Entrepreneur magazine, June 1997
Moving a business can be disruptive and expensive, but there are ways to reduce the trauma. When Paula T. Harvey relocated her direct mail, packaging and shipping services company, The Source, from an industrial area to downtown Hattiesburg, Mississippi, she learned some valuable lessons.
Make your move a marketing tool. In addition to notifying customers and vendors of your new address, tell them more than once what will be better about your products and services after the move.
Maintain a consistent image. "Now is not the time to change your logo," says Harvey. "Keep the look people are familiar with."
Give each department head the authority to do things their own way. Let managers control the move for their own areas.
Set up as you go. Harvey says moving things in work groups that can be quickly disassembled and reassembled reduces your downtime.
Answer the phone. Make sure no phones are left unattended. Warns Harvey, "Don't ever let your customers think--even for a minute--that you might be out of business."
Contact Sources
The Source, 300 Hardy St., Hattiesburg, MS 39401-3823, (601) 582-7608, (800) 824-8301
Jacquelyn Lynn is a business writer in Winter Park, Florida.
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