by Tom Boyer, part 1 of the Lasting Impressions blog series
At the outset, this blog series was going to be about the seven-second rule – examining how to have an effective transition zone in your store and providing a good first impression. As I started thinking about the importance of that first impression, I thought about how it could actually take place before a customer even enters the store, online, or from the street or parking lot. Then I considered how their perception of your store builds as they move through the store, interact with you and your employees, look for products, and check out. I also thought about how their impression can be informed by what happens after they leave the store – that critical time when they determine whether they are coming back.
Next thing I knew, I had a series of topics to write about, all focused on those impressions you are making on customers and potential 
customers all the time. Now, that doesn’t mean you have to triple-guess every move you make with your business, it just means that you should be aware of the many touchpoints you can have with consumers and how you can use them to positively influence their perception of your store.
Stay tuned for the remainder of this series where I’ll give community pharmacies ideas and pointers on how to always leave a great impression. Topics will include:
- The store exterior
- Your entryway and store layout
- Customer interaction with you and your staff
- Merchandising, signage, stock levels, and consumer education materials
- Pricing
- Extra efforts to make customers feel special
- Maintaining the customer relationship after they have left the store
Feel free to suggest other topics that you are interested in learning about, even if they are not a part of this theme. We’re always looking for ways we can help make your job easier.