JCArticles

The absolute foundation of your small business is your image. The way potential clients and/or customers perceive your business sets the stage for the way your product or service is recognized and ultimately judged. Image is everything and it will affect your business either positively or negatively.

What do you want people to think about when they see your image? When they see your logo, business card, brochure or website, what will they think? Cheap? Expensive? Professional? Successful? Expert? Amateur? Failure?

It doesn't matter if you have been in business six years or six days, the failure to recognize just how important your image is and just how much people will judge you based on that image, is a huge mistake. It is a mistake that will have a lasting impact on the long-term success of your small business.

People's perception tends to become their reality. How much do you charge? Is your product or service the best? Would people be crazy not to do business with you? Are you the most experienced and most qualified professional in your industry?

Does your image convey this? Does it say, "we are the best and we pay attention to detail..." or does it say "we are the cheapest in town and just throw things together at the last minute"? Does your image convey your professionalism and expertise? Or, does it say, "we don't stand out, we are like everyone else, we are a commodity to be passed over"?

I run across small businesses on a daily basis, that give absolutely no regard or consideration to what their image is saying. You've seen them too...they threw together a font with some clip art ripped from the Internet and call it a logo. Their brochure is printed with an ink jet printer on cheap paper templates bought at Office Depot