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Source: Lorraine Pirihi is Australia’s No.1 Productivity Coach and a dynamic speaker to help anyone in business get organized, get focused and on track.

Your image can help win your business – or cause you to lose it.

What image do you and your people portray to your clients? Here is a situation that happened to me recently, and hopefully you will glean useful small business ideas that will make you money instead of losing it.

When I noticed that two well known blind companies were advertising 35 per cent off their blinds, I decided to give them a call… and it was an interesting experience.

COMPANY A

The representative from this company turned up on time, which in itself is a big bonus. She was dressed in a professional way and was very efficient in her manner. I knew what I wanted and all Mary had to do was take measurements and provide the quote. She was extremely helpful and pleasant to deal with. I asked Mary to call me in a couple of days as I had also arranged for another company to quote. “No problem,” she said. “I’ll ring you then.”

COMPANY B

This sales representative turned up 15 minutes early, which is very unusual. I do not mind people arriving a few minutes early than the agreed time, but 15 minute is a bit too early. He should have rung first to see if it was okay.

John was obliviously a smoker because the smell wafted through my front door before he walked in. that really put me off. Not only that, he was unshaven and dressed in a sloppy manner. He looked like he had just got out of bed, got dressed, had a smoke and turned up at my house.

Maybe, I should not have been so quick to judge him; however, his image gave me the perception that the company must be very unprofessional to have people like him representing it.

John had no sooner walked through the door, when his mobile phone rang. Instead of switching it off, he answered it and had a conversation for a couple of minutes from someone from his company. I thought this was rude. Was it not more important to focus his attention on this potential sale? He could have checked his phone when he left.

John took measurements for the blinds and provided a quote which, compared to Mary’s was $600 (RM2,040) cheaper. It appeared he had not included one of the measurements – which were why his quote was so much cheaper.

However, I did not bother ringing him to find out if this was why his price was much better than Mary’s. I had already decided that if he was a slob, then the company he worked for probably supplied shoddy blinds.

Whether that is true or not does not matter because that is the perception I had about the company.

What image does you and your people portray?

Image is very important. People judge other people by the way they look and behave. Do you dress appropriately for you role? Does your staff do the same?

Do you portray a professional image? Does it instill confidence, trust and reliability? Image is not just about the physical aspect of a person. The environment you work and live in also says a lot about you. So does the vehicle you drive.

For instance, a cluttered environment gives the impression of a chaos, a lack organisation and sloppiness. A clean and tidy area portrays harmony and control.

Small Business Ideas To Ponder

• Do you and your staff dress appropriately?
• How is the telephone answered?
• Is your environment uncluttered or does it looks like an earthquake zone?
• Is your signage clean and appropriate for your business?
• Your car cleans on the inside and outside?
• Is your home clean and tidy?

The Final Word

So take stock today. Look at yourself first. If you are a manager, business owner or team leader, assess your own people and the environment and see what can be improved, then take action.

You only get one chance to make a great first impression. And it is that encounter which can make the difference between gaining business and losing it.

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