Four for the Price of One
February 27, 2009
Most people understand that technology, remote workforces, and quality outsourcing have significantly leveled the playing field and eliminated many of the “economies of scale” that used to be the exclusive domain of very large companies.
But despite this, it’s still tough being a small business these days. People can be reluctant to work with you because they secretly wonder if you’re going to be the next casualty to fall as a result of the recession, and they don’t want to be left hanging if anything happens to you.
Fortunately, there’s a way to make yourself appear to be much bigger than you are, like when cats puff up and arch their backs when they’re near a dog to look larger and more menacing.
We recently called the local company that does our annual termite inspection. It had four numbers listed on the receipt from the last time the company was out here – one for Raleigh, one for Durham, one for Chapel Hill, and one for Hillsboro – four cities in our general area.
What we discovered after talking with them was that the company didn’t really have individual offices in all four cities, but rather a single office with four different numbers, each with a local exchange that made it look like other phone numbers in that area.
There are many ways to do this, whether through your local phone company, or through Voice-Over IP services (VOIP) like Skype, and it’s actually a good strategy for two reasons:
- It makes you look like you’re a bigger company than you actually are, providing subtle reassurance to your customers.
- It implies that you have a local presence in each area so people think you’ll be closer to them in the event of an emergency.
Of course, it’s important to note that nowhere in its marketing did the company actually claim to have four offices or even imply that – it simply listed four different “local” phone numbers on its materials.
You always have to determine if your strategies and approaches meet the guidelines for “acceptable use”: try whatever you like, as long as it’s not illegal, immoral, or unethical. And, of course, you set the rules for the last two of these.
Remember, there’s a lot you can do to establish and maintain credibility with your customers and prospects, and in this economic climate, it’s more important now than ever.
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