Running your own business can be overwhelming, intimidating, and challenging. It’s easy to find yourself looking to mediocre entrepreneurs for guidance or validation. Don’t settle for mediocre when you could do better! You may not be aware of bad business practices, but chances are your clients are! Share on X
Bad Practices That Could Hurt Your Business
Growing a business is hard, and requires seemingly endless attention. You may think you’re on the right track, but if you’re developing bad business habits or practices, they could derail you. Here are 5 to avoid:
- Being Cheap
- Never Answering Your Phone
- Neglected Online Presence
- Generic Email
- Not Responding Quickly
1) Being Cheap
As a business owner you’re always hoping to save money, but don’t mistake frugality with being cheap. Top companies know that in order to attract talent, you have to offer attractive compensation. Save money where it makes sense, and spend where it counts.
2) Never Answering Your Phone
If you’re giving clients your business phone number, someone should always be on the other end to answer it. A call that goes straight to voicemail or to a personal cell phone just lacks professionalism and legitimacy. Don’t have a physical office space? Invest in an answering service to field calls with professionalism and expertise.
3) Neglected Online Presence
Most customers will find you online, either through your website, reviews or via digital advertising. Neglecting your online presence means that the majority of consumers won’t be able to find you. Even with strong referrals, your bottom line could get a substantial boost by maintaining an online presence.
4) Generic Email
Nothing screams unprofessional like a Hotmail, Yahoo, or Gmail email address. You’re a business owner, so act like one. That means it’s time to ditch the Gmail in favor of a domain-specific email address. If your business is Acme Consulting, your email address would be: yourname@acmeconsulting.
5) Not Responding Quickly
Everyone’s in a hurry these days, and that includes your customers. Most customers don’t want to wait longer than 5 minutes for service. Top frustrations that customer’s express with businesses include lengthy hold times, companies that don’t quickly resolve complaints, and dealing with representatives who aren’t empowered to make decisions.
Your Best Foot Forward
Everyone has bad habits, but entrepreneurs, in particular, have fairly common ones. You want to do it all, you probably have a hard time delegating, and you’re always trying to save money. These aren’t inherently bad, but by spending money in smart ways, delegating efficiently and spending your time growing your business, you’ll see great improvement.
Contact Us to learn more about how an answering service can free up your time and improve your customer service.