How To Make Your Home-Based Business Not "Homemade"?

One of the biggest hurdles we face when working from home is to make it seem as though we are not actually working at home. When customers call and there are children screaming in the background, barking and crying pets and time timers will be washed and cooked, it does not seem to work. So, how can we identify with a professional? Tip # 1: Have a clean, professional website with your domain name. Do not, under any circumstances, have a "free" website hosted on another domain name with ads of other companies everywhere! This is one of the great no-chas out there! Decide, instead, that in order to appear professional, you should invest in a professional website. If you do not have expertise in web design, hire someone to do it for you or trade with another home-based business owner who is developing a web design. Choose a domain name closely related to your business name. Tip # 2: Invest in a different phone line or with a different ring tone for that line. Most phone companies offer a system where you can find two or more phone numbers that appear on the same phone line with different rings. It is usually best to have a separate telephone line in your office, to avoid after-hours calls from customers. This also allows you to "lock the door" at work when you are not there. Use a professional voicemail message or a responsive machine message and check messages regularly. Tip # 3: Think of a way to show your business address. How will you show your real location? There are a few different options available. Most home business owners will say they only accept meetings by appointment, in order to discourage customers from "entering" when they are in their jerseys and not receiving their morning coffee until now. If you don’t want your customers to know you work from home, the other two options use P.O. Box or paste the "Suite" number into your address. If you use P.O. Box, you will need to provide your home address to receive packages and anything they want to send you, but it provides anonymity and discourages incoming visitors. If you paste a number into your address to make it look like a "business office," be sure to tell your post office that you have a home business and that's why there is a different address there. Tip # 4: Explain the rules of office etiquette to your family. What will be the rules for your children and family members when you are on the phone or meeting with a client? Will you set a time calculator so they know when to find you? Will you have fixed working hours and not meet clients outside of those hours? Will you have a playground in your office? This is especially important if you have young children playing near (quietly) while you are working. Tip # 5: Invest in high quality advertising products and marketing pieces. Do not print out business cards from your printer, unless you have a very high printer. Invest in high quality business cards and brochures. If you can, have a printed letterhead, and, for contracts, letters to potential customers and any business-related communications. When printing promotional products such as T-shirts or clothing, coffee cups, mice, etc., check the quality of the products produced by the printer you wish to use. Don’t just “hunt for prices,” look everywhere to get the best quality and invest in your business.