Just because you have a start-up business doesn’t mean you should shy away from looking like a top professional outfit to be able to best attract quality new business. The trouble will be funding as every penny is precious when you are starting out. But there are ways to make sure you keep the right image and not put yourself into irretrievable financial trouble.
Invest the money in a good website
One of the surefire signs that a business is small or not a serious player is a poorly designed amateur website. You should employ the services of a good professional designer who can bring you a great looking site at a budget that suits you. It does not need to be packed with features or be hugely fancy and in fact simple but well designed can be more professional looking.
Obtain professional looking vehicles
If you are having to go to meetings at clients or colleagues offices or even customer’s homes you don’t want to be turning up in an old rust bucket of a car. If you consider that cost is the barrier here then you don’t need to rush out and buy a brand new vehicle as there are plenty of business lease options out there that will get you a really clean and professional vehicle at a price per month that works into your budget.
Get a virtual phone number & office
If you want to give the image of having a city centre office then why not consider getting a virtual phone number? This gives the area code of a city address while forwarding your calls on to any number giving you the impression of having a prime location when you don’t yet have one. Some of these firms can even set up meeting rooms in the city for the rare occurrence that you need to meet someone there. So you pretty much have your own Virtual Office in London.
Dress for success
If you look the part then that is half the battle in convincing people of your success before you quite have it all in the bag. Most professionals these days operate on a business casual basis which give you a reasonable amount of room to play with, you can create a well thought out look keeping on theme and make sure you give the right impression quite easily.
Brush up on your presentation & networking skills
If all of the above are in place but you don’t really match up to the impression when people have to meet you in person then it will all be for nothing if you don’t give a confident and professional pitch. It’s amazing how much people will read into a confident attitude and strong presentation skills to the extent that they will, most likely, not decide to research your company background as much. Even if these initial meetings don’t get you any actual business the networking can do you no harm as if you meet again they will no doubt be more likely to remember you.
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