Image by Angela Yuriko Smith from Pixabay
Appearances and professionalism can make your small business seem huge. If you look as though you’re substantial and that you can handle anything thrown your way – your odds for success improve dramatically.
Clients and customers will often prefer dealing with you as a small firm – if the job doesn’t appear too big for you to handle. So it’s best to look the part.
First impressions are critical. In today’s business milieu, you have about three seconds to create a favorable first impression – whether it’s your advertising, Internet presence, in-person contact, or on the telephone.
Starting point
Marketing starts with branding:
1. A simple, distinctive logo that tells your story about delivering desired results
2. A three-to-five word slogan also reflecting value
3. Five value propositions or benefit statements
Does your business card look professional? A meaningful logo with contact information on high-grade card stock will suffice.
Your e-mail address should indicate your Web site’s domain name, not for example, joe smith xxx @sprinter.com.
Contrary to conventional wisdom, clients are very accepting of a home business, if you look professional.
If you have a physical location where people visit you, cleanliness and orderliness are paramount. Smart businesspeople have clean windows, sidewalks, parking lots, work stations and aisles every day.
Even if you have a home office and don’t receive visitors, cleanliness and orderliness will help keep your optimism and efficiency at a high level.
Is your telephone answered before the third ring? Do you have a person answering your telephone? You can certainly get by with an automated system and voice mail more easily if you have professional branding on and offline. (But a live person works best, even if it’s just a just a virtual or executive-office answering service.)
Return all phone calls from clients ASAP. Never let clients or important vendor feel as though they’re hanging by a thread while waiting to hear from you.
Ironically, if you’re a proactive businessperson, you’ll find clients won’t have to call you. I tend to best with some anchor clients complemented by other temporary clients/projects. In fact, I’ve had two full-time, anchor clients for 15+ years, and neither has called me more than once a year. Unless I’m in a meeting, I never let the person wait more than two hours for a return call.
Always remember that convenience is one of the five value perceptions on why clients will be motivated to do business with you.
“The primary focus of your brand message must be on how special you are, not how cheap you are. The goal must be to sell the distinctive quality of the brand.”
– Kerry Light
In the case of an e-mail, it’s best to confirm receiving the message right away, even if you don’t have an answer to a question. (Naturally, make certain your smartphone is turned off when you’re in a meeting.)
Distinctive style
If it’s not customary in your industry to wear a suit and tie, do what’s best for your style, and be in distinctive, good taste. Remember Socrates’ statement: “Know thyself.”
However, as a business-performance consultant since 1992, I’m a dark suit person with a relatively small clientele on a regular basis. I’ve had both – an outside office and a home office. But now I like working from home – my commute is less than a minute in duration.
I want clients to know it’s a special event for me to work with them. That’s been the company uniform for employees, too. No matter what anyone says – it’s still the professional appearance that will command respect, and separate the winners from the wannabes – especially when a lot of money exchanges hands.
But I have occasionally encountered a client with a blue-collar or tech-casual mindset, who appeared uncomfortable when I’d typically wear my dark wool suit and silk tie with a white shirt. In such cases, the prospect and situation dictated my response.
Sometimes, I’d tell the person, “Yes, I understand how you feel, but you’ll find I deliver strong results by wearing my uniform, and this is my uniform.” Or I’d say, “I think much better while wearing my uniform.”
“In dressing casually, I’ve found I think too casually, and I want to be at the top of my game. I’ve promised you proven solutions for maximum profits,” I’ve added. “Even while working alone in my office, I work best with a tie.”
Humorous case study
Once, when a blue-collar marketing client seemed worried that I usually wore a business suit, I started to remove my coat and reassured him, “You’ll find I know how to roll up my sleeves to get strong results.” He was immediately convinced.
If such folks still seemed uncomfortable, they’ve always chuckled when I’ve said, “By nine o’clock, I always seem to spill coffee on my tie.” They appreciated my humanness and quickly relaxed. (It’s true about the spilled coffee.)
All such clients have accepted my preferred style. Moreover, they have come to expect it.
I’ll never forget when I’d been in business just a few years on a Friday afternoon at the start of a three-day holiday weekend, I was dressed casually when I dropped off a marketing document at a valued client’s office. Normally, I visited such clients two to three days per week in business attire. (This was a client who spent a hefty five figures a month with my firm.)
He seemed shocked. He took me aside and quietly asked me, “What’s wrong?”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Where’s your suit? I’ve never seen you in jeans and boots. Is everything OK?”
I laughed and said: “Everything’s fine. This is how I sometimes dress when I leave town to visit my parents’ in rural Oregon, but today I wanted to make sure you didn’t have to wait for this paperwork before I jump on the freeway. I’m really just a cowboy at heart.”
We both chuckled and he was relieved. At that point, I learned how much he grew to value my uniform, which leads me to another point. Clients like consistency in all dealings.
For me, that also means consistently showing gratitude and preventing buyer’s remorse.
My client-meeting agendas always start by bringing up her/his concerns. This immediately alleviates any tension the client might have. I do my best selling when the client does most of the talking. I ask a lot of pertinent questions, list the results of my work, and never end a meeting without saying “thank you” with a handshake. The attitude and gratitude goes for all memos and e-mails, too.
If the client doesn’t thank me, I subtlety ask for strokes, too, such as: “So you like the results?” Over time, this grooms the client to show appreciation for my results. I’ve learned it’s vital to have appreciative clients.
If you don’t receive appreciation for results, you won’t be doing business with the client for very long.
From the Coach’s Corner, here are relevant resource links:
5 Strategies to Build Trust with Clients – Tips for Consultants — When a businessperson hires a consultant it’s usually because of brand trust. That’s an emotional decision no different than when a consumer buys a new refrigerator or car.
Think 1930s for Business Success. Consumer Attitudes are Changing — The 1930’s breadlines aren’t exactly back, but hyper-consumerism is history. Traditional values with a purpose are in vogue. Traditional values – old-fashioned, if you prefer – describe the new mindset of consumers and what they expect from your business.
“The primary focus of your brand message must be on how special you are, not how cheap you are. The goal must be to sell the distinctive quality of the brand.”
– Kerry Light
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