Maintaining Professionalism Without A Brick And Mortar

Happy Friday. Starting a businesses without a brick and mortar location is a struggle. Right out of the gate the question comes up. “Do you have an office?” “Can we meet at your office?” “Where is your office located?”

From a customer’s point of view, having  an office makes them feel more comfortable. It reassures them they’re dealing with a legitimate company. If you’re working from home, these questions are bound to come up in conversation with potential customers. It’s inevitable. Remember, most businesses don’t start out with an office and for good reason. Overhead is high, and the cost of leasing has to be justified. Most times it simply doesn’t make sense to have an office right out of the gate. It’s not cost effective. But you don’t need to let the topic turn into a red flag for the customer. Here are a few things to consider in your response when asked about your company location….

Keep It Real

First and foremost, don’t create the illusion of having a brick and mortar location when you really don’t. It will come back to bite you. Be upfront. Tell them you’ve decided there are more important aspects of your business than having an office from the get, like concentrating on delivering the best product/service on the market and providing the best customer experience possible.

People Buy YOU

It’s not about your office. It’s not about your pricing. It’s not about your “money back guarantee.” It’s about YOU. It’s about how you choose to present yourself. The products don’t mean squat without building trust first.  You already know this. yes it’s cliche and as many times as we hear it, we still tend to forget. Having an office won’t mean a damn thing without making your potential customers like you. A great product is great. An elaborate office with marble waiting rooms and flat screens out of the ass won’t cut it. If that were the case, businesses would never go belly up.

Don’t Compromise More Expenses For the Sake of Professional Image

You can run your business out of your bathroom and as long as your extremely professional in your approach, you’ll land business (be sure to watch the echo though I’ve met people who are so stuck on having a brick and mortar location for the sake of a “professional image” they’re willing to set themselves back years just to do so. It doesn’t make sense to have a great location if your brand has no identity. Priorities boy and girls.

Prepare for the Question in Advance

This is by far the most important thing to remember. The last thing you want is to stumble over your words when asked if you have an office. Prepare yourself. Script the answer. It doesn’t need to be long and drawn out. Be genuine. You didn’t just stumble upon your business on a whim. You’ve been cultivating it for a while now. You have the experience in your field of expertise, reassure your customers. Exude confidence. Let them know you’re no spring chicken to the industry you’re in. You just decided to breakaway and do it on your own because you felt there was a tremendous need to showcase and deliver your products/services in a different light. Let them know this. Tell them you were tired of watching the same typical companies repeat a buying cycle without delivering REAL VALUE on the back end. They’ll appreciate that, so long as you don’t talk their ear off about it. Sum up why you don’t have an office beforehand. Come up with a scripted answer. It will do wonders for you. And like anything else, the more you do it, the more natural it will come across.

An Office Doesn’t Make Your Company

Many times I’ve watched start ups go above and beyond right out of the gate. From top flight furniture (that’s been financed) to all the bells and whistles under the sun. For some reason they feel like they can’t begin internet marketing or pay-per click marketing until every little detail is in place. Usually these companies start out more in the red than necessary and sometimes it ends up knocking them out of the game before they’ve even started. An office is an absolute must for your business. But, it’s not something you need in order to begin building your brand. Concentrate on that first and the opportunity to get an office will come in due time.

Thanks and stay uncomfortable my friends.

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