5 Ways to be Professional in Business on a Limited Budget

The other day I had a modeling agency that was interested in signing me but before they did they wanted to meet me in person. So when I drove up to the building I noticed that it looked outdated and almost like an apartment building…not what I was expecting. The talent scout led me to the “office” was carrying her baby in a type of sling around her chest and was sporting non-fashionable jeans and a tee. As we walked into a big open room that looked like a common room for all of the other businesses on the floor we sat down at the desk, which looked like a dinner table. Shortly thereafter her business partner came in wearing a shirt and tie with 2 big gold necklaces that was worn over his shirt (very 80’s). On the table, where we were holding our meeting I noticed several modeling pictures that they laid out to show who has signed with them. The only problem was that I noticed a model in one of the pictures and knew that she had no involvement with this organization. Not only did they fess up to the pictures not being their models but they also wanted me to pay them money to sign with their agency. Obviously I was not interested.

5 Ways to be Professional in Business

When you are starting off in business your customers and I understand that you are not going to launch a business in a multimillion-dollar facility, with state of the art equipment and 50 employees however you can still afford to be professional. Here are 5 ways to be professional in business on a limited budget:

1. Become the Expert – Everyday read a book, magazine or attend a workshop that pertains to your industry. Know the trends that are emerging and the ones that are fading. If the owners of the modeling agency that I met with had been studying fashion trends they would have known that big gold chains and baby slings are not streamline fashion. Know what products are selling, the trends that are driving the sale and study what is making your competition successful. Wisdom, the application of facts, is the foundation to all success.
2. Look the Part – If your desire is to be a successful business owner, dress your business and yourself in the fashion of your industry’s success. If you are a salesman shave your face, wear a suit (or at least a shirt and tie) and shoes that are shined. If you cannot afford a new suit or dress shirt but the ones that you have no longer fit you then go to a tailor and have he or she alter your suit. The cost is about $40 (depending) but the end result is higher confidence and a wealthier look. If you have an office update it with contemporary furnishings. Watch shows like, “Design on a Dime” or get a friend who is good at decorating to help you but either way you need to display success in order to achieve success.
3. Have a System – Know what you are doing. Do not act like the customer whom you are serving is the first customer that your business has ever seen. Be able to anticipate customer problems and have a system in place to handle undesirable situations. If the customer is waiting too long at the cash register what do you do? If the customer doesn’t like the purchased product how do you handle the return? How do you greet the customer and what is the method for completing a sale? Knowing these systems will relax your customer causing he or she to be free to enjoy the experience and will enable you to have repeat business.
4. Keep Your Business Clean – Have you ever walked into a store and they had inventory that had about an inch of dust on it? Have you ever walked into the office of the owner of a company and he or she had papers everywhere? What does this tell your customer? When they see dust they know that you do not sell a lot of that product so they probably should not buy it. Two, when they see your disheveled office they know at minimal that you do not clean and that they probably cannot trust you to do what you say because the memo you just wrote to yourself will get lost in all of the debris.
5. Go BIG or Go Home – If you cannot afford to do something right don’t do it. If you cannot afford a highly interactive, professional television commercial do not launch one. When you produce marketing material whether it is flyers, billboards, newsletters or a website you are displaying the quality of your company. If your customer sees a cheesy advertisement they are going to assume that you are a low budget company and they will go to someone else or when they do come they will treat you like a low budget company.

Put Professionalism First

Put professionalism first. Be a professional at all times and then you will attract professional people. Re-evaluate your business from the name you have chosen to the location to the way that you serve your customers and then ask yourself, “If this was not my business would I shop here and would I want to come back?”

Most entrepreneurs are so busy working that they cannot see what is going on around them. Take five days off from doing the manual tasks that are keeping you so busy so you can free your mind from the clutter and begin to see what your business really looks like. Really look at your company through the eyes of your potential customer and ask the hard questions that you cannot answer right away. When you learn to ask the right questions then you will begin to find the right answers, which will lead you to the right results, which will cause you to experience the right desires.

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