‘The more you see your reputation as an asset that you invest in and grow, the more you succeed.’
With our rapidly growing industry, most business owners would agree that they are always on the lookout for the ‘next best thing’ to help gain them a competitive edge over their competitors. What if we are too focused on the newest trends which our competitors will most likely pick up on soon enough – then what is left that is unique to your business? This is where the importance of having a strong sense of business ethics and professionalism could make the difference and set you apart from your biggest competitor.
Below are some examples of what may seem small and simple, but they paint a larger picture to your clients:
Neat, clean, professional dress codes;
Engaging professionally with every client; and
Qualification & experience transparency.
Having the above in place and implemented in your workplace, will portray a reliable, trustworthy, and competent image of your establishment to the public.
The best marketers for your business are your clients, they can make or break your reputation. Picture client ‘A’ being greeted by a well-groomed front-of-house receptionist who knows exactly who they are, they are then taken through by their respective service employee who has a smile and can perform their treatment more than satisfactorily. This client will most likely mention their wonderful experience to friends and family – take note of the word ‘experience’ rather than just their treatment. This gets a positive representation of the company out to multiple people.
On the other spectrum, picture client ‘B’ walking into your establishment, and being greeted by the front-of-house receptionist who is dressed sloppy and chewing gum while asking you who you are and making you aware that they cannot find your booking in their diary, you sit waiting for a period of time over your scheduled time with no update or apologies about the delay, and then going into your treatment room or chair with the treating employee needing advice and assistance from another employee on how to complete the treatment, your treatment time goes way over what was scheduled and your treatment gets rushed near the end to make up lost time.
This client will most likely go out of their way to spread the word about their experience to friends, family, and social media. This sends a negative representation of the company out to multiple people; this could potentially cause huge clientele loss or a dip in clientele growth.
To provide a customer experience similar to client ‘A’ above you should ensure you and your employees possess the same business ethics and align professional conduct, please refer to our article “Work Ethic & How to Have it” for a few steps you can take to ensure your business’ competitive edge.