First impressions: you never get a chance to make a new first impression.
A couple of older teenagers I know recently decided to go to a Toronto restaurant for Summerlicious. The restaurant was Fred’s Not Here. When they met the host, they were asked if they were there for Summerlicious. When they enthusiastically said yes, they were escorted past the empty patio, past the empty upstairs and deep within the bowels of the basement. Not a great start.
The portions were crazy small, the steak was not done properly, though the server didn’t return to check on it, so it was kind of a moot point. The patrons were drinking cola (being under aged and all) and the server never asked if they would like their drink refilled. The teenagers tipped properly (no doubt to the shock of the server who didn’t earn it) after their meal and left.
They will never go back again. They will tell their friends never to go there. Fred’s Not Here will not get a second chance with these patrons, who are just at the start of their earning and spending years. What a shame and certainly, the opposite effect that Summerlicious was initially created for.
I’m often surprised that new clients to our firm express they were treated in a similar manner to the situation above, when they were trying to find a Business Law Firm to handle their matters. Stories of people being spoken down to, laughed and or simply not heard are too common.
At our Business Law Firm, we enjoy working with start ups, sole proprietors and business people who just have the start of an idea. We work with our clients and do not talk down to them.
First impressions matter: we like to make a good one.