How to make your small business look big!
So you’re a small business and you need business to come knocking on your door but you are concerned that customers will think you are brand new or too small which, in some peoples minds, you lack experience and knowledge to get the job done. So how can you make people think you are bigger than you are? Regardless if you do lack experience or knowledge, here are some easy tips to make your business seem bigger than it is.
Get a toll-free number. Some think this is an expensive and difficult to setup. Well way back in he day, it was quite an ordeal to set one up but now, with the magic of the internet, it is easy and cheap! Personally, I’ve used FreedomVoice.com many times and the minimal cost compared to the extensive features really makes it a no-brainer for small businesses.
Why do I like Freedomvoice.com so much? Well, I’m glad you asked. I love using the system to setup a voice mail greeting worthy of large companies. I usually start with a standard “Thanks for calling….” Then I offer callers the choice to quickly dial customer services, sales, shipping, accounting or more. This gives callers the illusion that the company is big even though you can setup each quick dial extension to the same one number. Additionally, you can get your voice right in your email inbox and you can set multiple phone numbers it will try before going to a voice mail. I’ve set this up for several friends and clients. I think for the $9.95 or $19.95 a month, it is well worth it! Check it out now!
Get Toll Free Number Service with No Activation, a Free Trial, and 300+ Minutes of Talk Time Included Per Month.
If you do not need a toll-free number but do not want to put your cell phone out for the world to see, sign-up for Google Voice. You won’t have the freedom to create bogus departments but you can setup any cell or land line phone number to accept the forwarded calls. I have mine FREE Google Voice account to show my number as the caller id so I even know when my cell phone rings for a business call. With this feature, I sit up straight and clear my throat and give them a confident, “Hello this is Guy, how can I help you?”
Usually entrepreneurs are securing their communication means like phone, fax and email, then the next step is to create a professional business card. In my many encounters networking and meeting other business owners, I’ve received many FREE Vista Print business cards. Feel free to get the FREE Business Cards but if you want to better image, upgrade your business card!
Personally, I like using Uprinting.com. The website is easy to use, they have a ton of templates and examples for any type of printing you need and the prices are good. I’ve used Uprinting.com to get printing of brochures, business cards, posters and more either for my clients or myself. If you need any printing, try them out. Business Cards at UPrinting.com
The next thing that many new small business owners do is register a domain but due to the staggering number of businesses on the internet, finding a great domain is difficult. I suggest you try searching for your name if it is unique enough. If not, try searching for recently expired domain names. There are a lot of good domain names that someone let go because for one reason or another. To find recently deleted domain names, check out expireddomains.com.
One of the best ways to look like you are a company that know their stuff, get a great website. Any one looking to buy a product or service these days are doing research on the web for good reputable companies. If your website isn’t up to par, then most likely your potential customer will think your services or capabilities are in the same caliber. Don’t mess with your image, get the best website you can afford. AND (here comes the shameless plug. It is my blog for peats sake!), since I happen to own a great website development company, I can build any small to medium sized companies an amazing website at equally amazing prices. I can do this because I have an high skilled staff of programmers and designers in my Cebu, Philippines office. If you want more information about the kick ass website your business has been needing, email and even get 20% off! Check out Advanzweb.com now! Please!
Another great service perfect for any small business is MailChimp for email marketing. They offer FREE services for anyone with an email list of less 2000 names. This is a great way to get started without additional monthly fees. The service is very easy to use and very powerful. This is a definite must-do for small businesses. Check out MailChimp.com right now.
I was getting tired writing this blog post at 1 am in the morning but how can I leave out the ever popular social media websites, facebook and twitter. You gotta (just gotta) get your social media accounts in order and then add it to every post, email and markeing piece you do.
There are a lot of resources out there for small businesses and new entrepreneurs. These mentioned here are just a handful. I’m sure there are a lot I forgot to include and even more that I just don’t know about. Many of the resources are not expensive to do so give a whirl. If you just want to stick to what you do best (whatever it is) and have someone else help you with these and more, give us a try! We can help you appear and eventually become a much bigger company!