Professionalize
Following up on our topic from last week, we have been observing some patterns among professional service providers. We were compelled to write about how to ‘professionalize’ your business.
First, as we mentioned last week, look to formalize your company under a business brand. An LLC makes a statement that you believe in your brand as a separate business identity from you as individual. It also positions you, from an insurance standpoint, for growth. With more risk protection, you may be inspired to push the envelope or take a path you may not have previously chosen. Your clients may feel they are working with a more serious business when it has a formal legal structure.
Second, consider your surroundings. If you do not want to pay for office space, even shared or rented desks that are often pay for use, make sure your home surroundings are professional. Your spouse digging around the refrigerator or the bookcase behind you is very distracting and seems to imply that respect for the business video going on does not exist. Find a quiet room, dial in, and keep the door shut. Same goes for pets. They can be funny but distracting and just make sure your audience will find humor not frustration when your cat walks in front of the camera and just stays there.
Another simple action that you can consider is to add a formal signature to the bottom of your email, which includes the name of your busienss and all your contact information, including your title. Name, Title, Address, Email, Phone Number(s) and your Logo, include them all!
And if you send along documents, perhaps for invoicing or for background on your topic, add a logo to the top of the page and create your own letterhead. There are many stock options in Word or Excel for commonly used topics like Invoices. Take a moment to professionalize that PDF or Spreadsheet you are sending. It will surely make an impression.
Lastly, consider paying for some of the simple communications options out there. We found ourselves having to schedule back to back video conferences because we needed more time than what was available for free usage. We were dropped in the midst of a sentence and then it took several minutes to reconnect under a new scheduled conference. It just felt so unprofessional and was almost laughable, if the topic of the conference had not been so serious.
In summary, there are several steps you can take to professionalize the look and feel of your brand and organization. Don’t let these easy catches pass you by. Fetch a few of them and professionalize, it may propel you to an entirely new experience!
Be well.
