A business might have a lot of value to offer, but if it looks to be in disrepair, customers and clients will pick up and head elsewhere. Restaurants understand this, which is why restaurateurs try at great expense to package the dining experience in an attractive way – because no matter how good the food is, if you have bare fluorescent lights, linoleum floors and rats, you won’t succeed.
That is true of pretty much any business – not just restaurants, but also contractors, hospitality companies, tech startups, you name it. In order to stand tallest amid your competitors, and in order to attract savvy clients and customers who are used to shopping around, you have to project professionalism.
In this post, let’s look at a few ways in which your business, regardless of what you offer, can appear more professional.
For Design, Defer to the Pros
There are so many fine businesses out there that get looked over because of their design, especially their website design. It almost seems unfair: you wouldn’t naturally expect, for example, a plumber’s design sensibility to have any bearing on their quality of service, yet poorly designed websites can suggest unprofessionalism even in matters that have nothing to do with aesthetics.
Revamp your website with the help of a web designer, and focus on a simple, sleek homepage
Lease Your Vehicles for a Newer, Better Fleet
It doesn’t matter if you’re a caterer, a landscaper, or a lawyer – whatever – if you drive up in an old beater, your client or customer is going to have serious second thoughts. The make, model, and, importantly, the newness of your vehicle implies a lot about the success of your business, but buying vehicles can strangle cash flow and leave you locked into a decade of ownership.
That’s why more companies are starting to lease fleet vehicles at Auto One and the like: not only are the monthly payments cheaper, improving cash flow, but you can afford to drive better cars. And rather than replacing your car every 8 or so years, with leasing, you can trade-in for a newer model every 2-4 years.
Invest in a Good Camera
An easy and compelling way for you to demonstrate your business’ value is through pictures, whether on social media, your website, or physical advertising. But far too many businesses offer up pictures that look blurry, oversaturated, or otherwise dated. Worse yet, some businesses go with what are clearly stock photos, which always seem too formulaic to represent anything valuable.
Just invest in a good DSLR camera and take a few YouTube photo tutorials. You’ll be posting good quality, personalized photography in no time.
Edit Yourself
Finally, here’s a quick reminder, of the kind they might teach in “Professionalism 101”: before you hit send on an email, before you post a blog, before you invoice a client, before you send a text or publish a social media post, edit yourself. There’s nothing that screams “little league” more than numerous errors and typos.
