By Joyce Stewart
Recently, my sister asked me to join in a fresh business venture that she was setting up. It was not until much later that I realised our choice of office furniture was a crucial one. I thought at the time, the only thing that people would be assessing was our skills and personal qualities. It seems though, that people formed first impressions from the appearance of our office.
We were only three weeks into our new business, when we got some feedback from clients and it was not what we wanted to hear. We had lost two potential clients purely because they assumed us to be sloppy based on the set up in our office. We had basically raided our houses (and our friends) of unwanted items to furnish our office and this created completely the wrong impression. Even though it was unjust, we had to respond as soon as possible.
We had lots of board meetings before, but this was our first serious discussion. The first job was write a list of what we needed and get a supplier. A acquaintance recommended a company that provides inexpensive furniture, with a design service thrown in. The furnishing software that we were using was dreadful so the thought of using a professional design service was fantastic. Our first meeting was very productive and we discussed several items including what to do when we hired more staff and our business grew.
As well as making our furniture look smart, there were a number of other things to consider such as making it comfortable for the staff to use. In order to draw up plans, the advisor set about measuring the office to establish which furniture can go where. The seating arrangements for clients and staff was hugely important. Staff needed to be comfy to work properly, and clients needed to be comfortable so they could concentrate on what we were trying to tell them.
It was so easygoing to order and install the furniture. We had learned our lesson before and while cash was an issue for us, we wanted to create the right atmosphere and impression. We had to get it right this time. The adviser gave us feedback and we were able to see to it that that we got the right mix of furniture that all blended and was co-ordinated.
We had briefly considered buying refurbished furniture, as there are some terrific deals to be had on solid, well-designed and constructed items, but we felt this would be too risky. We had a lot of confidence in the designer and were willing to listen to anything they said. After all, it was one of the best working relationships I have ever come across.
Our office was slowly getting to the state we wanted it to be and this was filling me with big ease and self-confidence for the future. We didn’t need to debate and haggle over every piece and every delivery as it all arrived together and was installed the same afternoon. Taking a step back and seeing the office form into a professional working environment was terrific. It was sleek and presented just the right picture of our business and who we were.
For one thing the uniformity of the furniture gave it a advanced and more professional appearance and that seemed to have a knock-on outcome on us. With more immaculate and efficient workstations, we became more orderly and effective too. We could tell from our clients’ faces that first impressions were very favourable and, whilst I still don’t think you should ever judge a book by its cover, I can’t deny that in business, it seems you are what you appear to be.
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Source:
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