It takes years to build a reputation and minutes to destroy it. So, ask yourself, who could potentially destroy your brand / business, because they perceive you as bad? It might be a disgruntled or ill-informed customer or competitor who is being particularly vocal. If you know that it is happening, you will have to take steps to address this problem.

Harder to control however are your employees' perceptions of your company. We've all heard of customers calling to complain about a product only to be told by an employee "don't worry that's the third one this week". In instances like this, negative perceptions can be quickly passed onto customers who in turn, could cause them to question: "why should I buy this product from you?" This is not something you ever want your customer to ask.

Find out what your employees think about your company and listen to what they are really saying to you - that might mean reading between the lines. If you ask the question you will need to act upon the results otherwise employee perception will not improve.

Equally,a competitor might use negative perceptions to damage your reputation. Be sure
to investigate anything that might provide ammunition to anyone looking to sabotage your reputation. If you find anything, be sure to deal with it swiftly and without fuss.

Use the checklist in the resource section to find out ways in which you can assess business perception. Once you know what is wrong you need to set out a plan to improve failings and then move onto how to change perceptions.