You only get one chance to make a first impression

Not true; you can get lots of chances

Perhaps it was a parent that first made the comment to you that is the title to this article. They were attempting to motivate you as you chose your clothing and made the first remarks to someone you were going to meet. The first impression was to be very important.

The same is true with your business. Britt Beemer, in the book Predatory Marketing, points out that 53% of the impression a person has of a business occurs when they first see the business. If your business is in a free standing building, this means people are noticing the signage near the road, signs on the building, your parking lot (including striping, pot holes, and lighting).

They also notice your windows and any outdated signs for events in your community.

The observation takes a different twist when we get to the inside of the business. While most are not located in a mall, our observation of people walking through a mall will provide great insight to what you can do in your business.

We take a sample group of people and ask them to walk the mall from one end to another. The first thing that will attract their attention is the lighting emanating from businesses. You will notice heads are turned toward the stores with the most light.

Of course, the displays in a store will attract attention. And music that can be heard will also help. Just don’t have the music, or that loud volume, be what you hear from the stores that appeal to a youthful shopper.

During this tour we are going to take note of the specific businesses that got heads turning their way and those businesses whose displays got our group to walk in to look around.

We will wait a couple of weeks and take the same people back to the mall to walk the same direction they did previously. During the second tour we will note which businesses will get heads to turn their way and which businesses our group will walk in to. While the rules about lights, sound and displays still apply, there will be a difference in which businesses get their attention and which businesses our group is willing to walk in to.

We will see many of the businesses that were visited on the first trip not getting the attention or a return visit on the second trip. The reason this occurs is because the business has not made any changes as to what the customer sees.

Granted, the business could have changed all kinds of product offerings within the business, but it is the displays the customer sees that is causing the rejection. The first impression display has not changed so our customer likely decides to not visit again. They have already “seen everything”.

Another example is your local grocery store. These stores pay close attention to the “lobby” or “landing pad” area that the customer sees as they first enter. Before the holiday season and the Super Bowl, you can expect to see a massive and beautiful display of merchandise – frequent a scene made of cases of soft drinks. The display is a work of art.

You definitely notice the display the first time you see it and will likely look at it on your second visit to the grocery store. After that, this display becomes something you do not look at because you have already noticed it.

If you are one that visits the grocery store twice a week and the holiday display is there for four weeks, this means that in six of the eight visits to the grocery store you are not going to notice the soft drink artwork.

With those two examples, let’s take a look at your business. Our observations made for the physical appearance of your business can also be applicable to your website.

Our customer sees a value, and an invitation, in the business working to make a good first impression. However, unlike your childhood experience, there can be multiple first impressions.

Is there an expense to making these changes? Absolutely there is. However, when you consider what it takes to get the customer to give your business a second look, you may find this to be a wise investment.

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