I'm talking small business here - not small in stature - although I qualify on both.
Many people feel that they need to present a large, significant front to the marketplace. They create empty corporations, have multiple PO boxes, and several phone lines. Call at 11:00 at night and you get a voice message that they are busy assisting other customers. Really?
Business is not about playing games. It's about being effective. Finding a need and meeting it. It's OK to have confidence and to position ourselves to look like we are the ones to earn the business - but not at the expense of pretending to be something we are not.
If you run your business from the bedoom, kitchen table, basement, or garage, that's OK. The rent is a lot less than in a swanky downtown office. If you place and answer your own phone calls, that's fine. I like talking directly to the person I need to speak to without going through assistants and phone trees.
Some people like the large name that a franchise carries. Some people like walking into an office full of people. It gives them a comfort level. That's OK. The business world is large enough for the businesses like that and the small, single-person entrepreneurial ones - or somewhere in between.
If you're just starting out or been going at it for several years, ultimately your performance and WOM is what is going to earn you business. The trappings of a large business may get you in the door, but we are the ones who have to earn the business.
If we are small and can remain that way, we can be more compeitive. Don't worry if people think you are too small to help them. Worry if they think you're too big.
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For more information on my coaching and educational programs and services, visit my website stevehoffacker.com or go to my other blog homesalesinsights.com for additional sales tips, insights, and commentary. You can also listen to my free podcast messages at Steve Hoffacker's Happenings.
© Steve Hoffacker, 2009. All Rights Reserved.
