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Early in my business career, I was fortunate to work for Edward S. Gordon, a giant in New York real estate whose small company re-wrote the rules of commercial real estate brokerage – and ultimately became very large. A professional, big-company image, and competency at all levels, enabled us to eat the big guys for lunch. Our image never communicated “small” – even though we were – so prospects and clients focused on the advantages we could bring them, rather than our size. The lesson: don’t communicate “small.” Communicate “professionalism” and “competency” in everything that you do.
Companies inadvertently communicate their small size in several ways. Take a look at your firm. Are you communicating “small”? If so, change it!
Tip #1 – Maximize your person-to-person communications.
Make the “front door” of your business welcoming and responsive. The top executives and salespeople in large companies usually have an assistant answer their phone. Why? a) they are more productive with someone screening and announcing calls, and b) clients and prospects feel more important and better served when they are speaking with a live, responsive human being rather than an inanimate answering machine or voicemail system. Your prospects’ image of you becomes very different when a live person answers your phone.
Tip #2 – The right address is everything. This is especially important to individuals who work from home. Using a home address like Mockingbird Lane, or using a P.O box for your mail, broadcasts “small.” Consider how unprofessional, and possibly unsafe, it is to have a client meeting in your living room or around your kitchen table, or in a diner. Investigate using an address in a recognizable professional setting so you can avoid these problems. A “Park Avenue” law firm or a “Wall Street” financial firm has a certain panache. The right address helps to build your image.
More to follow in future newsletters!!
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866-505-1225
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Signs of the Times |
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50% of workers respond to email within an hour of receiving it. |
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50% of entrepreneurs say receipt and collection of receivables is their most challenging cash management issue. |
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Your small, home office business is booming.Think you should invest in a big, expensive location just to increase your image? You don't have to. Simply 'relocate' your address.
Consider establishing yourself with a professional, influential address to enhance your business image and reduce personal exposure. |
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