WHO ARE YOU? Is your business having an identity crisis?
Do your clients know who you really are? Many businesses open their doors for the first time, and after all those months of planning, business owners jump right in full of the joys of spring desperate to get the money flowing in, rather than out! Now, there’s nothing wrong with this. Enthusiasm and passion are vital if your business is to succeed, but without a clearly defined road map of your business’ identity, you can find yourself putting out mixed messages. What does that mean?
It’s about defining just who you are. What is the personality of your business? Are you serious and professional, young and vibrant, a little of both? Who is your market, how do you relate to your customers? How do you present yourselves on a day to day basis? And, what’s more, every member of your team has to reflect the business’ persona. Customers walk through your door and from the minute they do, they develop a perception of you – and how well you will suit them. It’s not just about whether the person at the reception desks smiles at them and welcomes them in (though that is VERY important), it’s also about the subliminal messages you are putting out. The ambience of the office, every piece of written communication, every verbal dialogue MUST reflect who you are.
You can fall into the trap of having your surroundings become part of the wallpaper of your life. In other words, it’s there but you’ve stopped noticing. Are there cobwebs in the corners? Do the blinds need a good scrub? Believe me – these are things that are often overlooked. And what does it say? It says to a customer that if you can’t keep your own “house” clean and tidy, how can you look after theirs?
I was staying at a five star resort in Cairns a few months ago. They were having some real issues in terms of what they were doing. Five star says to customers – pretty damn good. Five star invariably has a high price tag so customers have a right to expect things to be absolutely spot on. There were cobwebs on the lamps in the reception area and I waited 40 minutes for a bottle of champagne to be delivered to the room You need to stop and stand back and take a good hard look at who you are and what you’re doing. You can’t afford to disappoint your customers. You will lose them and may never know why.
We can help you. At Hot Chilli Public Relations, we make YOUR business OUR business. We will come in and go over your business with a fine tooth comb and make recommendations on where you need to improve.
We can look at it without bias or any preconceived ideas. We won’t let your business become part of the wallpaper of our lives. Just call us – we’d love to help.