It takes less than one minute for a potential client, investor, or employee to size up your business, and the effects of this first moment of contact are lasting. For instance, one survey found that 66% of consumers would not give a business a second chance after a bad first impression.
Some of these impressions are beyond your control. For instance, if you are a young startup founder, your youth may work against you, as investors may assume you don’t have the experience and know-how it takes to take your idea beyond the conceptual stage. Of course, you can work hard to gain the trust and confidence of influential individuals, but it is vital to do all that is within your power to make first impressions work for you.
Start With the Basics: Keep Your Premises Clean and Tidy
Studies have shown that consumers are interested in doing business with service providers whose attire is clean and neat. The same applies to your premises. Offices that are messy, disorganized and poorly designed in terms of functionality can all lead customers to lose trust and faith in your business. All areas that are accessible by clients should be impeccable.
Consider that your client may ask to see your garden or terrace if they want a little fresh air, or that they may ask to go to your bathroom. These areas should be clean, sanitized, and fragrant. Exteriors such as sidewalks, parking lots, and walkways may need pressure washing, as these areas can collect oil, dirt, and grime from vehicles and city pollution. Your building’s walls should also be clean and free of humidity marks and cracked paint.
Embrace Current Interior Design Trends
Make sure your interiors reflect the modernity and vision of your company. One trend that is dominating the world of interiors is that of nature-based design.
Its key elements include natural lighting, interior plants, natural and sustainable materials for flooring and furniture, and nature-inspired décor details. Many companies are using vertical “living, green walls” to divide spaces instead of traditional transparent cubicles.
Business owners must keep up with interior design trends. However, trendy workplace interior and exterior designs cost a lot of money. If you don’t have enough money yet, you may try coworking at Brick House Blue to get a complete office with competent in-house teams to handle all your business needs. It has industrial and modern interior design themes that will surely increase your company’s reputation.
Be Ready for Change
Dress codes have always been seen as an important part of ensuring your company gives a good first impression, but you should also be ready for change. In many businesses, management is calling staff back to the office after over two years of remote work and some experts are questioning if it’s time to change the way we work, opting for a more comfortable look.
As far back as 2019, Goldman Sachs decided to relax its formal dress code to promote a more casual environment and to offer staff flexibility. Authenticity and personal expression are also becoming essential at work, so make sure your company is evolving in accordance with your employees’ needs. The digital world now rules so ask yourself if it really is necessary for your employees to dress in tailored pants when they don’t see clients face-to-face.
If you are in doubt about which dress code to go for, check the websites and Instagram sites of your competitors and check out the swag on their staff.
Ensure Your Website and Social Media Channels Reflect the Excellence of Your Startup
An impressive 93% of marketers worldwide rely on social media for their business. Doing so is key in this day and age since around 97% of consumers use social media at least once a month. Channels like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook are no longer of interest simply because of their content, but also because they are vital sources of product and service information.
Presenting your website in a sophisticated, professional manner is also key. Invest time in SEO tools and software, spend time creating cracking content that will prove authentically useful to your target market, and prioritize professional photography and videos so that all content uploaded is slick and professional looking.
You have just seconds to capture your customers’ attention. Ensure your business premises are spick and span and establish a dress code for staff. Invest in basics like cleaning, as well as a well-planned SEO strategy that will enable target clients to find you in a flash online.
