How Your Unsightly Landscape May Be Hurting Your Business

The outside of your commercial business building is the first impression people get of you and what you care about. An unkempt, crumbling landscape can make potential customers think twice before going inside.

The Street View

Most business buildings are seen first from the street. If your street view is blank or looks uncared for, potential customers may not even turn into the parking lot. First, make sure your signage is not hiding behind overgrown trees or sitting inside an unplanted or weedy planter. Keep your sign in good repair, not faded with holes and missing or unlit letters. Dress up your street view by filling planters or beds with low-maintenance seasonal blooming plants to draw the eye of passers-by. Keep the outside walls of your building clean and all trees trimmed away from the exterior. It goes without saying that all grassy areas should be kept mowed and neatly trimmed.

The Parking Lot

Is your parking lot just a flat, boring piece of asphalt? That may be fine for government buildings and fairgrounds, but for a commercial business, you want to make your parking lot reflect your total landscape. Raised planting  beds with trees that will eventually shade the cars are desirable. They also separate the lot into sections and help direct the flow of traffic. Here, as in the street view, you want to intersperse decorative low-care plants such as shrubs or flowering grasses. Not only do they provide beauty, but they keep people from trampling your curbed beds. Make sure your paving is in good repair with no potholes or large cracks and that parking space lines are clearly visible.

Entryway

As your potential customers are walking toward the building, ensure them a pleasant view. The sidewalks and walkways should be clean and in good repair with no dangerous cracks or upheavals to trip your customers. The area in front of the doors should be welcoming. Large planters with small trees or flower beds can bring a smile to customers' faces as they enter. Large display windows or glass doors, should be kept sparkling clean at all times.

There is nothing sadder than a business that has let its landscape go to rack and ruin. The first impression one gets of such a place is that they are not financially secure enough to maintain the outside areas, and that isn't an impression you want to give potential customers. Talk to a quality local commercial landscaping company about what they can do to make your business landscape as appealing as your product.