Make an impression!

Whether you are a homeowner, a business owner, or both, what impression do you want your clients, friends, or family members to have when they walk into your place?  When you are disorganized and unsystematic, what impression are you giving?  Don’t we want to set the tone for them to feel valued and important?  

For example, a couple of weeks ago, I went to have my hair cut and highlighted at a salon here in Indianapolis.  I was tired, hadn’t had my coffee yet, and was not really in the mood to spend the next 2 hours thinking about all I had to do when I was finished. 

I walked in the salon, was greeted, and immediately offered a cup of coffee and bottled water (even sparkling if I wanted it!).  After my hair stylist, Erin, greeted me and took me back to where the beautifying takes place, I was much more alert (compliments of Starbucks), and starting to get in a better mood.  After the highlighting process, Erin introduced me to her assistant, Lincoln, who took me back to wash my hair.  Everything was moving like clockwork and as a bonus, I was even given a scalp and shoulder massage! 

When my hair was clean, he brought me back to Erin, who had just finished with another client, and she proceeded to cut and style my hair.  I was out of there in an hour and a half, which was much better than the two hours I expected.  On top of that, the salon was extremely clean, and everyone had been enormously friendly.

The bottom line is that I was happy because the experience exceeded my expectations and left me with the impression that I was a valued customer.  I didn’t walk in expecting to get a Starbucks coffee.  I didn’t expect that when Erin was running late that Lincoln could take over part of her job to get me out of there on time.  I also didn’t expect that the other people in the salon would be so friendly.  The impression that they left on me was that they value me as a client.  Do I want to go back to that salon?  You bet I do! 

What about your business or your home?  Do your clients or guests enter a clean, friendly, welcoming environment?  Or do they walk into chaos…papers everywhere, things on the floor, messages waiting to be answered?  If this is what they encounter, what are you advertising?  Are you telling them that you are ready and able to handle all of the information relating to their account?  If they are entering your home, is it obvious that you have too much going on to spend time with them? 

What can we do to show our customers or guests at home that we care about them and want them to keep coming back? 

First of all, we can create systems that work.  The system at my hair salon was that when people walk in, they are greeted with a smile and a Starbucks.  Another system was that when your hair stylist is running late, they call on the floating assistants to help them stay on time and keep their customers on time. 

Set up simple, inexpensive systems like a tickler file (find out more about these systems at my training session) at home or at work that keep you on track with your paperwork and to-do items.  When you do this, interruptions by unexpected guests, phone calls, vacations, breaks during the day, or work emergencies will not throw your entire day. 

Secondly, be sure to maintain your systems.  Once you have your systems set up, you have to work in time to maintain your success.  Every system requires upkeep.  If you have a simple system, it should be easy to maintain, easy for you or anyone to follow, and a natural part of your daily routine.

Finally, for systems to ultimately be successful, you and your employees need to be happy in your roles.  One way to do this, according to Jim Collins, author of Good to Great, is to make sure that you have the right people in the right seats on the bus.  Do your employees love their jobs?  Do you?  Is the reason that your employees are cheery to customers and organized at their desks because they are truly happy and fulfilled in the role they are serving for the company?  If not, maybe they (or you) need to be in a different role.  

According to Ross DeSimone, a business psychologist at CorporatePsychologicalResourceCenter in Royersford, PA, “when people feel blue, they lose energy.  When they lose energy, they do less, and then they are down on themselves and that’s a cycle.  That cycle needs to be broken, somehow.  The first thing [people] will do is clean their desk…but that doesn’t change the behavior.  In fact, organizing is about creating priorities that make sense.” 

If you would like to learn how to implement simple, easy-to-follow organizing systems in your home or office, please join me in my seminar next week.   I’d love to share with you systems that will help make your customers and guests feel valued and allow you to feel calm and ready to work when you walk into your office.