Improving Your Home Based Business Image by Implementing a Professional Business Model

Improving Your Home Based Business Image by Implementing a Professional Business Model
By Lorraine Wolfe

Creating a professional image when working from home can be a challenge, but it is imperative to your business's success. How many times have you been directed to a company's website only to immediately be turned off because their site looks as if it were put together by a five-year old? Bad colors, misaligned text, "Page Not Found" errors; any one of these things can give your customer a false sense of business unprofessionalism that basically makes you untrustworthy, someone they definitely won't be buying from in the future. First impressions mean everything in the business world, especially when your competition is only a Google search away. So whether you're just getting the ball rolling in your home-based business or if you've been at it for a while, this article is here to help you tweak a few things so that you can pull in and keep more valuable customers by "walking the talk" of a big business.

Since we've just been talking about providing a professional looking (and functioning) website, let's start with that topic. Most importantly, if you don't have web skills or are not tech-savvy please, for your own sake, get professional help! Do not use a "free website in only 5 clicks" type of service. It will eliminate any and all credibility you stand to gain with anyone. Once you've got a web developer or designer on board, let them know about your business and what you want your website to accomplish. Do you want to generate leads? Do you want your site to act as an online brochure? Do you want visitors to download white papers or e-books? Do you want them to buy something from your e-storefront? If you choose the latter (web storefront), I would recommend getting set up with a merchant services provider in order to add shopping cart functionality to your site without relying on PayPal. Because you're trying to appear larger or more established than you may be (I only say that because many people wrongly assume home-based businesses aren't trustworthy, favoring brick-and-mortar operations), you need to take every opportunity you can to make your checkout process as seamless as possible. A merchant account is required to process online payments through a company like Authorize.Net. Paying to have your website professionally designed and launched will return innumerable dividends to your company over time, so don't be put off by the upfront cost of this service.

Going hand-in-hand with web design and development, we have all other marketing and communication materials. Again, if you don't have a creative bone in your body, leave this work to the professionals. Image is everything, from first impressions to building a visual bond with your customers, looking good makes your prospects believe that you are good. If you look chintzy, cheap, disheveled and uncoordinated, those things reflect on what people will think of your company. I would recommend checking out 99designs.com. Although I have no personal affiliation to the site, their service would be incredibly useful in accessing hundreds of designers placing bids on your job. You can post your project by describing your business, budget and desired outcome. Designers from around the world can then post their estimates and compete against each other to win your business. Your other option is to look for a few design or advertising firms and get competitive quotes from them. Just like the website, the initial cost of essentially building your brand identity usually isn't cheap, but it's better than leaving bad first impressions on your potential customers.

Consistency is essential to help you build up your professional business model. When I say consistency, I mean in every aspect of your business, you must be consistent. A short list of things that come to mind are billing, brand identity/image, your personality, meeting customer expectations and level of service. When invoicing a customer, make sure to bill at the same time every month, with payment due dates set in bold letters. If a payment date isn't met, enforce your stated penalties. Don't make billing exceptions; it's unprofessional and makes you look like a pushover. Make sure every single marketing/sales/billing piece of material that leaves your hands looks like they belong together. Keep color choices consistent, make sure your logo's appearance is consistent, set guidelines for its usage, and use nice paper when possible on printed materials. Your personality matters when dealing with customers. If you're off-the-cuff, funny and laid-back one day and the next you're wearing a suit with a solemn expression on your face, you're going to confuse your customers. People want to know what to expect from a business. They want consistency. So pick a tone, a brand personality, and stick with it. Consistency in a level of service is so important that some consultancies spell theirs out in writing, in a contract. Make sure to set your bar at a certain height and consistently deliver what you promise. If you guarantee 24/7 availability, be ready to take calls at 3:30am.

One more quick suggestion to help you refine your professional business model: get a business phone partnered with a business phone number. 800 numbers are very popular and easily attainable. If you've ever heard of Google Voice, they'll even go so far as to let you choose whatever number your heart desires as long as it isn't currently in use. Whatever you do, don't rely on your home phone line. A phone that is accessible to your entire family means that your seven-year old child can also take customer calls for you, which generally isn't what you want. Remember to answer your business phone as you would if you worked in an office, with a formal introduction. If you're really busy, you might even consider integrating a way to put folks on hold, complete with relaxing elevator music.

If you implement these suggestions in your own home-based business, I guarantee you that you will pull in and keep more ideal clients than you were by not following them. People won't question your credibility and they'll never guess that your business is run out of your home. As a home-based business owner myself, I know that sometimes the outright cost of producing professional looking materials can seem staggering. However, by following my own advice and going that extra mile, I can tell you that not one single client of mine knows that I work from home, which is pretty cool.

If you are looking for a Merchant Services Provider that's partnered with Authorize.Net to get you set up in accepting credit card payments online, check out Velocity Merchant Services at http://www.getvms.com. Velocity Merchant Services is the largest direct processor of Visa/MasterCard in the nation for small to medium-sized businesses and has been in the bankcard industry since 1998. VMS' office in Downers Grove, IL is full of customer service and sales representatives who genuinely care about their merchants' businesses and are available 24/7. VMS also offers a fully qualified and helpful technical support staff, the latest point of sale terminals to keep merchants on the bleeding edge of processing security, and one of the highest merchant approval rates in the country.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lorraine_Wolfe

http://EzineArticles.com/?Improving-Your-Home-Based-Business-Image-by-Implementing-a-Professional-Business-Model&id=5724111

More Home Based Business Articles

Massive Free Collection of Tools to Start a Business from Home



Articles Related to Improving Your Home Based Business Image by Implementing a Professional Business Model

Home Business Millionaire Newsletter

Submit Articles, Blog Posts, Ads and Press Releases to Our Site and Get Free Backlinks and Lots of Traffic FREE