A Tip So Simple For Small Businesses It Seems Silly To Dedicate A Whole Blog Post To It
Make sure you answer the phone.
That’s the tip.
Okay there’s more to it than that - let me explain…
A Tip So Simple For Small Businesses It Seems Silly To Dedicate A Whole Blog Post To It
I have gained clients whether for digital marketing or for Frameable Faces Photography (the studio I own with my wife Ally and where I’m writing this from) because I was the one who actually picked up the phone after others didn’t, and I promise you this has happened and continues to happen more than you might think. It actually happened this morning to photograph a family gathering this coming Friday which is what inspired me to write this. I hung up and starting writing. This isn’t to say I’m available TWENTY FOUR SEVEN to answer the phone… but here’s where the point gets interesting…
You see for our photography studio we have a separate phone number - a phone line we get from the cable company. It’s dedicated to Frameable Faces so we answer it “Frameable Faces this is Doug (or Ally)” and for a photography studio that IS indeed a differentiator. Not all small businesses and entrepreneurs have a separate phone line for their biz. They may just use their mobile for everything and who knows how they answer it if they even do.
Our phone.
The point here isn’t just the actual answering of the phone, it’s taking your business seriously. That’s the point behind the point. Having a dedicated phone line and answering it is today’s example that I promise you I see working on a regular basis. Answering the phone AS your business is the first impression you’re making with a potential client that this is a business. A real business. It’s the immediate signal that they’ve come to the place they were looking for.
So while this lesson might seem really obvious, with today’s easier barriers to entry for so many “businesses” this has become more important than it may have been 10-15 years ago. Today anyone can start an Instagram profile and instantly say they’re a “business” for example. And they likely don’t have a dedicated line. And while you may text your friends more than you call them, people do still call businesses. Spam calls aside, when someone calls your business line YOU will have the advantage (and the healthy separation) of knowing this is someone calling for business and not personal. You can put your professional hat on and answer the phone accordingly which helps you mentally down that path as you begin the conversation on the right foot. You and the caller both know you’re here to talk business.
Old school example? Maybe… But first impressions are important and that will never change. Think about the ways you aren’t taking your business seriously enough and how it might be perceived as a result. Do it now. And fix it.
M10 Social is owned by Doug Cohen in West Bloomfield, MI and provides social media training and digital marketing services from the Frameable Faces Photography studio Doug owns with his wife Ally. He can be reached there at tel:248-790-7317, by mobile at tel:248-346-4121 or via email at mailto:doug@frameablefaces.com. You can also connect with Doug on Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram, and/or M10 Social on Twitter or Facebook, and check out his other biz www.VirtualPetcations.com while you’re at it!
******************************************************************************************
Tune in to the 📷Doug&Ally📷Morning Show T-F between 10AM & 11AM EST UTC-4 by following them on Heckle or Twitter at @frameablefaces!
Don’t forget to check out the Doug & Ally Morning Show PODCAST available on most platforms where you get podcasts including Anchor.fm, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts & I Heart Radio!