I saw this sign today while out and about (note the pen on a chain as well – what message is that sending?) and thought it made for a great blog topic. It’s the simple things that make all the difference usually.

What do the signs in your office say about you? What do they tell your customers and those who are shopping for the service you provide? Most times the signs I see in orthodontic offices don’t do you any favors and generally give a negative if not hostile feel to your business. Perhaps I’m wrong about YOUR office but really, when is the last time you walked in the front door, sat in the waiting room, went into the patient bathroom, stood at the reception or checkout desk and really looked at what a consumer sees? If you can, go do that right now and take photos of all the signs you see as well as anything out of place, dirty, smelly, out of date or generally unattractive.

Now take the photos and discuss with your team how you can get the messages across in a better, more friendly manner. Do you really need the signs you saw? What would you like to see if you were the consumer? If you come back with zero photos then either you are awesome or you need to get an indifferent third party to take a critical look at your office and give you feedback. If you believe you are awesome then that’s great and I assume you’re crushing it in your business and doing as much or more work than you want to. If not, this is another indication that you may want to carefully examine the messages you are sending to those who walk in your front door. The same logic holds for critically examining your web presence, your mailings/commutations and how your phone is being answered but those are topics for another day. I’m not saying that fixing these very important pieces of your company’s façade will make you instantly more successful but I will say that if you’re sending the wrong messages and giving the wrong impression to potential customers you will have a very tough time doing well until that’s addressed. We should all strive to improve what we do and how every single day!