Spring is right around the corner, and that can be a great thing for your small or local business. With more inviting weather, your customers may be more apt to pay your business a visit, and you can help make your business a bit more inviting with some springtime maintenance. We wanted to give your business a few tips on where you can sharpen up this spring to make your business more professional and welcoming for your customers.
The Basics
When customers see the outside of your business on a fresh spring day, the first thing that they will notice is the landscaping. Having a neat and tidy lawn that’s fresh cut and a healthy shade of green is a great place to start, whether you maintain your lawn yourself or hire a professional. The first few times you mow in the spring though, it should be done right, with the applications of weed killers and/or fertilizers if they are necessary. It’s also important that you don’t cut more than ⅓ of the blades on your grass in the first cut of the season, because it could increase the chance of weeds showing up later on. It’s important that your outdoor landscaping is planned appropriately, and that you take your time when deciding how you want your outdoor areas to look. If you rush into your landscaping, you may end up with a tree or shrub that you may think is a bad look later on, and repairing the work takes even more time than the initial setup or maintenance. So take your time, or hire a professional.
An Extra Touch of Pizzaz
Now that your landscaping has given off a great first impression, it’s time to focus on the rest of your building’s exterior. Your patio, deck, stairs, and/or foyer should all be very welcoming as well. During the spring, the days are warm, so if you have anything that could use a fresh coat of paint, then now is the time. The entrance to your business should be an extension of what it’s like on the inside, so it could also speak to your business’ brand or message with the use of signs or themed designs. Whatever you decide to go with, make sure it is clear when you are and are not open for business on the outside, make it easy for them to welcome themselves inside.
Events or Specials
Another thing you could do to attract your customers to your business is to host community events! At our insurance agency we do this by hosting a flag day barbeque called Flags from Paradiso. At our event, we host a barbeque, and also offer our customers brand new American flags in exchange for their old ones. It’s a great way for us to not only bring the community together, but also bring our customers to our business and get them talking. You could host a barbeque like we do, or a giveaway, or something similar. You could also have specials, such as a spring time special or a spring cleaning themed special, and use eye catching signs to advertise your event or special close to the entrance of your business. Whatever you decide to do, make sure it’s something that will allow you to connect with your customers, and something you’d enjoy yourself as well!
The Customer’s First Step into your Business
By the time your customer makes their first step into your company, they should feel welcome, and the atmosphere should be positive and relaxing. The attitude of your company starts with your staff, and something that we constantly stress with our staff is to smile to everyone they greet, and offer help wherever it is needed. It should be easy and/or convenient for your customers to find what they are looking for or get solutions to their problems, so make their needs a first priority. You could also keep some business cards up on your front desk or somewhere in the waiting room as well. Also, your office’s entrance is a great place for you to give out “freebies.” You could have something like a candy dish at the front desk, company calendars available for handing out, or anything else you could think of that your customers would enjoy.
Interior Design
The way your company looks on the inside also sends a message to your customers about the attitude of your business. How you design your company can speak to your brand, your company’s core message, or the overall vibe of the customer experience within your business. We’ve used bright and welcoming colors to decorate our insurance agency, and we have conversational furniture in our waiting room, including a couch for our customers to relax on while they wait for their insurance agent. After the customer is helped out, they’ll have a chance to take a look around. A great way to display your company’s core messages or brand is to have custom artwork on display that speaks to your brand or core values. We actually have a custom piece of art that depicts the heart of our town from the 1800’s, and our customers love to see how it used to look back in the day versus how far we’ve come as a town today. If you’re not interested in taking the artsy route, you could try something like a company bulletin board, where you allow your customers to post their upcoming events. You could also use a bulletin board as a photo collage for pictures you take of your staff and happy customers together! If your customers see the bulletin board, they’ll want to get on too, and that’s great exposure for your business.
A Relaxing Environment
The last thing you may want to think about is the overall atmosphere or vibe of your business’ environment. If it’s appropriate for your business, you could have some music playing for your customers. For something like a salon, it could be a little more loud or upbeat, while something like a chiropractor’s office might have some chilled out or relaxing music playing quietly in the background, but ultimately that’s up to you. If you don’t have music playing, you should aim to keep the overall noise level to a minimum, because it’s more relaxing and welcoming for people walking in the door. You could also have a coffee setup in your waiting room for your customers, or any other accommodations you can think of that will make them feel at home. Other than that, be sure to keep your restrooms clean and tidy, because otherwise, it could scare your customers off! Remember, whatever you decide to do for your business, making your customers feel warm, welcome, and appreciated is the bottom line. Best of luck with getting your businesses ready for the spring, and remember, if you need help with a Connecticut business insurance policy , you can always call any of our professional insurance agents at any time.