Making a great first impression: A superior corporate image creates top-of-mind customer awareness.

• Author: Wilson, John D.
• Position: Media & Marketing

We always want to make a great first impression. Think about your first date and how you wanted to impress him or her, or how much you wanted to impress your date's parents. That is all well and good. First impressions are very important because they determine how a person ultimately judges your personality and performance.

First impressions are also important in our business lives. A powerful corporate image helps businesses of all sizes make a strong first impression. An effective corporate image helps increase your business prospects today, thus contributing to the overall success of your company tomorrow.

A superior corporate image boosts revenues and profits. After all, customers like doing business with companies that present themselves well and have an air of success about them. We all want to be associated with a winner.

A superior corporate image increases the intrinsic value of your business. Think of your image as another asset--an asset that has the potential to grow in its worth and yield a plethora of dividends for your company.

A superior corporate image creates top-of-mind customer awareness. Your corporate image is an exquisite, high-end piece of clothing, like a fine-tailored business suit. People notice others who are well dressed, and people who are well dressed carry themselves with confidence and enthusiasm. So it is with a business that is clothed in a fine corporate image.

A superior corporate image promotes a distinctive business reputation. It is the label your company wears on its sleeve, your badge of honor that announces to the world what your business is about and what it stands for.

A superior corporate image demonstrates a commitment to quality. Think about some of the better-known companies--such as Coca-Cola, Federal Express and Starbucks. They have positioned themselves as companies that produce fine-quality products, and while it did not happen overnight, from their infancy they infused that commitment to quality into their corporate images.

A superior corporate image creates a positive first impression. Research shows that you only get a few seconds to make a great first...