First Impressions Count: Moments of Truth from a Dorset Campsite
I’ve just returned from a wonderful week camping with my family (mum and two sisters plus boyfriends) and my children in Dorset. And despite the rain, the lack of Mr H (who had to stay in Surrey and work) and a decidedly dodgy campsite, we had a truly wonderful time.
But the first impressions at the campsite were so bad that my mum, who had booked the trip, spent the first couple of hours saying “I don’t like it, I want to go home…”. It took all of our powers of persuasion to encourage her to stay a night, remind her that this was just a place to rest our heads etc. But let me show you some pictures and you’ll see why…
As we drove up to the front gates we were greeted first by an overflowing encampment of bins.
My shock at the general mess was overshadowed by more. To my left, a caravan graveyard full of six of seven decaying caravans (and remember, all of this was before we’d even entered the field!) and straight ahead, an assault on typography. Poster after poster – some torn, some watermarked, all shouty, offensive and un-thought through.
The washing up and shower facilities were as ramshackle as you would imagine from these first impressions and sadly, the member of staff we took to be the manager was leery and didn’t do a lot to restore our confidence.
The sad thing was that the field itself was fine. And there was a tap for drinking water right outside our tent – something I’ve not experienced in other campsites. When we met the owner on the second night, he was actually very nice. Eccentric and utterly unaware of anything as basic as first impressions or the importance of getting those initial “moments of truth” right. But for many of us, the first impressions made a lasting impression.
It wouldn’t have been difficult to tidy up the rubbish area and preferably screen it off. Some well designed posters and a bit of welcoming signage would have cheered things up enormously. And simple things like taking down posters that were past their best and replacing them with new ones. None of it is rocket science. None of it would have cost him very much. But the opportunity cost of not getting that right was crippling.
I doubt very much that many of the campers there will be rebooking that campsite. The ones I spoke to simply couldn’t get over that first impression, or the subsequent impressions around the campsite. That means he’ll constantly need to spend money looking for new business, rather than being able to rely on repeat business from happy customers.
To truly create a great first impression you need to step outside your shoes and look at your business the way your customer sees it. And you need to constantly look. Once isn’t enough.
There you go, rant over. Normal service may resume.
