What is The Curb Appeal Of Your Business?

Buyers consistently look for indicators of how well a business is operated and what your business looks like on the outside can trigger their perception of how well it is run from the inside. If your business has a physical location, you’ll want to put on the Buyer’s Glasses to see how buyers will view your business.

As qualified buyers initially become interested in your business, they will sign an NDA and find out what company they have inquired about. The first thing they’re likely to do is go online to find out more. See our article What’s Your Online Curb Appeal? to learn more about this.

As buyers approach your business what they see will forever be their first impression of your physical business operations. Your building, storefront, parking lot, landscaping, and signage will all send a message to buyers. Although a parking lot full of holes, weeds and faded paint might not make a difference to the bottom line, having everything in good order will help reduce a buyer’s worries about how you’ve cared for your business. If it looks unkept on the outside or is messy and disorganized on the inside buyers will be concerned about possible hidden defects or delayed maintenance in your business.

Improving your business’ physical appeal is similar to preparing to sell a home, and having the realtor point out things that need to be fixed. The realtor might be right; however, you may not want, or need to engage in major renovations, there are many small changes you can make to ensure your business, inside and outside, makes a good first impression.

It’s likely you can improve, freshen up, or even eliminate eyesores to make your business more attractive to buyers. The key word is can. You don’t want to make any rash decisions. Instead, complete a walk-through of your business wearing the Buyer’s Glasses and discover what you might want to improve. Then have a conversation with an experienced business broker about what you should be focused on and the timing for addressing it.