Like it or not, there is still a segment of the population who
will erroneously conclude that you and your business are
less than professional and competent just because you run
your business out of your home.
Dumb? Obviously! Narrow-minded? Yes! Wrong?
Absolutely! Unfair? No question! Want their business?
Well... yes. OK, then you're going to have to play the
game and beat them at it. Here's how to do it. It's a little
sneaky, but hey, all's fair and they did start it.
INCORPORATE
First off, incorporate. Nothing screams "CORPORATE!"
to our friend the dumb, narrow-minded, wrong, unfair
Potential Client as an LLC, Pty Ltd or PLC (depending
on where you conduct business) on your letterhead and
business card.
Not only does this appease Potential Client, there are
some very good tax and other advantages to incorporation
which are well worth the modest cost. Talk to your
attorney or accountant about this.
OFFICE ADDRESS
The next problem you have with Potential Client is that
you don't want your home address to give you away.
What do you think looks more professional in Potential
Client's eyes: 123 Cherryblossom Way, Apt. 103, Suburbia
or 123 Major Blvd, Level 37, Big City?
The answer is a serviced office. These don't have to
cost a lot of money if you use them pretty much as a post
office but they CAN give your business all the big-city
prestige your Potential Client is looking for.
An additional advantage is that you can use your serviced
office to meet with Potential Client. After all, the last thing
you want is to have him coming to your REAL office! Heaven
forbid! Most serviced offices will make meeting rooms available
for a flat fee.
TELEPHONES
This is probably the trickiest part of all. How do you know
it's safe to answer the phone in your home office even though
the sounds of your young children playing just outside your
office door will be heard by the caller? You simply don't.
There is a simple way of dealing with this. Only give your
home office number to existing clients. They already know
you are professional and competent and should therefore
have no issue with the fact that you work from home.
For anyone else, give out the number of an answering service
that will answer the call in your company name and can tell
callers that you're in a meeting with another client and take
a message. Your serviced office will offer this service as well.
You can then return the call at a time when you know
tell-tale background noise won't give you away.
In fact, a trick some people who work from home use when
returning calls is to run a tape of office background noise.
This both gives the impression you are working in a large
office AND it masks any slight tell-tale household noises that
may, despite your best efforts, give you away.
Once Potential Client becomes an actual client and you've
proved to his satisfaction that you are professional and
competent, you can tell him that you've decided to start
working out of your home to reduce unnecessary overheads
and give him your direct phone number.
No matter how enlightened your client-base is as a general
rule, it is imperative that the telephone be answered in
a businesslike manner. I don't care how sympathetic,
supportive and admiring your clients are of your decision to
balance your work and family commitments by running a
successful business from home, there is nothing cute
about a five year old answering your business line. It's
unprofessional, not to mention downright annoying.
Speaking for myself, I also find it annoying and unprofessional
for a spouse to answer the business line. I'd much prefer to
leave a message with your answering service than your wife
or husband, thank you very much. At least I can be sure
you'll get the message. But that may just be me... decide
for yourself.
So have a separate phone line for your business and
lay down the law to your household that no-one, NO-ONE,
is to answer it but you (unless, of course, you're employing
your teenage children in your business in which case they
should be instructed on how to answer the telephone in a
professional manner). If you're away from your office,
divert your calls to your answering service.
EMAIL
Something else to think about is the image of your email
address. Which is Potential Client to consider more
corporate/professional: maryann@isp.com or
m.entrepreneur@mycompanyllc.com?
It's worth spending $35 a year on your own domain name
just for the professional email address, even if you never
intend to create a website. Mind you, if you're going to have
your own domain why NOT create your own website? But
that's another article...
STATIONERY AND PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS
It goes without saying that your stationery, business cards
and other promotional materials should reflect a
professional corporate image. If you have incorporated
your business, this is a good start. A company name on
letterhead and business cards can't fail to convey a
professional image provided they are professionally printed
on quality stationery stock.
OFFICE EQUIPMENT
There's no point having quality stationery if you're going
to use a cheap and cheerful inkjet printer for your
correspondence. Invest in a medium quality laser printer
instead. They don't cost a lot of money these days and
you can get a unit that triples as a fax machine and
photocopier for only a few hundred dollars.
So, what do you think? You may be thinking "I wonder
whether it's really worth the effort to try and please just a small
number of potential clients". Is it worth it? Maybe. But look
back over the suggestions I have made. Are they really
anything more than basic, common sense, professional
business practices? Regardless of what your potential and
existing clients may think about the concept of businesses
run out of their owners' homes, first impressions do count.
Wouldn't the above approach be a good one to take with ALL
your potential clients whatever their personal disposition?
Just something to think about.
About the Author
Elena Fawkner is editor of A Home-Based Business Online...
practical home business ideas for the work-from-home
entrepreneur.
http://www.ahbbo.com