Trying to appear bigger than you are

[Dan Furman]

I noticed a lot of small companies try to seem bigger than they really are, almost to the point where they hide. I'm not sure why people do this.

I mean, I'm not going to announce "unshaven guy in basement wearing sweats" on my homepage, and I do sometimes talk in the "we" (and there really is a "we" from time to time.) But by the same token, I never go out of my way to "hide" the fact that I am essentially a home based business. Hasn't hurt me so far (I think it helps, actually, even with big clients.)

I dunno - I just think there's something dishonest about blatantly hiding. It just sets the wrong tone, in my mind. In my opinion, you are who you are, and trying to be something else probably makes things harder than they need to be.

Thoughts?

[cbscreative]

I agree. I even wrote an article about this before. There is no reason to be ashamed at being a small business, it actually has big advantages. Since that article gets lots of traffic, I'd say this is a pretty significant issue. Like you, Dan, I've had no problems with clients on this at all. The main thing is professionalism and skill, not the location of your office or the size of your company.

I do recognize that it also depends on the business. If you are a broker for example, you base your reputation off the capabilities of your suppliers. That doesn't mean you have to put up a facade, but it does mean you have to instill confidence in backing up the services you provide. I wouldn't resort to deception if I were in this situation, but I would put the focus on being capable because of connections, and not on the size of my own company.

[orion_joel]

I have read so many articles giving this similar sort of advice. Trying to pretend to be something that you are not is really only going to lead to a bad place. It may not be today or tomorrow but one day someone will question it and you will end up losing out on something because you didn't lay it out upfront.

In reality for probably 3 years i was a primary technology supplier to one of the largest businesses in the area. Yet it is just me. As long as i could provide what they wanted and did so at a competitive price, they did not care.

[Blessed]

I don't try to pretend to be bigger than I am and while I don't answer the phone if my daughter is crying she does sometimes start crying while I'm on the phone so... if I tried to appear bigger than I am she would blow my cover... I'm glad most people like cute babies

On another note though - some of my business I have gotten because I am a mom and I'm trying to make working from home so that I can be with her work - people like to feel like they are helping me fulfill my dream - and they are, in return I give them great prices and professional service.

[KristineS]

I think it's more about the quality of the work and your professionalism than it is about how big or small your business is. I've seen a lot of "big" businesses that give terrible service and have employees that don't care about the clients they serve.

Bigger isn't always better. Trying to appear bigger can just be a lot of extra work for not much benefit.

[orion_joel]

In retrospect trying to appear like a big business may not be as difficult as it would seem. All you need is some flashy brochures, an automated phone system that keeps people on hold for 20 minutes and i don't care i am just following procedure attitude.

Sounds pretty easy to me, however i would have to put a disclaimer on that which is "I do not condone this sort of reckless disregard for potential customers"

[Steve B]

Everyone makes good points and I agree you should be honest. But, there is a reason many small businesses are tempted to appear bigger than they are. And, that's because the potential customers are often thinking about things like what if this guy gets hit by a bus, or goes out of business in a year or two. It's a valid concern that they have. So, without being dishonest, I think it's wise to be sensitive to this issue.

In my case, my hardware has a lifetime warrenty. But, customers aren't impressed by something like that coming from me since I'm an independent one person operation. So, I sometimes tell them that they would be able to deal directly with the manufacturer in the event that I get hit by a bus (I'm now very careful around busses). I also try to slip in the fact that I've been doing this for 5 years so they know I've gotten by the first few years where many go out of business.

I'm never dishonest, but I do go out of my way to have very professional looking marketing material to at least project that I'm a stable and profitable company. I also left my wife's voice on the voice mail even though she doesn't help out as much as she used to with the telephones. I do have a part-time employee or two, so I will say "we" once in a while.

[Blessed]

Originally Posted by Steve B

...potential customers are often thinking about things like what if this guy gets hit by a bus, or goes out of business in a year or two. It's a valid concern that they have. So, without being dishonest, I think it's wise to be sensitive to this issue.

This is true - especially for those who provide an actual product and not just a service.

Originally Posted by Steve B

I'm never dishonest, but I do go out of my way to have very professional looking marketing material to at least project that I'm a stable and profitable company...

Here is just a personal opinion - I think if every small business owner realized the value of professional looking business cards, stationary and marketing materials - there might actually be more small businesses survive and thrive than what currently do. - just a thought, I think I'll go start a thread in the marketing section now

[KristineS]

I think having professional looking informational material is a must for any business regardless of its size. The same goes for web sites. I think that's a bit of a different issue there. Having good materials doesn't necessarily imply you're a big company, but it does imply that you're a professional who is aware of the value of marketing.

[cbscreative]

Originally Posted by Blessed

I think if every small business owner realized the value of professional looking business cards, stationary and marketing materials - there might actually be more small businesses survive and thrive than what currently do. - just a thought, I think I'll go start a thread in the marketing section now

Good thread too, Blessed. That is very important.