Several years ago, a landmark criminology study explored the impact that a few broken windows make in a neighborhood. On the surface, one broken window may seem insignificant. But to criminals, a broken window is a signal that the building's owner doesn't care, or worse, isn't paying attention to the condition of the neighborhood. The study showed that in the presence of a few broken windows, vandals started breaking more windows, leaving graffiti on the building walls, and throwing trash around the entrances. That in turn lead to more serious crimes like theft and violent crimes. The remedy? Repair that first broken window, and do it quickly.

The "broken window theory" can and should be applied to your business. What are the broken windows in your business? Allowing something as innocent as the lightbulbs to go out in your business sends a message to your customers that you don't care about the details. This will open the door to a flood of negative perceptions.*

Not responding to your online leads with the same urgency as your other leads is another broken window. If you are waiting one hour, one day, or even several days to respond to an online inquiry, you are signaling that you do not care about their business. Take a look at our suite of Lead Response tools and learn how to fix the broken windows in your business' lead response scheme.

*For further reading, take a look at Michael Levine's book on the subject.