• "Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes time. Vision with action can change the world. A true leader must first see an idea as opportunity, then choose to act upon it." - Joel Barker

• Selling the Invisible. Author: Harry Beckwith. Publisher: Orion Business Books. When it comes to marketing and selling, the difference between products and services is enormous. This book contains dozens of practical and intelligent strategies that will enhance the success of any company competing in today’s service-oriented market.

• http://www.phnet.fi/public/mamaa1/frames.htm Insight for the day provides you with an outstanding array of quotes from the famous and the infamous throughout the ages.

From as early as I can remember, my brother and I would help out at our Dad’s motor garage and service station on weekends and school holidays. One of our tasks was to help all the motor mechanics sweep the workshop floor which had to be done before work started on repairing any of the cars and trucks in for servicing. In addition to sweeping the workshop floor, the garage forecourt also had to be swept, and all oil containers had to be cleaned prior to them being placed in racks adjacent to the petrol pumps.

This ritual took place every day and it involved all members of Dad’s staff. Not even the workshop foreman was exempt from performing this daily task.

Many years later I worked with a colleague who, upon completing his work for the day, would clear all files from his desk and return them to the filing cabinet, and then remove from his bottom drawer, a can of furniture spray and polishing cloth. He would then proceed to polish the top of his desk and credenza. This ritual, including returning all files to their proper place took no more than five minutes.

During the evening, contract cleaners would arrive to empty all the rubbish bins and dust and vacuum the entire office. So on returning to work the next morning, my colleague would enter an office that was dusted, vacuumed, all files in their proper places and a desk that was polished and completely clear of any work in progress. What a way to start the day.

These are just two examples of business people who understand the many benefits that flow from having daily cleaning rituals which, when you come to think of it, are not too dissimilar from our own daily ablutions. We wouldn’t think of turning up for work without having showered and putting on a fresh set of clothes. So why should our businesses be any different?

As has been stated many times before, you only get one chance to make a first impression. A first impression that for some customers can be the deciding factor as to whether they do business with you or not. What message does a customer get if they see unclean premises? Premises with fingermarks on windows and glass doors, dust and dirty marks on desks and countertops, carpets or floor tiles that haven’t seen a vacuum cleaner or mop for weeks.

It has been estimated that over seventy per cent of all businesses are now in the services sector, selling intangibles that can’t be seen, heard, touched, smelt or tasted. Customers therefore are desperately looking for anything that will give them a clue as to how good your service is. This is where the term ‘moment of truth’ comes from. A moment of truth occurs ‘any time a customer comes into contact with any part of your business and uses that contact to judge the quality of your business’.

It is therefore vital that you do everything in your power to ensure that every ‘moment of truth’ that every customer experiences is a positive one.

One of the simple things you can do is to ensure that your premises are spotlessly clean. Establishing daily cleaning rituals of dusting and vacuuming are the easiest way of achieving this. The key word here is DAILY! Anything less frequent is not good enough.

Until next week, many happy customer returns!

Graham Harvey APS