Did you know that Harvard Business School recently revised their message that it is not now 7 seconds to make a great impression but only 2 seconds?
Yes, that is right. 2 seconds to make a great first impression when someone meets you for the first time.
So, how would someone describe your business image? And more importantly how would you like your business image to be perceived?
Perception is Reality
Exercise 1 for you today:
Write down what you want to be known for and how you would like to be perceived.
Once you have done this, here is Exercise 2 for you to do:
We are going to pretend that you are going into work for the first time. You are taking part in the TV Show “Back to the Floor” or “Undercover Boss”.
Drive into work and park your car as if you were a visitor to the office for the first time. Look around and note what you see. How tidy is the outside? What signs do you see? Is it clear where someone must go?
When you walk into the office, what is the welcome like? What does the office layout portray and what do the desks look like?
Go through your marketing material, your emails, your social media – what do they say about your company?
Is the business image congruent with your vision and your mission statements?
Once you have completed Exercise 2, compare this to Exercise 1 and how you wanted to be perceived.
Do they match, or do you have to put a strategy or a plan in place to tweak or change your business image to be portrayed as you would like it to be?