Is it worth investing in your business’ exterior appearance? The short answer is “yes” as you can assume your storefront is the face of your company and leaves the first impression on every customer that interacts with it.
For dramatization, let's just do a thought experiment really quick:
There are two businesses sitting across the street from each other, they do similar things, they offer similar products and services.
As you pull up, the first one is difficult to park in because the parking lot striping is so faded you can't see it. You get out and there are cigarette butts, leaves and litter everywhere. As you walk up you notice the tattered furniture on the patio sitting askew which is picture framed by crusty, peeling paint on the walls and windows that are covered in dirt and a white haze. The sidewalk as you approach is discolored and falling apart with mold and mildew making it slippery to walk on. You then get to the glass front door whose handles are discolored black from lack of cleaning and who's glass is completely covered in fingerprints
You drive across the street to the other business with an icky feeling, but there you have no problem parking on the perfect black top with fluorescent yellow striping. The parking lot is spotless, even the areas behind the concrete parking lot stoppers have been cleared of debris. You then notice the crisp and well-maintained furniture that is oriented symmetrically across the patio area set against walls that are painted so meticulously that you would think they were pieces of art. You can hardly even see the windows because they are so clear they don't appear to even exist; you can only see inside to an interior that matches the level of quality shone outside. As you walk up the sidewalk it is perfectly uniform in its color and perfectly maintained for appearance and safety. You walk up to the front door and its pristinely clean handles and clean glass door.
Very few customer-facing storefronts can get away with a sloppy appearance. Potential customers will judge your business by its maintenance. Things that have to be kept in mind are window cleaning, landscaping, exterior paint, groundskeeping, litter removal, good striping and sealing on your parking lot, and keeping any exterior furniture in good repair just to name a few. A failure at any one of these points can make a bad impression on potential customers and grate on the customers that are already loyal.
Of all of the listed, the cheapest first steps are landscaping, basic groundskeeping, litter removal, and window cleaning. These will get you 80% of the results with 20% of the budget. Exterior painting, parking lot striping and new furniture shouldn't be forgotten about, but they can be considerably more expensive. As your business gains traction, these more expensive needs can be addressed and budgeted for.
In the "bad example" the impression someone will normally get is that there is little care given to the comfort of the customer. If you care so little for your own property, the logic follows that a customer cannot assume that they will be taken care of by the staff or the services offered. This is an unfair assessment on the side of the customer, much like the old saying “clothing does not make a man”, the exterior of your business does not define your commitment to service. But in most of life, appearances will communicate more to people than your words. When words and actions don't align, people believe actions.
Sadly, your competition can offer lower quality services or products and get away with it if they know how to present their company better than you. Quality must be expressed in all facets of business if a customer or client is going to see you as exceptional. Don’t let your appearance undermine all the things you are doing right.
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