2009.06.18 23:19:32

John McDaniel

You only get one chance to make a first impression.  I am guessing you’ve heard that before, right?  How does this impact the management of your office?  In what ways are you managing your patients’ first impressions?

In my experience, impression management is underrated and under emphasized.  If you doubt the seriousness of the impact of first impressions I direct you to Malcolm Gladwell’s book “Blink” and Michael Levine’s “Broken Windows, Broken Business.”  Or you can take my word for it and do this to get your thinking right on the importance of impression management:

1. Determine the level of importance you think first impressions have on your practice
2. Now double that importance
3. If you are not motivated to make immediate changes from this analysis, double it again

The purpose of this blog is to call attention to a few types of first impressions that many practices seem to neglect or consider less important.  These areas are the front door, the business sign, the parking lot, the landscaping around the building, and the reception area.  Below are a few thoughts on each of these critical areas.

The front door of most businesses is one of the most overlooked aspects of the physical plant.  In most cases, every customer walks through this to access the business, yet very little thought is given to the door and its condition.  Take one day a year and have the staff and yourself look at the door.  Consider a new door.  At the very least, keep the door clean and representative of the atmosphere you are aiming for.  Realize that the door has to be more than “just OK.”

Signs are more expensive than people expect.  This leads to some bad decisions regarding signage; specifically doing signs on the cheap.  Realize that the only people that do not use the sign to identify your business from the road are the already established customers.  Every single new patient is highly likely to see your sign before anything else related to your business.  Pay the extra money to have the best signage you can – it is worth it.

Your parking lot can make or break your business.  I am not exaggerating for effect or being flippant when I write that statement; it is a fact.  All patients that come to your office will use the parking facilities.  To them the parking lot is your lot.  Is it clean?  Is it kept up?  How convenient is it to get in and out of the lot and the individual spaces?  Is there more than enough parking for your busiest day of the decade?  Is it easy to find the parking spaces for your practice?  Parking lots are one of the top 3 issues for consideration when choosing a location for a business.

The landscaping (the hard and soft-scapes) for most offices fall into one of three categories: terrible, non-descript, or slightly above average.  All three assessments are unacceptable.  This is an opportunity to distinguish your practice from all other businesses and not just other practices.  Most towns/cities have a business that has a pond with fish, an outdoor seating area, or some other notable exterior feature.  Consider using the landscape to distinguish from the pack.  At the very least, landscape so people perceive something different and positive as they approach the building.

The reception area sets the tone for the entire internal experience in the practice.  Most reception areas in most office look OK and are utilitarian in their design.  That is fine for the reception area of a cheese sciences lab but not for a health care practice.  All of the senses should be considered when designing (or redesigning) the reception area.  The look should reflect the vision of the practice.  The smell should be inviting and pleasant.  The sounds should be relaxed and not chaotic.  The feel should be warm, cozy and comfortable.  Consider offering a way for the area to taste great as well, such as coffee or mints.  Reinvent the reception experience in your office and you will be rewarded down the road.

Le Meas,

John G. McDaniel, OD, MLHR
President/Founder
Waugoo Consulting Group, LLC
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first impressions | branding | marketing | office appearance | image management