NFIB

Why Image Matters
01/ 08/ 2003

by Shannon Scully

If you're like most small business owners, you don't have an in-house staff of marketing specialists. Serving customers, paying bills and sorting through mail is probably higher on your list than "fluff" items like considering what people think about your business. But image may be more important to your bottom line than you think.

Big businesses certainly think so. Ninety-four percent of CEOs believe "corporate reputation is critical to achieving their strategic business objectives," according to a recent survey by public relations firm Hill & Knowlton.

Competing against a national chain that's invested millions in brand building may seem daunting. But images aren't created through ad dollars alone. In a small business, image is established by the way the owner and employees interact with customers and the community every day.

Everything from your store's appearance to the way your employees dress and even how you're involved in local activities contributes to how customers perceive your business. On the following pages, you'll learn about small business owners who get it--entrepreneurs who invested time and money into polishing their image. They'll tell you the payoff is worth it. They'll tell you why image matters.

What's the first thought you'd want a customer to have about your business? Maybe it's that you've got a clean store, a friendly staff, quality products or that you're involved in the community. So what are you doing to promote that image?

The Company
The Wills Company Inc.
Residential remodeling and repair
Nashville, Tenn.

The Image Challenge
Battling negative industry stereotypes

The Solution
Don't expect to find cigarette butts littering the job site of one of The Wills Company's remodeling projects. You won't hear music blaring from trucks parked in the front yard either. That's because the owners of this 18-employee company require subcontractors to follow a few policies, which they spell out on signs placed in the yards of houses they're remodeling.

"We're working in people's homes, so it's important we treat them well," says co-owner Ridley Wills, who admits contractors constantly fight negative stereotypes.

The job-site policy signs started as a way to help managers enforce the rules that address everything from worker appearance to daily litter removal. A bonus has been the recognition gained by passersby.

"For our clients, the rules are what set us apart. For their neighbors, it's a great marketing tool," says Wills, who owns the 11-year-old company along with partner Wendell Harmer.

Happy customers come back, and 40 percent of The Wills Company's jobs are repeat clients or referrals.

"If you show up to do a job with guys who don't care about being professional, you may do well on that job, but the next one won't come as easily," says Harmer, who trains workers to pick up the newspaper in the driveway when they arrive at a client's house each morning. "It costs money to provide professional service, but our clients are comfortable with us. They come back, and the repeat business keeps us going."

He and Wills focus constantly on how others see their company. They even read their mission statement out loud before each week's staff meeting. When Wills noticed recently that workers were wearing hats from other companies because they liked the way they fit, he went out and bought similar hats with their company's logo.

"Everything we do says something about our company," says Wills, who gives employees gift certificates when he notices a job done well.

The Company
AE Door and Window
Retail seller of garage doors and windows
Dayton, Ohio

The Image Challenge
Promoting concept of locally owned business

The Solution
Bill Weber never intended to become a local celebrity. When the Cincinnati-based businessman started selling garage doors out of his back yard in 1980, he didn't just promote his new company, he marketed himself as well.

"I wanted customers to know there was a real person behind the business. I got in all the TV and radio ads so that people would associate Bill Weber with AE Door Sales," says Weber, who named the 75-employee company after his daughters, Amy and Erin.

When they were younger, Weber's daughters starred in countless commercials for the family business. Amy and Erin gained such recognition that as adults, they now have a regular recipe column in a local Cincinnati magazine.

"People come up to them all the time and say, `Hey, you're the girl on TV from the door company,' " says Weber.

But TV spots aren't the only place to promote the fact that your business is locally owned. Participating in local events serves the same purpose. For more than 20 years, Weber has been a fixture in his community.

As a small business owner, you know well that you don't leave your business behind when you lock the door at night. You're the face of your small business everywhere you go--the grocery store, the movie theater or the ballpark. Take advantage of living where you work by getting involved in your community.

"It's more than buying radio ads," says Weber, who serves as a broadcaster for the local high school football game on Friday nights. "Our company is connected to the town, because people feel like they know our family. Promoting the family-owned image has been good for business."

The Company
Quality Candy Shoppes/Buddy Squirrel of Wisconsin Inc.
Candy and snack mix manufacturer and retailer
Milwaukee, Wis.

The Image Challenge
Updating product packaging

The Solution
Margaret Gile's family started making candy in 1916. But tasty as the product was, its packaging wasn't as appetizing. When the 250-employee company recently expanded its wholesale division, Gile knew the 40-year-old packaging had to change.

"Brokers loved the product, but couldn't sell the packaging," says Gile, a third-generation candymaker. "I knew they were right. We were trying to move into the gift marketplace, and our packaging didn't reflect an upscale, finished look."

The company's generic black-and-white boxes were fine for the wholesale candy industry years ago. But now, more retail candy sellers want the option of selling chocolate directly to the public, without having to repackage it. To be successful in the upscale candy industry, Gile's candy had to look as fancy as it tasted.

The decision to update the exterior wrapper and boxes wasn't a new one.

"It's something we've talked about for the last 10 years, but it was always put on the backburner because something more important came up," says Gile. " Our dollars were spent in areas where we could improve efficiency. Our packaging didn't get any complaints."

Many small business owners may share similar scenarios: Why invest money in an area of your business that doesn't demand it?

To stay competitive, small businesses can't appear small-time. Consumers may trust locally owned companies more than national chains, but they still want the most modern products and services.

Top-notch ingredients made Quality Candy taste good, but outdated packaging kept it from selling.

"I felt confident that this was the year to make a change," says Gile. "Biting the bullet and updating our packaging was very important to sustaining growth."

The Company
Mantra Public Relations
Full-service public relations firm
New York City, N.Y.

The Image Challenge
Creating a Culture

The Solution
Gaye Carleton felt her three-person PR firm was out of fizz a few years ago.

"I couldn't put my finger on it, but I felt like our spirit wasn't as strong as it needed to be," says Carleton, who started the Manhattan-based company in 1987.

Though Carleton and Company enjoyed the reputation of successful brand promoters, the company's founder knew something was missing. So in August 2001, Carleton did what few would have the nerve to try: She renamed the company she'd spent 14 years establishing.

"It's very hard to glean anything about a company based on its founder's name," says Carleton, whose own research revealed that 96 percent of public relations firms are named after their owners. "As much as I loved the name, Carleton and Company didn't mean much to the rest of the world."

Hoping to infuse a new spirit into her company, Carleton renamed her namesake Mantra Public Relations. The sign on the door wasn't the only change.

"We changed our logo, feng shui-ed our office and renewed our commitment to take business personally," says Carleton, who admits the change was "somewhat scary."

But new letterhead doesn't automatically give you and your employees a renewed zest for business.

"You can't just change your logo and expect everything else to follow," says Carleton. "There's got to be a commitment to totally overhaul the philosophy you communicate through your employees, your environment, your product and how you do business with others."

Size alone makes it easier for small businesses to revive their internal culture. You don't need sign-off from a chain of command if you want a new logo. Like Carleton, you're the ultimate decision-maker.

"Our clients went along with the name change and liked the idea of renewed energy. People stay with you if you provide good service."

The Company
BikeKraft
Retail bike shop
Grants Pass, Ore.

The Image Challenge
Establishing a Professional Atmosphere

The Solution
Appearance wasn't important to the former owner of Richard and Kathleen Amneus' bike shop in Grants Pass, Ore.

"The store looked like it was stuck in the 1970s when we bought it in 1992," says Kathleen, co-owner of BikeKraft. "We completely overhauled it--inside and out. We breathed new life into it, and then advertised so people would know about the new ownership."

The project wasn't cheap, but you can't expect customers to shop at a rundown store, says Kathleen, who regularly pulls weeds in the parking lot and just repainted the front door.

Sales have doubled in the 10 years since they took the handles, and though clean floors aren't the only factor in that kind of growth, the Amneuses admit the enhanced atmosphere helped. "It's easier to shop when items are pleasantly displayed in a well-lit store," says Kathleen.

Her penchant for professionalism has sparked disagreements with younger employees over the type of music played in the store. "A grandmother who comes in to buy her grandchild his first set of training wheels doesn't want to hear ACDC playing in the background," says Kathleen.

But atmosphere isn't just about physical appearance. Spotless stores are worth little, unless you fill them with professional employees, says Richard.

"We put a huge emphasis on training people to sell," he says. Three of the five employees were originally customers, so they understand the products. "It doesn't work if they don't ride," says Kathleen.

Feeling closer to employees and customers is an advantage small business owners enjoy over the big chains. But familiarity shouldn't interfere with professionalism. Don't discount the importance of tidy reception areas, proper phone etiquette and professional business attire.

"You won't have much luck selling high-end products in a dirty store," says Kathleen.

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This article originally appeared in the December/January 2003 issue of MyBusiness magazine.

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