In the business world, it’s vital that you give the right impression to your customers. After all; they are the people that will potentially be spending their money with you! Professionalism is the one thing any savvy business owner needs to have. And it’s something that must remain a priority with their staff too.
Each year, you hear of many businesses going into liquidation. Putting the blame on tough trading conditions might be easy. Or contracts from key account customers not getting renewed. The truth is, many firms go bust because they aren’t professional.
You may think there is no such danger of that fate getting applied to your business. While that might be true, just how professional an image does your company portray? Here are some of the reasons why your customers might feel you are anything but professional:
Your staff is incompetent
When you hire people to work for you, they will be representing your brand. Customer service should be of paramount importance to you. And that’s a message you need to convey to your staff as well.
A lot of retailers seem to hire people that are plain incompetent. As a result, the things they do (or don’t do) will annoy and frustrate your customers.
Do you have the right people working in your team? If not, it’s time to review your HR processes. That way, you can avoid hiring the wrong people in the future!
Customers can’t tell if your staff are employees or just random people
One thing that really grinds my gears is the anonymous employee. This is where your staff wear casual clothing and don’t appear to act as though they are employees.
Sure, casual clothing might be fine for an office where staff never see employees. But, in a retail environment, it will make your business look unprofessional. Tried and tested methods like staff uniforms and name badges will help avoid such issues.
You don’t have any business cards
Let’s say your enterprise involves meeting and greeting people on a daily basis. You will no doubt come across a lot of folks that will take an interest in what you do. In turn, you hope they will become paying customers.
Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons
Now, let’s also assume that you need to leave your contact details with those people. The standard approach is to offer them one of your business cards. If you don’t have any, you might forget to give them your details. Or, worse, they could end up with a scruffy Post-It Note or scrap of paper. How unprofessional is that!
You don’t have a website
I’ve heard many sole traders in the past tell me that they don’t “need” a website. Fast-forward a few years and most of them are no longer trading. Why? They refused to embrace technology and innovation.
Sure, a website might not seem like the best thing since sliced bread to you. But, it’s a crucial communication channel for any business. What’s more, it allows any enterprise to reach new markets and grow quicker.
This isn’t 1956. Local newspapers and billboards aren’t the only ways of marketing a business. Most savvy entrepreneurs have websites to showcase what they do. Believe it or not, many people will think your business isn’t professional if it doesn’t have a site!
Hopefully, you will avoid making any of the above mistakes with your business. Thanks for reading today’s article!
This article was provided by ellie jo