10 Ways That You and Your Small Business Can Be Taken More Seriously

Having others in your field take your business seriously begins with the amount of effort you put into your product, the level of customer support you provide, and the tools you use to make your clients feel comfortable partnering with your company. From personal stationary and virtual data rooms all the way to necessary research, below are a few ways that you can establish your small business as a legitimate brand and ensure that you maintain a positive reputation for any customers that come across your company in the future.  

 

1) Focusing On Strong Customer Service 

Providing effective and positive customer service can make or break how well your business does. With social media platforms, such as Twitter, word travels fast and it won’t be long before dozens of potential customers are informed about the bad customer support another customer received. This is incredibly detrimental for a small business that is first starting out and can really affect the perception you retain in the future, so be sure to make it your mission statement to provide the best customer service possible. A kind receptionist or administrator speaking calmly and offering as much assistance as they can over the phone will go a long way to establishing your reputation. 

 

2) Working On Building Up A Good Reputation

As mentioned above, your relationship as a young entrepreneur and small business owner relies heavily on what customer are saying about you, so it’s important to build it up the right way in order to be taken more seriously in your field. Customer service is the first way to go about doing this, but you can also offer significant deals to your client base as well as inviting others, showcasing your product at events in your community, or even choosing to donate some of your profits to a charity. Nowadays, social media plays an important role when it comes to branding. More people rely on them as validation of their company status, and you can use this in your favor as long as it is genuine. If you are participating in a business show and want your team to take a selfie, you can take advantage of motivational neon signs. These signs can be customized to your preference to include your brand logo, tagline, and of course, a motivational phrase. All colors, fonts, and styles are available for you to choose and tweak on the simulator beforehand.

The key is to be genuine about your intentions and to illustrate to potential customers that you are constantly growing and innovatively thinking about your brand. 

 

3) Have Your Company’s Documents Easily Accessible For Major Deals Or Transactions

As a small business thinking about selling or merging with another, bigger company, it’s important to showcase what your business has to offer by uploading your important documents to a virtual data room. During the due diligence phase of a deal, a potential buyer is looking to see if your company can hold up to the hype and whether all your information is in order and easily available for review. Partnering with a virtual data room provider will make these bigger companies take yours that much more seriously knowing that you have invested in secure software for a complex transaction and are remaining accountable with all the data you are sharing prior to closing a deal.

 

4) Create Contracts For Everything 

Something freelancers or small business owner might overlook in the early stages is drafting up contracts for their clients’ projects. This is a vital step in illustrating your capabilities and also ensuring that you are being paid in full and within the time frame you specified. With a binding contract readily available for review, your clients will know you mean business and you won’t have to worry as much about whether or not you will be receiving compensation for your services or product. Starting off with a detailed contract is the best way to show your customers what they can expect going forward when they partner with your business. 

 

5) Use The Right Software

Whether your business is completely digital or runs out of an office, it’s important to have the right software in order to substantiate yourself as trustworthy and professional. Software, such as a secure virtual data room, illustrates that you are willing to invest in a safe space to share confidential information, and more affordable platforms such as skype show that you promote remote communication whenever necessary. Be sure to find the right software tools for your business so that you can elevate your reputation and ensure that your daily processes are always running smoothly for you and your clients. 

 

6) Remain Accountable With Your Responsibilities 

Showing that you are capable of handling everything on your plate or everything that you have promised to do for a client will establish your business as valid and will allow you to be taken more seriously in your field. Be accountable with what you say you are going to do and provide your customers with the best service/product day in and day out. Sure, we all get overwhelmed at times and might let our quality slip, but the key is to catch yourself before it goes too far off the rails and bring it back on track with the performance you feel comfortable promoting. 

 

7) Use Stationary And Documents With Your Company Name On Them

An easy way to make yourself and your business look more established is by using a letterhead on all your company documents, such as contracts and invoices, as well as buying stationary with your businesses logo on them. This is a simple way to let your clients or potential clients walk away with a reminder of you on a pen or notepad and to signify that if you are willing to invest in yourself, then so should they. 

 

8) Know The Ins And Outs Of Your Market

Before embarking on your business journey it’s important to you know exactly what you are getting yourself into and the market you plan to target with your product or service. This knowledge will be indicative of how well your business will perform and how seriously others in the same market or industry will take you once you are functioning alongside them. You should know when the right time to market your product is, when to offer sales to increase customer engagement, and when to rely on third party promotion to drive traffic to your website. Balancing all these will show that you have a handle on the market and are able to navigate through it seamlessly. 

 

9) Build A Strong, Positive Network

Networking is an unavoidable step when it comes to growing your business and a determining factor as to whether or not you receive the positive attention you need to get your company off the ground. The important thing to remember is to network within environments that match your brand and that will affect your business positively if you were to gain more attention through it. Sure, controversial advertisements will garner attention, but maybe not the kind that you want in the long run. Promote yourself shamelessly, but know the kind audience you want to gravitate toward your company. 

 

10) Do Your Research 

The worst thing you can do for your reputation as a legitimate business is sell a product or service that you don’t know enough about. Doing all the research necessary in order to confidently create a product that your audience will love is the best way to show that you are fully committed to your business and taking it as seriously as you expect others to. It starts with knowledge—without it, you can look wishy washy, ill-prepared, and unprofessional.

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