’ve got something to offer, you’re where you need to be, and you clearly put time and effort into your online presence. Most of all, your website will need updating regularly, especially your relevant contact details and customer service notices. If a shopper can be sure of them, they’re going to like you!
Don’t Forget About Your Physical Premises
Whether you’re working from home or you’ve got a downtown office of your own, visuals matter too. If you’re holding meetings, allowing customers and/or clients into your own space, or you’ve got a store for someone to shop through, it needs to look just as good as the way it functions.
Welcome someone through an entrance that opens up into a professional world. To build a reception like that, you’ll need the right colors, materials, and atmosphere. All of these need to align with your brand identity too - if you’re bright, bold, and love marketing through comedy or drama, your physical premises need to reflect that.
You’ll also want to focus on the curb appeal aspect as well. This is the pinnacle of first impressions, as we all make snap judgments about something from the moment we first see it. So, invest in some commercial landscape equipment, make sure the area outside of your business is clean and well kept, and light up the area as much as possible too.
If Need Be, Make a Script!
In much the same way you’d prepare an elevator pitch, usually around 30 seconds long, you can make a script for all new customers too. Write one up now just to get an idea of the kind of things you’d like to say, and then tweak it according to marketing personas based on the different people you’ve already encountered as a business. Once you’re in a situation where you need to be professional, this is what you can fall back on.
However, after a bit of practice, you probably won’t need the script at all!
If you’re running a small business, make sure it looks just as professional as it really is. Update the website, make sure you’re always communicating, and never forget to be just as personable face to face as well. A good business knows its value, but a great business can show it to the world from a glance.
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