Quality and Consistent
Services
There will come a time when something will take you away from your
work for an extended period. Whether it's a vacation, illness
or emergency, your clients need to know they're still being
serviced. If they're concerned that business stops when you do,
they may go to a larger firm.
Do:
- Develop alliances. Find credible, trustworthy small businesses
that do what you do. Negotiate an arrangement to service each
other's accounts during vacations, sick times or emergencies.
Put the arrangement—and the agreement not to poach each
other's clients—in writing.
- Plan well in advance. Give clients at least four weeks'
notice for planned absences like vacations and as much notice as
possible for other situations.
- Communicate. Let your clients know when you'll be away and,
if possible, precisely when you'll return. Also, advise them of
who will be handling things while you're away.
Don't:
- Drop the ball. While the daydream of being your own boss
includes the ability to take off at a moment's notice, the
reality is much different. It's up to you to ensure your
clients are being serviced properly. Plan and communicate properly
to avoid looking careless.
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When Bigger Is Better
While homebased businesses don't face the stigma they once did,
there are times when looking bigger can help your situation,
especially in new business meetings. While you never want to
misrepresent your business, the way you present your resources can
make a big difference in a prospect's perception.
Do:
- Create knockout marketing materials. When you have
professionally developed brochures, stationery and a Web site, you
communicate to prospects that you're serious about your
business and have made an investment in its development.
- Include alliances in presentations. If you work with
freelancers or have an alliance with another firm, include these
professionals in new business pitches. In addition to combating the
perception that your business is too small, you'll also be
introducing the professionals with whom the prospect may be
working.
- Use one-number access. Give your subcontractors voice-mail
boxes and access codes to retrieve messages from your system. Then
clients and prospects can locate these professionals through one
phone number-yours.
Don't:
- Lie. Misrepresenting the truth about your location, staff or
capabilities is suicide for your image. In addition to losing
credibility, you could also find yourself in hot water if the
client feels those untruths caused damage to his or her business.
Does your image need an overhaul? Take our quick quiz to find
out.
1. When a client calls your office, what is the first sound he
or she is likely to hear?
A. Your voice
B. Your voice on voice mail
C. Your 3-year-old's voice
D. A busy signal
2. Today, the kids stayed home sick, the shower is leaking and
the dog just chewed your new living room chair. You got virtually
no work done. When a client calls about status on a project,
you:
A. Assure her that you will meet the
deadline and work late that night to make up the time you
lost.
B. Explain that you had a computer glitch and ask for more time on
the project.
C. Spill your guts, in painstaking detail, about the kids, the
plumber and the dog.
D. Avoid answering the phone.
3. You've taken on a project for a new client under a tight
deadline when your spouse calls to tell you about a last-minute
business meeting in the Bahamas—to which spouses are invited.
The trip will conflict with your deadline. You:
A. Stay home, meet with the client
and produce the project as promised.
B. Go on the trip, but take your laptop, confident you'll be
able to finish the job from the beach. The client will just have to
work with you by phone, fax and e-mail.
C. Call your client and resign from the job. After all, how many
times does a free trip to the Bahamas come along?
D. Pack your bags and shoot the client a "Dear John"
e-mail.
4. If a client wishes to send you a fax or e-mail, it's:
A. Easy. Microsoft's got nothing
on me.
B. Easy if the e-mail doesn't crash or the fax machine's
not out of paper.
C. A matter of reconnecting a few wires and crossing my
fingers.
D. A matter of going down to a friend's house to retrieve
it.
Scoring:
For each: A equals 5 points; B equals 3 points; C equals 1
point; D equals -2 points.
18 and over: You're poised, polished and ready for the
big-time.
12-17: You're not exactly rough around the edges, but you
could use a bit more professionalism. Work on identifying problem
image areas and tidying them up.
7-11: Definite image issues. Try identifying some world-class
businesses in your field and model your practices after theirs.
Being homebased is no excuse for unprofessionalism.
Below 7: It's time to reassess whether running a homebased
business is right for you. If you still think it is, find a mentor
or business counselor to help you clean up your act.
Gwen Moran is president of Moran Marketing Associates, a public
relations and marketing communications agency in Ocean, New Jersey.
She is currently completing a marketing workbook titled Promote
Your Business. E-mail her at moranmarketing@erols.com.
Originally published in the April 2000 issue of HomeOfficeMag.com
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