You can ask any real estate salesperson, and they’ll tell you that if you want to speed up the sale of your home and command a higher price, you need to worry about curb appeal. What is curb appeal you ask? Well, if you’re not familiar with this term, think about it for a second.

If your house looks good from the street, then homebuyers will have a favorable first impression when they first arrive because it looks like a place they would be willing to live. There are simple things you can do, like paint the trim, clad the sides of the driveway with bricks, put up a little porch or a nice little fence around the yard.

Granted, if you want to dress up your small business location, you can think of the same type of strategies, that is, mimic the realities of residential real estate sales strategies. A small showcase makes a big difference. Even putting expensive brass doorknobs on your doors can make a world of difference. Christmas window painting is also a neat trick around the holidays. Expertly designed and arranged storefronts attract interest even when your business is closed. The logo on the front door can also make a big difference.

If there is a flowerpot in front, why not put beautiful flowers? You can ask your landlord to do this for you, and it’s in their best interest, but if you don’t, you’ll have to do it yourself. Storefronts with dirty windows don’t look as good as those with shiny windows and therefore you have to pay for a window washing and cleaning service or do it yourself twice a week. Is there oil stains in the parking lot across the street, or gum on the sidewalk right outside your door?

Did someone spill an ice cream cone last month and leave a discolored mark on the sidewalk? Why is it still there? Why not hook up a small pressure washer and clean it yourself? If not, there are plenty of companies in the yellow pages that will go out and find you and do this.

Do you have an outside patio? When was the last time she painted fence or gate trim? There are so many little things he can do, and I would recommend that he do them before he complains that her sales aren’t all she expected this quarter. In fact, I hope you will please consider all this and think about it.