Look at Your Business with a Fresh Eye

The other night just before I went to bed, I walked around the house as I always do making sure all the doors and windows are locked and my appliances are switched off. However, something slightly different happened this time because I noticed there were some cleaning cloths on one of the tables. I tried to figure out why they were there since they should be with the rest of the cleaning products. I wondered how they got there and from what I can remember they were from a big household cleanup some time ago.
I look at this table every single day and am often near it for hours since its near the TV, but I never noticed these cleaning cloths on it.

Why am I talking about cleaning cloths on a computer business site? Because your computer businesses can become like this. When things have been a certain way for so long, it becomes part of the background even though its out of place. You see it, but you don’t notice it.

If you ever watch a show like “Ramseys Kitchen Nightmares” you’ll know that Gordon Ramsey does this all the time with the restaurants he visits. He would go into a failing restaurant and tells the business owner some things that you and I would find to be very obvious mistakes as the lack of signage outside the restaurant and perhaps some cockroaches running around the kitchen.

So, lets take a step back and look at our own business with a fresh eye. Ask yourself the following questions:

• Is it easy for your clients to find your phone number? Your phone number should be on all your advertising material.

• Do you make it easy for your client to keep your number? Fridge magnets, case badges and stickers work well for this.

• If you have a store front, is your sign visible from the street, from the footpath and also at night?

• Are you keeping a record of your clients? Its a good idea to have a database for marketing purposes and it makes your business more attractive if you are selling it. If you need a client management system, check out our Vendors Page.

• Call your own phone number. Is your answering machine message up to date? Does it give the customer the information they need such as your operating hours or an alternate phone number? If you have staff or an answering service where a real person answers, are they polite, easy to understand and provide the right information?

• Are your prices easy to understand?

• Does every part of your operation look professional? You may be wearing a nice shirt and carrying around a nice case for your technician tools but it the whole professional image doesn’t quite work if you are also wearing white runners.

• Do you know how much it costs for you to operate? Are you making more than that amount?

• If you have a website, does it load quickly? If not, optimize it and perhaps find a new host.

• Are you appropriately insured? If not, check out something like TechInsurance.com (US Only)

• How does your business stand out from the local competition? Why should they choose you over someone else?

• Lastly, whatever you answered for the last question, do you advertise this to your potential clients? There isn’t much point being more experienced or having better prices if your potential clients don’t know about it.