We've all heard it: "You never get a second chance to make a first impression."

I honestly don't know who gets credit for this gem, but it certainly applies to most businesses and RV dealerships and showrooms in general.

When you come to work tomorrow morning do something different: Pretend you are a customer instead of an employee. Look at the business from the eyes of your prospects and customers. The view might shock you.

What's your first impression of the lot, the inventory, the exterior of the building and the showroom itself? Are you pleased with what you see? If not, then there is a very good chance that the prospects and customers who visit your dealership are seeing and feeling the same thing you just felt. They will feel displeasure with the overall appearance that will in turn lead to less than favorable conditions for your sales environment.

I have visited many RV dealerships. A majority of them could use a complete makeover in the way the product is presented to visitors and the condition of the physical plant and surroundings.

When you viewed your own business environment what thoughts came to your mind? If the dealership presented itself in a negative light then you can bet it's negative to your visitors also.

If the stock looks sloppy and thrown into place, then the visitor is not going to want to stay and see all that you have to offer.

If the exterior of the building is in need of repair, then you are sending the wrong message to your visitors. Prospects may think that the dealership does not have the resources to properly maintain the physical plant, and therefore, may not have the resources to provide appropriate service after a sale.

If the parts and accessories store is a mess and customers can not clearly identify what they are looking for, then they will surely go elsewhere. If the stock is not labeled with the correct name and price, they will simply not buy it.

I think the biggest disappointment for many RV prospects are the showrooms themselves. In many cases, they are downright embarrassing and nobody seems to ever do anything about it.

Desks are littered with all kinds of paperwork and dirty ashtrays.

Literature racks are half-empty or stocked with outdated collateral materials on last year's models.

Restrooms are filthy.

Displayed inventory will be dirty and often in need of some type of repair that just indicates nobody is paying attention to the details.

Prospects and customers DO see these problems and speak with their feet -- they leave the showroom that does not create a positive selling environment.

It's very easy for owners and managers to look the other way -- they are understandably very busy. But are they busy correcting problems and making excuses or are they busy making sales.

There's a very good chance that they are tending to the problems caused by conditions noted above. Poor working conditions, and an attitude of indifference on the part of management and owners to address these problems, will create a downward spiral of negative attitudes that will cost you business.

It's very easy to say that you are too busy or don't have the resources necessary to correct the problems. I suppose some of you actually believe it when you say it.

The fact of the matter is that people buy from companies that they feel deserve their hard-earned discretionary income. You may not be getting your fair share of the pie if the conditions you witnessed when "walking in their shoes" was anything less than perfection.

Prospects simply leave and don't come back when they encounter a less than professional selling experience.

Think these are just idle words? Still question whether all this stuff makes sense or not?

That's ok, you don't have to take my word for it -- here's a simple exercise that will tell you if you have a problem or not.

Test your hunch and send some mystery shoppers into your dealership and let them evaluate the product you are showcasing to prospects and customers.

One of the most underused resources for small businesses is SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives.) You can find them at www.score.org. SCORE counseling is free, confidential, available to all U.S. citizens and essential to your success.

Tap into this vast community resource of retired executives who have "been there and done that" many times over. SCORE is easy to find on the Internet and in your local community.

Contact SCORE and meet with a business counselor. Tell him or her that you want them to evaluate your business as a prospect. You'll probably find that many of these retired business executives are quite familiar with the RV lifestyle and can quickly comprehend your assignment. I would also recommend that you meet the first time at a local eatery rather than in the dealership. You don't want the counselor to get that "first impression" before you explain your experiment.

To work the right way, you need the first impression from a new perspective and lose the value of the assessment once they hit the lot, even before they meet you.

Select a few areas of your dealership that you want the counselor to concentrate on when they visit. Ask him/her to make note of their impressions and how they think a prospect or customer would look at the same environment.

Don't do this if you have no intention of listening to what might be bad news for you and your dealership.

Don't do this if you are just going to give the volunteer lip service and excuses.

After the counselor visits and reports on the findings, sit down with him/her and decide on the course of action that you must take to reverse the results if they are less than acceptable for a positive selling environment.

This same counselor may be able to help you with the solutions or may recommend another volunteer who has experience in the areas of your business needing improvement.

What have you got to lose? My guess is it will just be a little pride of ownership and not much more.

There are many outstanding dealerships that have created an extremely positive selling environment for prospects and customers. You know who they are -- they are your competitors and they are taking business away from you.

If you can't afford to make the changes, then you can't afford to compete. If you can't compete -- you lose.

Perhaps it's time to fight back and change the results.

Good luck and good selling.

RVN