Image by scroy65 via Flickr

Are you low down and dirty?

HAHA, you thought I was blogging about sex shops! Nope, today’s post is about customer first impressions and dirt. Real Dirt.

I mean, if you are a slob at home, you are probably a slob at work and no matter what good reasons there are for keeping your business clean, you probably won’t get it.

But for those of you who might want to know why people might be  avoiding hanging out to do business in your place, here it goes…. I have to try…

You seriously need to clean your place of business when…

• The dust bunnies on your hardwood floors that the ceiling fans blew into the corners are looking more like snowdrifts.
• You call it fairy dust when a customer bumps into a light fixture and the bugs and dust fall out.
• The salespeople in the gift department are coming up with ways to tell the customers that the dirt is a value enhancement to the products: “That’s not grunge, that’s patina!”
• The sun-faded display items have taken on their own hues and tones and no longer match the items in stock.
• Your staff uses drug store reading glasses to use the company desktops because the brightness of the monitors seems to be fading.
• The only time you find lost objects is when a repairman moves something.
• Your break-room microwave and toaster oven is a safety hazard to use.
• You buy stronger light bulbs because you can’t understand why the walls have taken on a dingy look.
• Customers keep asking if you have a “fresh” one when they are ready to buy.
• When customers ask to use your bathroom, they are out in record time!
• (add your own in a comment…)

Appearances ARE everything

While you and your staff take on blinders, your customers still see.

And smell.

And get grossed out.

What’s the Big Deal?!

Many customers judge your way of doing business by the business environment. Oh, Yes, they DO!

And employee morale goes down when the staff gets grossed out – they see it as a lack of respect for them.

You may not see it or smell it, but others do. Hire a part-time housekeeper who does more than vacuum just the main aisle and empty the paper trash baskets. Have them do a deep clean once a month.

List daily superficial maintenance chores as part of the job description - like straightening the cash wrap, not leaving their work station until it’s organized for the next day, taking home leftovers and personal items that accumulate, etc….

Clean out that wealth area!

Maybe even get a book on Feng Shui to really make things cook in de-cluttering and make that money chi flow!

PRODUCTIVITY reigns in a positive environment! Don’t let a little dirt get in the way of better business!