The thing about the self-employed is that they can sometimes get avoided by potential customers. Why? It’s because they are only small “one-man bands.” Many consumers assume that sole traders aren’t going to offer good quality products and services. They also think that there is no legal recourse in case things go wrong.
But, in reality, nothing could be further from the truth! Just because a business does not have an army of employees doesn’t mean it should get avoided. Indeed, many sole traders are experts at what they do. In fact; they usually do work that is far superior to established corporations!
Some sole traders pretend that they are large organizations. Whereas others make it obvious, there is only one person running the show. Are you self-employed? If so, did you know that you could take the best bits of both worlds to improve your image?
The following expert tips will help you to grow your business and make it look more professional to clients.
Don’t use your personal cell phone or landline for business
To cut down on costs, many entrepreneurs use their mobile and landline numbers as part of their business. There is one major issue with this approach. How do you when you get a personal or a business call?
Answering your calls with “Hello?” isn’t professional. Clients might think they have dialled the wrong number. Whereas potential new customers might have doubts about spending money with you.
The obvious solution to this problem is to set up dedicated cell phone and landline numbers. Some people will doubtless be less than happy about doing this for cost reasons. But what if I showed you how you could without spending much money?
These days it is possible to get “virtual” phone numbers. To all intents and purposes they are real numbers. The only difference is that you can divert all calls to them to any number you want.
When a client calls you on one of these virtual phone numbers, you will know that you’re getting a business call. How? Because the number they dialled will show up on your phone’s caller display screen!
Such numbers cost a fraction of the price when compared against line rental for new physical lines and cell phones. You can even use many different “virtual” geographical numbers if you offer your services to a large area.
Get a website
You might think that your business is too small to justify having a website. But nothing could get further from the truth! Anyone can have a website. These days, most people go on the World Wide Web at least once a day, every day.
Sure, you might advertise your services in a local newspaper. But how will potential clients find out about you if you don’t have a web presence? Websites are cheap, quick and easy to set up.
Domain names and hosting will cost around $30 a year. Email hosting often gets included with web hosting packages. That means you can send and receive business-related emails using your domain name.
There are a few ways to set up your website. The easiest way is to pay someone else to do it for you. The person you need is a “web designer.” They will take care of the design and content for you.
What if you’d prefer a DIY approach? Many domain name and hosting vendors offer interactive website building software. You just choose a theme for your site layout, add any text and images and publish it when you’re done.
For those that seek more control over their website design, there is always WordPress. You can either host the system on your website, or use the free WordPress hosting system. The software powers around 75 million websites worldwide and is quite popular as you can imagine.
Get some business cards printed
When you deal with consumers and other businesses, you should always have business cards ready to hand out to them. These small credit card-sized bits of card tell people who you are and how to contact you.
You have the option of using a local printer to get them made up for you, or you can get them done over the Internet. Business cards are essential to the self-employed. They are a great way of making people aware of your brand. And they make it easy for new customers to contact you.
In recent years, the use of unique and eye-catching business cards has become increasingly popular. One popular option is metal business cards, such as those offered by Metal Business Kards. These cards are not only durable and long-lasting, but they also make a strong impression on potential clients and partners. They can help your business stand out in a sea of traditional paper business cards and show that you are serious about your brand and the work that you do. With options for custom designs and finishes, metal business cards can be a great investment for any self-employed individual or business owner looking to make a strong first impression.
Hire a virtual receptionist
Receptionists are great. They deal with phone calls, mail and visitors to a building. If you work from home, it’s likely you will spend a lot of time “on the road” as it were. So, what happens if a potential new client calls you when you’re out and about?
Sometimes it’s not always convenient to answer calls when you’re working. Rather than ignoring any phone calls, you can just have them diverted to a virtual receptionist.
They can answer calls and deal with your mail. Details of messages get sent to you, and they can even scan and email your letters too! They are timesavers and don’t cost your business a lot of money.
Use your car as a mobile advertisement
As you spend a lot of time on the road, why not use your car as a form of free advertising? Vinyl graphics are cheap to print and get fitted onto any vehicle. You can have some eye-catching advertising created for you.
Vinyl is durable and long-lasting. Quite often, you will find that many sole traders get new customers just because they saw the advertising on your car! If you are going for this creative form of advertising, I have one piece of advice for you. Make sure your car is suitable for vinyl graphics advertising!
A small vehicle like a Mini won’t have enough advertising space compared to an SUV or truck, for example. So, make sure you have the right car or van for the job!
Oh, and don’t forget to wash your vehicle before any vinyl graphics get applied to it!
