It doesn't matter what business we are in, however in my opinion we are in the business of building relationships. But before those relationships can be forged, people have a "nasty" habit of judging people by what they see and hear. So:
When people arrive at your place of business what do they see?
* Can they look at your signage and know they have reached the right place?
* Can they get in easily enough or does it take a genius to know which door amongst dozens of other options which one is yours?
* What does your reception look like?
* What does your receptionist look like?
* Are they greeted with a smile?
* Are they greeted at all or are they told to sit and wait and someone will be out shortly
* Are they offered refreshments?
* What sort?
* Have they been before - is the service consistent?
* What about the surroundings? Is the waiting room dingy, is the paint peeling off the walls, or is it light and airy and welcoming?
* What about the people who work at your place of business? Are they dressed well, have a warm and welcoming smile and are pleased to be there? What about you - the business owner?
* Are you dressed to impress or distress your visitors?
* How do you sound? Are you bored, pleased or annoyed at the distractions and visitors?
But what if your business is mainly telephone based - does it matter what you look like? Only to yourself - and it is entirely up to you if you want to sit in your undies at home and answer your sales calls - but how do you sound? You can tell an awful lot about the tone and timbre of a person's voice. Record yourself if you have to, but make sure you don't put people off with your bored tone of voice.
What about your online presence?
* Your website - is it easy to do business with you or is it soooo busy you can't work out from the mish mash of colours, fonts and whirring wotnots what you want people to do?
* What about your social presence - are you consistent with your message? One very big hint regarding social media - people don't want to be "sold" they find social spamming to be just as annoying as email spam - so the rule of thumb is 1 "sales" message to every 50 no-sales message you send out.
* Make sure the people on your facebook pages or tweet streams are enhancing not distracting from your business. If they're not, ask them politely to raise their game... if all else fails - hide their news feeds or if you feel you must - remove them completely.
What about your home?
What do people see when they walk through your door? I had this discussion with my teenagers again last night - my back door opens directly onto the kitchen and directly in front is the sink ... thanks goodness my clients don't make house calls - especially last night. I wouldn't mind but school / TAFE is closed for the Easter break, so it's not like they don't have the time...
* When was the last time you looked at your business through the eyes of the people who arrive there?
* Is it time to do so again?
* Is it time to raise your game?
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