Walt Disney loved what he called his “little park”: Disneyland. He hated, however, what he labeled “the squalor” that built up around it. The snap above, taken just outside the Disneyland gate, demonstrates how abruptly a guest goes from reality to fantasy and then back again when entering and exiting Disneyland. Walt, likewise prevented cast members in cowboy outfits from walking through Tomorrowland, kept the park pristine clean and pumped in music to add appropriately themed ambiance.

All this was done because of a baseline Disney tenet: the environment sends a message. Every element in an environment either strengthens or weakens that message; and disjointed messages become visually, aurally and cognitively dissonant; and a harmonious presentation—where all elements of the environment align—is a main source of Disney’s magic.

Environmental message dissonance is all around us. The business tells us how important we are and places us on hold; the restaurant describes excellent food on dirty menus; the medical facility promises safe invasive testing while the waiting room is a dirty mess; and, worst of all, the airline champions its friendly skies and then drags a passenger off its plane.

The leaders and employees of these organizations likely aren’t uncaring people. It’s more often the case that an organization hasn’t made its customer promise clear or if it has, is not living by it. And even when they do know what they promise customers, they, in the daily grind, can forget about little things that communicate volumes.

It’s What Disney calls “bad show” and it grows like a weed. A torn blind, for instance, gets noticed one day. Two days later it becomes part of the scenery. Next, it’s dust on the remaining blinds. Then it’s dirty windows. Then stained furniture. And so it spreads. From pristine environment to acceptance of squalor is a short leap.

The solution is to view your location through guest eyes every day. Even better, walk the area several times a day. If something is out of place, put it where it belongs, clean it up, or get it fixed quickly. What customers think of your business, and by extension your profits or losses could depend on it.