When it comes to starting a business, it’s always important to think about pitching to clients. At some stage, this will even become an essential part of development. After all, any efforts you’ve made before will come undone if you can’t sell your vision.
In most cases, pitches include meetings with investors. And, there are endless articles out there which can help you with this. In some new businesses, though, pitches like these don’t apply. For instance, if you’re starting out in the childcare industry, investors aren’t necessarily a priority.
But, does that mean you don’t need to impress?
Of course not. Only, instead of impressing prominent business figures, you need to pitch to prospective parents. Most often, pitches like these take the form of open evenings. Here, you’ll show, rather than tell those parents what you can offer.
Sadly, there’s a distinct lack of information out there about how to get this right. Which is why we’re going to take a look at three primary things parents are likely to look out for.
#1 Setting
The location will be first on many parent’s lists. By this, we don’t mean they’ll only look out for nurseries close by. After all, you can’t win them all when it comes to proximity.
But, most parents are willing to go the extra mile for an impressive facility. Location is more an issue with regards to your general setting. For instance, a nursery on a road is unlikely to send the right first impression.
By comparison, a space set in the countryside is sure to have the wow-factor. As such, you should start thinking about how to impress before you even invest in your space.
#2 Safety
You can be sure parents will also be on the lookout for signs of safety. Location matters here, too. If you are near a road, it’s essential to put high fences in place to ensure no children can stray.
Even in the countryside, consider how you separate boundaries to keep children safe. It’s also crucial you consider installing something like this cheap playground flooring. If there’s no sign of this in your outside play area, it could be an instant black mark against your name.
Parents need to know they can trust their children in your hands. Taking steps like these will go a long way to assuring them that’s the case.
#3 Staff
Perhaps most crucial of all is your staff themselves. These are the people who’ll be in direct contact with the children. Get employment wrong, and you can kiss goodbye to success.
Ideally, you want to hire trained individuals. This is especially crucial given that you haven’t built a reputation yet. Offering a qualified team at least provides you with some credentials. It’s also essential you look out for approachable and friendly individuals who are instantly able to put people at ease.
That way, there’s a much higher chance those parents will warm to what you’re doing and put their kid’s name on your books.
