First Impressions Really Count
Imagine the scene - you are a small business owner invited to an event brimming with potential clients. After a short while, you are introduced to a key decision maker in the company you have been trying to get into for the past six months. So far, so good. The conversation is going extremely well and you sense the opportunity to arrange a sales meeting. Then follows the exchange of business cards and the promise of a telephone call.
Your potential client hands over their card - laminated, in corporate colours, complete with logo. In return, he gets yours - printed on your home PC using ClipArt. Like it or not, in a society where first impressions win business, it seems that samll and medium sized business in particular, are letting themselves down by not portraying a professional identity.
Daniel Robinson, of Vizcom Design, carried out a survey of 100 Bolton businesses with fewer than ten employees and the results were staggering. He found that 35 per cent of businesses did not have a company logo design, and 29 per cent had never used another printer other than their own. And 19 per cent admitted to designing and printing their own business cards.
Mr. Robinson, who currently runs Vizcom Design, is more than aware of the importance of presentation. Originally from Wigan, he honed his business design skills with Lostock based Greenhalgh's Craft Bakery, where he eventually ran the design department. He was, in essence, responsible for the way Greenhalgh's looked. 'I designed all the branded packaging and labelling for the company products, as well as the displays in the shops. 'It was excellent experience, especially with the resources I had available. 'It gave me a real insight into what the customer looks for when he or she is about to make a purchase, and how important the right- or wrong- presentation can be.'
Keen to branch out on his own, he took advantage of a start-up grant from Bolton Business Support Unit in 1998, setting up an office at home and canvassing clients. At the same time, Greenhalgh's asked him to stay on while the company found his successor. Mr. Robinson said, 'It was a good time, really, as I had the best of both worlds.'
It was in 1999 that he finally made the break and set up full-time as Vizcom Design. But, as ever in business, reality. And it certainly lefts its teethmarks in Mr. Robinson with a first month turnover of £50. 'There were plenty of times in that first few months that I had my head in my hands, wondering what on Earth I thought I was doing.'
But he persevered and five years later, the business has a 'healthy' turnover. It has now provided design, stationery printing and websites for more than 100 businesses, including Bolton Business Support Unit, Burtonwood Brewery and Lancashire County Cricket Club. His own experience served to give him expert insight with the problems faced by small business start-ups.
And he has also learned why presentation, logos and branding were not always top of the list. But he cites limited finances as a major issue. He said, 'Starting up on your own can be a costly experience with insurances, premises, vehicles and IT equipment the priority for many new owners. The style side of the business can often be overlooked.
'My results prove that poor design can reflect badly on a company, as many businesses struggle to get the respect their products and services deserve because of the way they are percieved at an early stage.'
Funding support is often available in Bolton, to help with design, as enterprise support services consider that a professional looking identity is a positive step towards growth. 'While most businesses do not need to immediatly invest in 12 page full colour glossy brochures, many will at least benefit from the professional identity that something as simple as a logo can bring. Whether it's sending out a branded sales letter or simply handing out a business card, it does create a positive first impression. It's a question of balance when you first set out.'
Mr. Robinson works with varied clients but is passionate about working in tandem with small and medium sized start-up businesses. He said, 'It can be extremely rewarding to work with a small business. ideas can be exchanged, discussed and developed much faster than with a plc, and a project can have a dynamic that a larger organisation can lose a bit, with the increased management layers. You can see the impact that your ideas and your work is having. It feels good to develop a new company at the beginning and see the change it has on their business. You are often dealing with inspired individuals with the passion and enthusiasm to take their business forward, and having been in their shoes, there is a greater understanding of what they are trying to do, and of the issues and hurdles that they face. Not only that, but I am still small enough to be flexible to their needs.'
Vizcom provides a start-up package to any business less than two years old. It includes logo design, leaflets, letterheads, compliment slips and a website. Mr. Robinson from Bolton Web Design company Vizcom said 'It's everything you might need to get the ball rolling so that the initial marketing push can be taken care of.'
Bolton Evening News- November 2004