Reputation - years to build, seconds to loose (foxtons vs the image group)
As William Shakespeare once said, “Reputation is an idle and most false imposition; oft got without merit, and lost without deserving.” The internet is a strange place, where reputations are built over years, and can be lost over night because of a miss placed outgoing link, or worse yet, because if a hack! I remember last year when the United Nations website was hacked. Not only did they change content, but the actual process of being hacked affected their trust levels within google.
Reputation most commonly though is delt with by recomendation. When someone recomends a company having had a good experience, they are more likely to get used. Similairly, if you have had a bad experience and warn someone off a company (Foxtons property agents!) they are less likely to be used.
Allow me to quote an example. Now that you have read this article, if you are currently in the market for a house, you may think twice before going to foxtons sheerly because someone you have never met has mentioned how dishonest they are. This may lead you to google their name, only to find in 3rd position a website dedicated to trying to save people from getting conned by them, called “we hate foxtons” Once you have read this, you may save yourself alot of hasstle (and money) by not using them.
The reverse of this is of course a good recomendation. For example, if you are looking to have large format printing done, or even something like a pvc banner, you can’t go too far wrong with the image group. They are honest, upfront, and charge an honest price. They have the infrastructure to cope with orders from small to big, and they have even built a brainstorming center so that you can go and work out what you actually want. For me, they are a good example of everything that Foxtons are not.