Imagine that you are visiting a professional firm for the first time.
You tell yourself this is going to be the year when you really hold the line on fees.
Old Reliable, LLP has been the firm you’ve hired for 10 years now, and for the most part, you guess they are doing a good job.
Nevertheless, your banker has made an appointment for you with Steve Bennett at Likem & Trustem whom he recommends highly.
You’ve assembled all of the materials that you think you need for your 9:00 A.M. meeting with Steve at Likem & Trustem’s offices.
The materials checklist Steve sent you was really helpful and you have everything that the list indicated you needed.
By the time you arrive, it’s 8:50 A.M. You’re actually early for your appointment (no thanks to the weather) and the directions that Steve emailed to you yesterday sure helped.
Come to think of it, you hadn’t asked for the directions, Steve had just called to confirm the appointment and offered to send the map.
First Impressions: Felling Welcome
As you step off of the elevator, you find yourself in a comfortable area that looks a lot like a large living room.
The receptionist is currently on the phone, but another person comes out from around the counter and is walking toward you. “Good morning, Mr. Smith,” she says with a smile, “I’m Susan Jones, the Director of First Impressions here. May I take your coat?”
“Can I get you something to drink?” We have both regular and decaffeinated coffee (so that’s what you smell!) or tea, bottled water, and soft drinks.”
“Good morning, Mr. Smith,” the receptionist says as the hangs up the phone, “I’ll let Mr. Bennett know that you’re here.”
You notice that there are several issues of today’s Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and some materials on Likem & Trustem. You dig into an interesting article.
As you wait for your 9 A.M. appointment, you can’t quite keep yourself from observing what is going on around you.
Visitors are called by name, coats disappear onto sturdy hangers, refreshments are served, and soft music continues to play in the background.
About halfway through your article, Steve comes out to greet you. As he leads you back toward the conference rooms, Susan asks you if you were able to finish the article you were reading. She tells you that on your way out, she’ll a copy of it waiting to take with you.
Winding up
The next time you walk into your office, come in as if you were a prospect. What image is your receptionist presenting?
Your reception area? What have you done to prepare visitors ahead of time to have a positive experience?
If you’re not satisfied with the answers, think about inexpensive ways to improving the situation.
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