In business, perception is everything, as indeed it is with most things in life. Even if you’re a certified expert in what your company does, you won’t be judged by your expertise, or at least you won’t be in the beginning. If you only have a standard website and few mentions around the web, then your potential clients will, in all likelihood, fail to take you seriously. The good news is that you don’t have to be restricted by the size of your company; you can make your business look much bigger than it is, just by implementing a few simple tips. Take a read below and, soon, no one will know that it’s only you behind your company name.
Beware Of How You Refer To Yourself
You know that you’re the only person at your organization, a single person who assumes all job roles, but why let anybody else know that? You don’t have to lie about the size of your company, but neither do you need to come clean if nobody asks!
When referring to your company, never use ‘I’; always make sure you’re saying ‘we.’ Equally, while it might look cool t have ‘CEO’ printed on business cards, that’ll very quickly look anything but cool if you’re assuming every role. The CEO doesn’t usually do deliveries, for instance, but you might have to at some stage. Leave it off.
Location and Phone Services
Which of these two companies would you be more likely to give business to? The first has a residential address listed as their headquarters. The phone number is a cell number, and the CEO always answers it. It sounds like they’re speaking from their basement. The second has a swanky downtown address, and when people call, it’s a receptionist who answers.
You might be thinking that you don’t have the budget for such luxuries, but you do because you don’t actually need a trendy location or full-time receptionist staff member. You can register your company in a hot location, even though you don’t work from there, and have phone answering services take care of your calls. You’ll have transformed the perception of your business, without having to do much work at all.
Everywhere Online
Maintaining a far-reaching online presence is another useful way to make yourself look bigger. Small companies tend to stick to just a Facebook page, and maybe a Twitter account. Larger ones can be found everywhere, on blogs, social media accounts, reviews sites, and so on. It’ll cost nothing to spread the name of your business in this way, only time. This will also help boost your search engine rankings, which is always a good way to make yourself look bigger.
Where To Hold Your Meetings
You’ll need to hold meetings from time to time. Where you choose to hold these meetings will reveal a lot about the size of your company. Turning up at a coffee shop, wearing jeans and a t-shirt, with a pad and a piece of paper? Then there are no two ways about it: your business is going to look small. However, if you rent meeting space in a fashionable hotel, and dress to impress, then suddenly the mindset of the person you’re meeting will be: ‘maybe this company is going places’.
What’s in a Name?
Your name reveals a lot about your company. Indeed, it’s one of the more difficult tasks that you’ll have had when you were creating your company. If you’ve just used your name – say, ‘John Smith Web Design’ – then you’ve already given the game away that you’re a one-man band. However, if you use a name that makes it seem like there are others – John Smith & Group Web Design – then the perception will change.
In the Papers
The best way to make your company look bigger is to have other people talking about it, not just yourself. Newspapers are always looking for stories, and if you have a story to tell, then get in touch with a reporter and see if they’ll consider writing a story on your business. As well as providing coverage for your business, this will give you a chance to position yourself as an industry leader, which will give your business even more credibility.
Act For the Position You Want to Have
Finally, remember this: you might be small right now, but if you work hard enough, you will one day be a big company. As such, it’s important to act as if you’re going to the top, even if you’re not there yet. Having this attitude will foster the big mindset needed for large companies!