How are your lightbulbs?

rebeccakepple

There's an old joke - how many business owners does it take to change a light bulb? None, they are too busy to change a light bulb.

And while it's kind of funny in an ironic sort of way, it's also true.

When was the last time you looked up to check if all the bulbs in your ceiling are working? Or looked around to see how bright it is in your reception area?

Having enough light is critical to sales. Especially in areas like your reception and your retail space. If clients are having to squint to see something, they probably aren't going to bother picking it up to look properly, which means they lose interest and you lose the sale.

I've heard it said that you can increase sales by 16% just by changing your light bulbs to brighter ones. Personally I think that 16% is probably a stretch too far but I bet that if you change your light bulbs your sales will increase by at least a few percent.

Even if you are mobile, you still need to look at your workspaces. If you have to treat clients in a poorly lit area, make sure to take a good portable lamp with you. Unless you are doing a relaxation treatment, you need to see what you are doing! If your clients think you can't see properly and they don't see you taking steps to rectify this, they might think you don't care. Being labelled as someone who doesn't care is a sure fire way to lose that client. Whether you think you need more lighting or not, make sure your client thinks you have enough to do a fantastic job.

Poorly lit retail spaces are no good for sales and poorly lit work areas are bad for both you and your client's opinion of you.

Make it a priority for tomorrow to walk around your business with a critical eye and see if you've missed something. Maybe you'll see a blown light bulb. Maybe you'll notice an overflowing rubbish bin. Maybe you'll see a stain you hadn't noticed.

For most business owners there is simply so much to do that little things sometimes get missed. But it is a really easy one to rectify. Walk around yourself and take notes of what you see. Then get together with your team and give everyone something little to fix. Before you know it, everything will be in tip top condition!