I’m not sure if this has happened to you, but it seems I don’t know how to match my clothes. It may have been that I never could – but my teenage daughter has some fairly strong opinions on what I should and should not be wearing.
To be honest – I have some pretty strong opinions on what she should not be wearing, too, but that’s not really the point…
I’m not sure if what I wore decades ago was in or out, or if I had the colors right, but it did matter to me how I looked – it still does. And even more, it matters that I wear things that those I love find attractive. I’m not looking at myself much, but those that spend a lot of time with me have to look at me a lot.
What about your customers? How do you look to them? Sure – you can say it doesn’t matter how you look – that it’s what inside that counts. And you’re right. It’s also true that all day long, though, people are attracted to how we look – or make quick decisions on what to do based on how things appear. Is the line too long out front to bother going in? Are the shelves a mess, and is the place unorganized? Does the web site look like it was designed in the 90’s? Can I even read it on my phone? Why is there a picture of whatever on the wall in the lobby?
People are attracted to you or decide to move away from you every day based on the pictures they see. So, if the words are right – and what’s inside is important – it may be time to see if the outside matches. After all, if people are going to decide to be attracted to you by how you look, could how your business “dresses” attract more of your target customers toward you, while helping those that may not be quite ready for your offerings also make the right decision?