Partner Article

Global Entrepreneurship Week: Top tips for presenting a professional business image through communication

The youth of today could be accused of being too obsessed with their appearance, but when it comes to business there is no denying that image is everything. How your business is presented to the public is vital in building rapport and ultimately turning prospects into customers. Global Entrepreneurship Week is taking place this week across the UK and it aims to encourage the next generation to trust their entrepreneurial instincts and start up their own business. Recent research from Manifesto for Youth Enterprise has shown that the UK is behind France, Germany and the United States in terms of start-up rates among young people. Just one in 17 is in the early stages of starting up a business in the UK, compared to 1 in 7 in the US. British youngsters are clearly in need of some encouragement and here, Rory Whelan, Voice Marketing Manager for eReceptionist, provides some top tips for presenting a professional business image through communication:

1) National appeal – When prospective customers want to contact you, your phone number will immediately say a lot. Displaying a mobile number either on a website or in advertising, to many people, will not give off a professional image. By setting up a national number such as an 0800 number, your business projects the image of being a bigger enterprise, with national reach, even if you don’t have the resources or funding to expand at the present moment.

2) Pick up the cost – 0800 numbers instantly give a company a customer friendly appearance, as they are free to call from landlines and will soon be free from mobiles too. Our research shows that UK businesses have seen a call volume increase of 167% when they switched to a Freephone number. So show your customers that you are not afraid of hearing from them; it’s great for call volumes and it will give you the instant credibility you need when trying to get your business up and running.

3) Local appeal – You may not have the time, money or people to expand to regions around the UK, but don’t let that deter you. By setting up a virtual office allows you to acquire a local presence simply by acquiring local numbers, which will give you the freedom to run your business from any location and expand into new territories without the added cost. Should you want to appeal to customers in Greater Manchester despite being based in London, then it’s easy enough to have an 0161 number with the calls routed to your existing landline or mobile allowing you to be ‘local’ wherever ‘local’ is.

4) Never miss a call – Our research shows that 59% of people wouldn’t leave a voicemail if their call was unanswered, with more than a third preferring to call the next business on the list. In the crucial early stages of starting up your business, don’t look like you aren’t bothered through call forwarding or call divert this will never be the case. Furthermore, not answering a call also undermines whatever marketing activities you carry out both paid and unpaid – so missed business calls are not only missed business but wasted marketing spend.

5) Welcome! – Cloud telephone services enable you can create a bespoke, studio recorded welcome greeting unique to your business, without breaking the bank. Make it a welcome to remember and you’ll stick long in the memory.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Rory Whelan .