You know what they say about Cleanliness…

January 1, 2024

When we choose, a lot of factors are at play. Who’s got the best price? Which location is most convenient? And most importantly, where can I have the best experience? Believe it or not, facilitating a positive experience for your customer starts right in your own parking lot.

We put a lot of stake in first impressions. Whether we’re consciously aware of it or not, our brains make a judgement on the appearance of a business in seconds. The biggest factor in influencing that first impression is the cleanliness of the outside of the building.

Think about it. Let’s say you pull into the parking lot of a new restaurant, excited for the meal you’re about to enjoy. When you step out of your car, your foot lands right in the middle of a puddle of liquid. You stand up, look around, and realize the lot is filled with trash. Debris has piled up around the curbs and bases of signs. There are empty soft drink cans scattered across the pavement and cigarette butts tossed in the flower beds. Suddenly your meal seems less appetizing — if the restaurant doesn’t take care of the outside of their business, do they care what happens on the inside?

Compare this virtual experience with pulling into the parking lot of a different restaurant. The pavement is clean and free of garbage. There are no old, questionable spills, and there are no piles of debris. The flower beds are neat and clean. You may not look around the parking lot and think “wow, what a clean place,” but you also won’t be worrying about the cleanliness of the food you’ll eat once inside.

Now, does the first restaurant necessarily have bad or unsafe food? Of course not. In fact, the place may be perfectly clean on the inside! Why give your customers an unneeded mental stumbling block? The easiest way to ensure you don’t cause your customers dissatisfaction before they walk through the door is to keep your parking lot clean.

Having your parking lot swept and picked-over for trash regularly not only promotes a positive image of your business, but also encourages customers to respect the cleanliness themselves. If your lot is covered with litter, customers are less likely to feel remorse about adding one more piece to the pile. A clean exterior promotes a healthy image and gives the impression that your business is high-quality and focused on customer care.

If the thought of sweeping the entire parking lot yourself seems overwhelming, we’d love to help you out. Sweep All provides a variety of services that can be custom-tailored to fit the needs of your business. We’re available around the clock, and we’re always excited to help you showcase your company and the excellent service you provide.