How to Show People You're Open for Business
Whether you're running an online store or a brick and mortar cafe, you must know how to show people you're open for business so they'll come and buy from you.
A business is a business as long as you have customers that buy whatever it is you're selling and you make a profit.
Customers are the people who come into your store, whether it's virtual or real.
To get customers into your store, they have to know that it's open.
Does your business attract customers that know your open and have what they want to buy?
Examples of Appearing Open
Let's take a real world example of a cafe down the street that serves coffee, teas, breakfasts, lunches etc.
If you were standing on the other side of the road a hundred yards away and looked in the direction of the cafe, how would you know that it's open?
One telltale sign that most people would recognize is the sight of several tables and chairs outside the cafe arranged in groups for customers to sit on. Even if it were raining, the sight of those tables would tell you something important.
Your brain would decipher this as the cafe is certainly open and you'd walk across the street to go get something to eat and/or drink.
Let's take something a little different, say a clothes store. If you were standing across the street and saw that there were lights on in the store's windows, you'd guess the store was open and would cross the street to go there for a closer look.
Open Door
Another strong psychological signal is an open door. I know a lot of people that wonder why a store would leave its door open even in cold weather. There's your answer: It speaks the unspoken language that we recognize as meaning that store is open for business!
When you are working from home on an online store, it comes with a different set of signals, but the essence is similar to a brick and mortar store. Your store website needs to be clean, easy to read and navigate and provide the visitor with a clear intent of what the website is there to do.
Examples of Appearing Closed
On the flip side, if you were approaching a store there are telltale signs that it may be closed.
If its door is closed and the lights were either not on or very dim, or the window was obscured by posters and you couldn't see inside, you'd be forgiven for thinking it is probably closed. Likewise, a cafe with no tables or chairs arranged outside might appear either closed or make people feel it is unwelcoming.
In psychological terms, a store can be open but give off an energy or vibration that is somehow off-putting and customers may avoid it and go to another store down the street. People may not consciously notice why a store feels uninviting, but unconsciously there will be signals that are picked up that cause people to keep walking on by.
How it Looks
It may be something simple like dirty windows where a regular window cleaner could make all the difference for a small weekly fee. Or aged and flaky paintwork in need of a makeover.
Outdated posters in the window can also lead people to unconsciously associate them with the store owner being disinterested in their store, which can act as a psychological barrier keeping them out.
For the website owner, an outdated theme, small and difficult to read text, too many ads and distractions and an unclear intent will likely cause visitors to click away and go elsewhere.
Pulling it all Together
Overall, a store owner needs to attract people in through an open door into a store that welcomes them so they want to come in.
Spending a little time each day to ensure the store is clean and tidy, the windows are clean and there's plenty of space to see through from the outside, the lights are bright and attractive and the door is wide open will in themselves work a kind of magic that welcomes people into the store.
A website owner can also make regular spot-checks to make sure their site is welcoming and easy to use. Eliminating overly aggressive ads, making the text clear and easy to read and navigation easy are just some of the tasks that can and should be carried out periodically.
Yet there is even more that can be done to make a store attract far more customers than just outward appearances can.
The energy coming from a store starts with its owner and the people working in the store can make or break a business.
If that energy is positive, happy and wholesome, people will come to the store in their droves and likely buy a lot of stuff while they're there.
However, if that energy is low, depressing and there is an atmosphere of antagonized irritation or conflict because the staff are in disharmony, people that come in will soon leave empty-handed or may not even come in at all.
Summary
When it comes to displaying to the public that your business is open to them and you want to invite them in to look around, you have to put in some work and make it inviting.
Creating a harmonious and welcoming atmosphere happens when staff are happy, get on with one another and enjoy their jobs. A store owner who can put together and keep a staff like that is bound to be successful!
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Posted on May 25, 2025 in Making Money Online | 0 Comments