As an entrepreneur running a startup, making a good impression definitely plays an important role in facilitating the growth of the business. At the heart of this, professionalism forms the core attribute that a business must exhibit. Failure to properly convey this attribute in its service delivery almost certainly ruins its chances of surviving in the brutally competitive business world.
Making a good impression doesn’t just translate to the manner in which entrepreneurs relate with their demanding customers, it encompasses every aspect of the business including quality of service and even brand image.
There are many things an entrepreneur can do to make a good impression and basically earn the trust of prospective clients and would-be investors. We’ll focus on 5 things that must be prioritized.
Make punctuality a watchword
If an entrepreneur truly wants to be renowned for exhibiting professionalism, punctuality should be an important attribute that must never be neglected. Whether it is an important business meeting with a prospective client or a scheduled rendezvous with an eager investor or even a simple reply to a customer query, attending to these circumstances with punctuality as a core principle ensures that the entrepreneur makes a good impression and creates a highly-esteemed status for the business he or she represents.
Learn to evolve
One of the characteristics of a good entrepreneur is the willingness to develop both as a person and a business owner. An entrepreneur must be self-aware about the flaws that plague him or her and hinder entrepreneurial growth. Knowing how to gain inspiration to keep going is vital. Also, a passionate exhibition of an eagerness to always modify the operations of the business based on feedback or trends is quite necessary if an entrepreneur wishes to impress his or her customer base and secure their loyalty for a sustained period of time.
It is just unprofessional for an entrepreneur to ignore input from external entities, particularly from customers that have first-hand dealings with the business. This is a recipe for disaster and is guaranteed to hurt the status of the company.
Exhibit professionalism by completing all documentation processes
It is important that an entrepreneur has all the documentation of the business sorted out in order to avoid embarrassing legal cases as well as management bottlenecks. Documents like business registration, tax returns, and even insurance contracts must be in proper order if one is to be regarded as a serious entrepreneur.
Have a professionally looking website and email address
With websites now a necessity for any business, it has automatically become a yardstick that is used to measure the professionalism exhibited by a business. It is, therefore, important that the web platform used by an entrepreneur is a perfect representation of the brand, otherwise it is likely to leave a lasting impression that is unpleasant on prospective customers. The email address used by a business must also be professional and a mirror of the website.
Own up to errors
There is no attribute customers cherish more in business than the willingness to take responsibility for errors committed during service delivery. It tells the customers that the entrepreneur cares about the impact the business’ shortcomings have on them. A business that passes the blame will definitely not be regarded as a professional entity and will eventually lose every goodwill it has accrued.