Image is Everything for Business

Since most people are aware that I was a small business counselor for a number of years, every once in awhile, I'll get a request to help out with problems in a local business. Sometimes, I relish the consultation because I think that I can really help them. Other times, however, I try to back out gracefully because I know there is no way to win the battle.

This was the case with a recent request. Off the top of my head I wasn't quite sure why I found myself avoiding this little business. However, after pondering the question for a while, I realized that something my mother told me growing up kept running through my head: "If you can't say something nice, keep your mouth shut." I realized that, on the surface at least, there was nothing positive I could say about the business.

I like to check out a business before I agree to consult with them. I like to "get a feel" for the business and how it operates. In most instances I am able to avoid making snap judgments based on any singular attribute like location, layout, color scheme, display, etc. However, I generally do know right away whether or not I feel good or bad about what I see on the surface.

The vibes I got from the business in question were not what I hoped for. I suspect this had everything to do with my decision to run. I was, in fact, totally turned off by the business's image.

No business, no matter how large or small, can afford a haphazard, thrown together image. Unfortunately, that is exactly what I saw when I visited the business in question. That begs the question: Do I pretend that everything is "hunk dory" when I make my official visit or do I risk hurting my client's feelings right off the bat? I suspect this is one of those lose:lose scenarios that a lot of business consultants try so hard to avoid.

As a small business counselor for many years, I am aware that image is one of those areas that many new businesses do poorly. For some reason, emerging businesses seem to be of the opinion that image is something that only big business can afford to be concerned with. Let me set the record straight. That concept is not only wrong, it is seriously shortsighted.

If anything, small business must be even more concerned about their image than their larger competitors. In most instances they are attempting to break into an existing market base; not establish a new one. In order to get the customer's attention so that he or she will even walk through the door, the business must make a positive impression. How is that done? With image!

One of the most important parts of marketing is, in fact, image development. It starts with things like business signage, the business card, the company letterhead, and with advertising pieces like flyers, brochures, and more. Everything is important with regard to developing a proper image; logo, logotype, color, content, use of space and more.

I use to spend a lot of time with my small business customers in developing the proper image. Then we spent even more time making certain to maintain the image we developed. Why? Because image is everything! It isn't something that business can afford to guess about nor is it something with which business can afford to be wrong.

Customers, whether we mean to or not, make snap judgments about a business's image. Let me give you an example that might bring this into perspective.

I love dollar stores. I find that I can purchase a lot of the things that I need for my family there, under one roof. Here on the Virginia Peninsula, we have several such stores: Dollar Tree, Dollar Stop, 2 Chicks Gifts & Treasures and others. However, I essential only shop two of these choices. Why?

It is not because some of these stores are more expensive, obviously. They are all dollar stores. It's not because the employees are any friendlier at one place or another or because the quality of the merchandise is better at one or another. They are pretty equal. The difference lies in the image.

Dollar Tree and 2 Chicks are brightly lit, clean, well organize, and well stocked stores with a clear-cut attention to detail. The others are dark, somewhat dingy (and a couple are down right dirty), poorly organized, and badly stocked stores that appear not to care much one way or the other. What does that mean?

It means that Dollar Tree and 2 Chicks want their customers to feel comfortable. They want them to feel safe. They want them to be able to find what they are looking for, when they are looking for it. They pay careful attention to every single detail because they value their customers' business. The other stores have an image that basically says "we don't give a hoot!"

So back to my turn down of the business seeking my free consultation services. Why did I say no to them? It's simple. Their store sign is a painted piece of pressed board on which they hand lettered their company name poorly. The inside of the store is dark and dimly lit. The walls are dingy and in bad need of a fresh coat of paint. There are buckets stationed throughout the store to catch the rain that drips through a damaged roof. Ceiling tiles are half falling or all the way out of the ceiling. Need I go on? Okay, I will.

When I entered the store there was no one inside. I found out later that they were out back having a cigarette. It was a full 10 minutes before anyone checked inside to see whether a customer might be inside. The price list was hand written on paper and then copied so many times that it was barely readable. Not all items in the store were marked with a price. In fact, when I asked the clerk about the cost of one item, I got the response "I don't know. You'll have to come back on Wednesday when the owner is here."

That is just the tip of the iceberg. I could go on for hours. In short, the image of this company was so poor that it would take a complete overhaul from the bottom up. Since I suspected that the owner wasn't ready for such a major change, I felt it better to decline my help than upset her with so much negative. In reality, I sincerely doubted that she really wanted to hear what I had to say; but that's another story.

I learned one important thing from the store clerk when I was there. It was this: "You're the first customer we've had all week." Enough said!

Image is everything. It kind of goes in line with the concept "Fake it until you make it!" There is truth to that statement. Trust me.