My husband and I have a group of friends that get together once a month for dinner. We rotate homes so that no one is overwhelmed. Last weekend was our turn; and so for the 2 weeks prior we spent our spare time doing a deep (and much needed) cleaning. 
While my son mumbled and complained, my husband valiantly mopped floors and dusted furniture. By the time our guests arrived our house was sparkling and ready to receive our guests.
Is your “home” ready to receive guests? It always astounds me when I go to a new client’s restaurant or shop and they proudly proclaim that they are ready to institute an aggressive plan to get more customers. Great! I’m happy, because that’s what I’m in the business of doing but when I look around I know that unless some changes are instituted, I will not be successful.
Restaurants especially, but boutiques and shops too, must be diligent about keeping their “homes” ready to receive guests. This may seem obvious, to some – if so… stop reading right now. If you’re one that thinks your home is ready, do another inspection. How is the bathroom? Is it as clean as the bathroom at home?
Is it inviting or is it the bare necessities? It’s amazing what a vase or other minor decor will do to spruce things up. How’s the baby changing station? I went into one potential clients restroom and the changing table looked like it had been handled by mechanics – dark greasy fingerprints were all over it. Wow – that’s where I want to change my baby…not.
Are the floors clean? I’ve been into places with chewing gum on the floor. Somewhat less annoying than chewing gum, are there scuff marks on the base boards or near the bottoms of counters? Are there fixtures that need to be fixed? At another clients “home”, back near the bathroom there was a fixture for a public phone. God only knows when the public phone was actually still installed there. The fixture was there, with a hole in the middle and chewing gum stuck to the surface. What is it with people and keeping their gum in their mouths? In any event, not a very appetizing sight in a restaurant.
Before spending a dime on that direct mail campaign or trying to get “all the Facebook fans that you can”. Take a minute and do an audit on your internal marketing. Presentation is half the sell.
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