Small businesses have some advantages over the big boys. They’re often more passionate, they’re able to pivot more quickly and their leaders are close to where the action is.
Sadly, there are also some disadvantages. Here’s a silly one: people who don’t take you seriously just because you’re small.
I might have to go scream into a pillow, that one’s so frustrating silly.
Look, these days it seems like everybody and their mother has their own business. When yours is extraordinary, you have to take care not to be lumped in with all the side hustlers who really haven’t got a clue what they’re doing.
To compete with big business – or even other small businesses – you need to be deliberate about the impression you make.
Put yourself in a customer’s shoes. They know nothing about you, your results, or your experience. Before you can explain any of that, you’ve got to get them on the phone or in the door.
What’s the first impression your business sends?
Friendly, intelligent and up to speed?
Or frazzled, inexperienced and unprepared?
How customers see you is just as important as how good you are at your job. If they think you’re unprofessional, they’re not going to work with you. And they’ll warn their family and friends not to work with you, either.
So how can you make a good first impression? I’m so glad you asked.
Take care of your customers
Reputation is the most valuable asset any business has, but it’s even more vital for a small business. If you’re already on thin margins, it takes only a handful of bad reviews to knock you off the edge.
A negative experience is hard to shake. When a customer feels disrespected, frustrated or ignored at any point in their dealings with you, that’s what they will remember and talk about, no matter how good the actual work was.
Let’s say you’re a contractor and you built a beautiful bathroom for a client. But every time they called they always got your voicemail, and you’re not always great about returning calls. And the one time you did answer, you thought it was your buddy calling and you didn’t use a very professional greeting.
(Note to self: Answering with, “Hey, Whaddayawant?” is not good phone etiquette.)
You know what impression that sends? “If this person doesn’t take their business seriously, why should I?” When that customer decides to remodel the kitchen, they might remember what a beautiful job you did. Or they might remember how hard you were to work with and call someone else.
Or try this one on for size. Have you ever called a business and been faced with someone who sounds like they really don’t want to talk to you?
“Yeah, whatever. I dunno. Not my department. Call back tomorrow.” Click.
Some people who are brilliant at their jobs should not be allowed to answer the office phone. Like, ever.
Avoid things that scream ‘low budget’
When someone calls your business phone, they shouldn’t be able to tell whether your business is based in a million-dollar office or your grandma’s garage. You want them to feel like they called a capable, professional business with enough staff and budget to handle their needs.
Wherever you base your business, try to avoid taking calls in areas with a lot of background noise. Besides sounding unprofessional, it makes it hard for both you and your caller to understand what’s being said. That’s frustrating, and I think we’ve established “frustrating” is not the image you’re trying to send.
Admit that you can’t do everything
If your small business is ever going to grow, you have to stop doing everything yourself. If you can’t afford full-time staff, hire part-time workers or contractors to fill the gaps. The more time you spend on the tiny details that keep a business running, the less you have available to focus on the big things that move the needle.
When it comes to managing first impressions, a receptionist is the right hand you didn’t know you needed. Phone’s ringing? Keep working. The receptionist will answer. If it’s important they’ll let you know; if not they’ll handle it or take a message for later.
Got some brilliant staffers with less-than-stellar customer service skills? Keep them off the phone and focused on their jobs. The receptionist knows how to make your caller feel like a VIP.
You don’t even need to hire full time. You can contract a virtual receptionist just to handle your peak call times. Your customers will never know your receptionist is not in your office. They won’t even care because they’ll get what they need delivered by a friendly, professional voice.
If your regular staff is on holiday or you’re taking some long-overdue time off, your virtual receptionist makes sure the business doesn’t go dark. Can you imagine calling a business and landing in a voice mailbox that says, “We’re all on holiday, get back to you in two weeks?” Of course it’s hard to take that business seriously.
It can be hard for a small business to stand out from the competition. Your best bet is to do everything you can to deliver first-class work and outstanding customer service. That’s the formula for a reputation everyone respects.
