Team Partners Telecommunications

What first impression does your business give off?

Posted on Nov 27, 2024  | Tags: phone numbers, mobiles, call answering

Here’s a time worn saying for you: you can only make a first impression once. It’s a cracker, isn’t it, so obvious, so true and, on the face of it, such an unnecessary thing to remind people of. And yet, who amongst us has never wished we had another opportunity to make that first impression again? Think back to first dates in the past, or interviews or even first times playing for a team and there’ll be things you wished you’d done differently…it’s just a part of life.

Just for a moment let’s revisit the interview reference. What perception did you want to create as you attended that meeting? Professional? Capable? Likeable? Social? Authentic? A mix of all of these? Of course, the truth is that your interviewer will have subconsciously formed that first impression the moment he/she saw you and that everything you said or did after that impacted that impression for good or ill. That’s just the way we all are, we make instant decisions about people and situations without even knowing that we’re doing so.

Now think of any brand or business you know. What do you think of them, what’s your impression? Can you remember how that impression was formed? We’d suggest, probably not, and yet, there it is. Now think about your own business. What first impression do you want to give to prospective customers, how do you want to be perceived, what do you want them to think of you and your business?

We’re not here to tell you that you need a good website, although that’s undoubtedly true, but we are here to tell you that it’s 99% likely that the first time you talk to that prospective customer it’ll be by ‘phone when they ring you, and if all you have is a mobile number and you telling them to leave a message because you’re busy…well, how professional is that? What does it say about your business? What impression does it leave?

Only having a mobile number speaks volumes about your business. It defines you as a one-man band, it suggests you’re it, only capable of working on projects of a limited size, maybe with no back-up…that’s what perception and first impression does, it determines expectations. Having said all that, there are some upsides to working from a mobile:

There’s a fixed cost

You’re always available

The caller gets to talk directly to the business owner

And there are some downsides:

You’re always available…think weekends, evenings and holidays.

The caller gets to talk directly to the business owner…so what happens when you want to employ staff to take and make calls? If your personal mobile is the number you’ve been advertising, you could have a problem.

Our advice? Start as you mean to continue. Invest in a landline number, even if it just diverts to your mobile and, even better, an answering service. You’ll be giving the right first impression even before the customer gets to talk to you. There are options on how to do this. Call us and we’ll explain.