Presentation is…
Repeat after me:
Presentation is everything.
You’re probably thinking “Duh, Rachel, I already know this”. But, do you really know this?
What’s the first thing you notice when you meet someone? Their smile? Their appearance? Their stance? Are they warm and engaging? Or…are they standoffish, disheveled or avoiding eye contact? Whether you’re just meeting a server at a restaurant, walking into a boutique for the first time or checking out a business’ site that was pushed to you on Instagram, those first few seconds of presentation (whether in-person or online) are crucial.
Why? Studies show that we humans (well, the average modern human) have the attention span that of a goldfish. A GOLDFISH! And, actually, slightly LESS of an attention span of a goldfish as seen in this image courtesy of Muck Rack. Yikes! The overload of information at our fingertips is one of the main culprits and this carries over from the digital world to the IRL world.
That stated, no matter how blunt this sounds: if your brand’s appearance isn’t up to par, you can pretty much say sayonara to new clients or customers. Of course there will be the random few exceptions, but for the most part (yes, I’m going to ingrain this into you), first impressions are everything!
Am I going to continue to check out a company who doesn’t even have a simple landing page website? Nope, I’m not. Barely anyone calls anymore – they want to see the information they need to see before committing to contacting them. Otherwise, it’s a waste of time (even if it’s just thirty seconds – remember that attention span info) to call and inquire or even worse, call and leave a message. Leave a message? Eek! If I’m in a new city and are looking for a fab lunch spot that caters to vegetarian customers, am I going to randomly pursue a restaurant that has no website or a website, but no menu listed? Mostly likely not. My time is precious and I want the best with as little time wasted as possible.
Am I going to continue with a practitioner whose office looks straight out of 1996? Heck no. That is twenty-five years ago. A quarter of a century and no updates?! Come on! With the lack of attention and care to the space, it reads as though the business isn’t making money or has no care for the environment in which they practice. Or, just has no style and style, well, equals money. If you really aren’t making any money, there are simple and inexpensive decor beautifying tricks to give the environment a fresh feel. (That would be a great journal entry…!) True story: I recently started seeing a practitioner and let me tell you – the office is straight out of 1996. Maybe even 1991. The combination of the decor with the frazzled vibe inside makes me not want to go. And their website? That’s a whole other conversation. Let’s just say…dated.
Am I going to trust a salon whose social media looks like there was no thought put into it? Me? Probably not. Visuals are HUGE for me and if the images on their IG feed aren’t cohesive or feature generic quotes snagged from Pinterest, I’ll find someone else. I understand that not everyone has an eye for design, but that’s where “beautifiers” come in. The money-making specialty parts (cuts, colors, nails, massage, etc) are left to the professional magic-makers and the final touches that take more time than the professionals have (online and in-person visuals) are left to people like me. (AKA the folks who have great attention to detail, take pride in brand cohesiveness and who strive for engagement and positive reinforcement.)
And, many times, brands/businesses don’t need a complete overhaul – they just need some expert tszuj-ing (as Carson Kressley would say)!
xo
~Rachel (your special tszuj-er)
