How important is a first impression? The truth is it can make or break your ability to do business. There’s a reason people perfect their handshake – it’s because others read a lot into it as well as the person offering their hand. You might not think you’re being judged, yet everyone who views your brand is doing it; only, they’re keeping their cards close to their chest.
Because you don’t want your customers to vote with their feet, it’s essential to ensure they are impressed when your name pops up in conversation. Otherwise, you won’t have a chance to generate leads, make conversions and boost your bottom line, all of which are critical assets of a successful company.
Making a positive first impression isn’t as challenging as it sounds. With the right techniques, you can encourage customers to click-through to your site and not bounce once they land. The key is to factor in the small details because they have a massive impact. Here are five of them that you should keep in mind if you want your business to be the talk of the town for all the right reasons.
Start At The Bottom
Every startup wants to walk before they can crawl and it’s dangerous. Yes, you run the risk of growing too quickly, but there is another consideration: brand loyalty. Local communities stick with the brands through thick and thin, so you need them on board, but they won’t stay loyal unless you give them a reason.
Companies that don’t focus on the local economy won’t get the backing of the grassroots. They’ll see you as too “big time” sitting above them on your pedestal. With this in mind, remember where you came from and the people who helped you get to this point. If that means giving them better discounts, then that’s what you should do to ensure they don’t get jealous.
A certified way to keep them happy is to sponsor a local event. The fact that you would offer money to help the community is a big plus in their eyes, and, from a selfish perspective, it’s excellent exposure for the brand.
Attend An Expo
A corporate exhibition is a fantastic way to increase awareness of the brand. Plus, everyone there is interested in products and services on offer so it’s easier to generate leads. Of course, it’s as easy to turn-off the audience than it is to turn them on if you make common mistakes.
These tips for attending an expo point out you only have a matter of seconds to make an excellent first impression. With that in mind, it’s imperative to focus on quality rather than quantity. As far as your expo team goes, be sure to bring the best people who are excellent communicators and put people at ease. Also, don’t forget to dress professionally.
The main thing you should concentrate on is adding value and giving them a means to follow-up their curiosity. Once you hit them with a stunning pitch, make sure the brand sticks in their mind by providing the addresses for all of your social media platforms. On top of that, you can hand out branded promotional items as they are constant reminders.
Be Polite
Customers interact with businesses regularly and expect a specific level of service. If they don’t get it, they will rank it as a bad experience and shop with one of your rivals instead. Sadly, you only get one chance to make a great first impression, which is why your tone should be eternally polite and non-threatening.
Customer service advisors that are aggressive and rude only succeed in turning off the person on the other end of the phone. Please don’t take this to mean you need to say yes to their demands all of the time because you don’t; however, you shouldn’t lose your temper. A good tactic is to explain to them why you have taken a particular measure and why you can or can’t deviate it from it.
Usually, when they get a detailed explanation, it’s easier for them to understand your motives and the pill isn’t as bitter to swallow.
due to a large order placed yesterday, we're all out of hamberders.
— Burger King (@BurgerKing) January 15, 2019
just serving hamburgers today.
Make Them Laugh
Modern marketing methods prove that you don’t have to be bland or boring to get people’s attention. If anything, playing it safe makes it tougher to stand out from the crowd and compete in a saturated market. Thanks to social media platforms, it’s never been easier or more acceptable to be playful with your company’s tone.
Reacting to current affairs with your version of events that relate to the brand is a sure-fire hit. When President Trump tweeted the typo “hamberders,” Burger King instantly tweeted that they were all out and only had hamburgers left. It’s light-hearted and witty, but it’s also an excellent example of how you don’t have to get political to grab people’s attention.
Other than laughter, you can make them recognize the intelligence of your adverts. McDonald’s is the best at it as they turn the terrible things people say about them into positives.
Train Your Company
How can you make sure all of the above is implemented across the board? The answer is simple: with training. By showing your employees how to interact, they will know what to say over the phone, on Twitter, or in public. You have the answers, so hand them out to the people that need them the most.
For training purposes, you might want to outsource the process to a specialist. Classes cost time and money so you need to ensure you don’t waste either of them because they’re company assets. Doing it yourself will cause more harm than good, which is why a partner is a smart idea and these tips can help you to find the perfect one.
Remember: tailor your outsourcer to your needs and not the other way around. Otherwise, the agreement will be pointless.
The thing you should factor in is that consumers love brands that stand out from the crowd. If you can do that, you’ll make a fantastic first impression.
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