I was at a hotel the other day and noticed the business card from the hotel manager on the front desk. His title was "Manager of First and Last Impressions." That stuck with me!

While it is important for a business to take care of customers in between the "first" and the "last," the importance of these two points of contact is obvious

The old saw says that you only have one chance to make a first impression - how true!

What is the first impression that you give a customer? How clean is your parking lot? Your front door? How avaialble are shopping baskets or carts? How clean is your store - are your floors clean? Are your shelves free of dust? Are the products on your shelves faced? Your staff - are they neatly groomed? Smiling? Attentive? Welcoming? Warm?

All of these elements - and more! - help make a good first impression

How about last impressions? Are your checkouts clean and organized? Are your cashiers focused on customers - giving them an accurate and speedy checkout experience? Are they thanked for their business? Are they offered help with taking their purchases to their cars?

Welcoming folks as they come in and thanking them as they go out can go a long way towards creating loyal, happy, repeat customers!