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How to Make Your Business Look Impressive

By crooky | July 15, 2008

I’ve talked about sub-contracting and outsourcing a number of times before but I wanted to explore this issue further after some conversations I’ve had recently. A lot of sole proprietor consultants (like myself) have this feeling that we’ll never be taken seriously unless we have employees and a brick & mortar office. I don’t think this is the case and here are my tips for looking professional while staying small and nimble:

1. Get a website

A lot of sole proprietors I know don’t have websites and don’t advertise their business. This is a mistake, in my opinion. A lot of your potential clients are going to do their research about what consultants to hire online. If you don’t have an online presence, they’re not going to find you.

Admittedly, my site is not a top-ranked Google destination but people still stumble across me - mostly through my blog posts. I also buy advertising time on VancouverConsultants.com. I’ve gotten five referrals in the past year through Vancouver Consultants.

2. Get real business cards

For years, I had DIY business cards that you can make on your own printer. You know - the Avery business cards that you can get at any office supply store. I did a good job on them but they were never going to look as professional as the card stock that normal business cards are printed on. People can tell the difference.

3. Sub-Contract to Tackle Bigger Jobs

I took on a job with Terasen Gas recently where I had to conduct 50 interviews in six weeks. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to pull this off in the time alloted and manage my other clients so I hired a virtual assistant to help schedule the calls/meetings. It worked out beautifully on a number of fronts. The work got done on time and on budget AND people were generally impressed that I had staff that arranged my calls. They didn’t need to know that Cristina works from home as well.

4. Get Google Apps

Google Apps is a great way to expand your business to include sub-contractors and/or business partners while looking like you have a big operation. If you set up your web site right, you can run your company’s e-mail, group calendar and shared documents through Google. No need for complicated IT infrastructure and adding new e-mail accounts costs nothing. You can add hundreds of e-mail accounts at no cost. It’s free!

5. Get Your Elevator Pitch Down

The last thing you want to do is mumble about what it is you do for a living. Most of the time, you have 10 seconds to get your value statement out and hook your listener into a longer conversation about what you do. Come up with a snappy, concise answer. If you, like me, have a complicated value proposition - come up with a bold statement that garners attention. Examples:

- I saved my clients a million dollars last year
- I am a research ninja
- I am a killer app

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Aaron “Crooky” Cruikshank is the Principal and Founder of Friuch Consulting. He has written professionally about science and technology for ten years.

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Topics: Business of Consulting |

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