April 12, 2022
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When you’re hoping to run a successful business, one of the best things you can do is make a great first impression. You need your business, the people working for it, and yourself to make a consistent impression on people you meet. This is how you will start building a positive reputation and get people interested in working with you. Below, you’ll find what you need to know about making a great first business impression:
You and your team need to ensure you dress the part. Now, this doesn’t mean you need to wear fancy suits or uniforms. It all depends on how you want your business to be viewed. If you’re a laid back startup, then of course you can pretty much wear what you like. Just make sure that, whatever you wear, it’s in keeping with how you want people to view you.
Something else you need to think about is your branding and voice. Considering your branding carefully is key, as it should be consistent across every platform and be in keeping with your beliefs, values, and message. Your brand voice is how you communicate on all of your channels, and that must also be consistent. This is how people will remember your brand.
If you’re looking at doing a business exhibition, finding an exhibition stand builder that can help to ensure your stand is on brand is a must. It’s expensive and time consuming to go to exhibitions, so you need to make sure everything is branded correctly.
Targeting the right audience is a must. You may be speaking to an entirely different audience when you post videos on TikTok compared to Facebook, for example. You need to consider this carefully so you know who you’re speaking to each time you release content.
Being a customer-focused business in 2020 is crucial. Showing your customers how important they are to you is absolutely imperative - ask for feedback and make sure you really listen to them.
Making promises makes you look good, but keeping them is how you keep customers for life. If you make promises but don’t keep them, you won’t be seen as trustworthy. This could be as simple as being on time, offering free delivery, providing customer incentives, and promising next day delivery. If you promise next day delivery but your offering doesn’t arrive for three days, what are you going to do about it? It’s no good telling a customer ‘oh well, it happens!’ - they won’t want to work with you again.
Your customers want to feel important, so remember their names and things they have told you. Customer relationship management software can be a huge help here, and allow everybody on your team to keep track of each customer.
You are only human, so you might mess up. That’s fine - just admit it when you do. Admit it and apologise. You may need to come up with another plan if the screw up was a big one. Make sure you have a plan in place now, just in case.
The key isn't about being formal or casual, but about consistency. Your attire, and that of your team, should directly reflect the brand image you want to project. It’s about aligning your look with your business values.
Your brand voice is how you communicate everywhere. To keep it consistent, define your core message and values first. Then, apply that same tone, language, and style across your website, social media, and even in-person events like exhibitions.
Keeping promises is how you build and maintain trust. When you fail to deliver on what you've offered, whether it's a delivery time or a service guarantee, you damage your reputation and risk losing that customer for good.
Honesty is the best policy. You should admit the mistake as soon as possible, offer a sincere apology, and present a solution to fix the problem. Having a plan for these situations shows you are professional and care about your customers.
A business coaching service like Robin Waite Limited can help you clarify your brand's core values and voice. This clarity allows you to build a consistent and authentic brand identity, which is fundamental to making a strong and positive first impression every time.
