Professionalism is essential for a single reason - people who invest in products and services have standards. If you fail to meet them, they’ll be disappointed and spread the world about the substandard experience. Digital technology might be at the forefront of a revolution, but word of mouth is still incredibly powerful to this day. Sadly, there are plenty of professionalism obstacles to swerve if you’re an entrepreneur, and seen as one mistake can be fatal, it’s vital to cover every base.
First, you need to understand the challenges. With that in mind, here are the four main ones your company will face and how to overcome them.
Using Residential Contact Details
Residential contact details are quite common since the internet made launching a business easier than ever. With 99firms.com reporting over half a million SMEs starting each month, it’s easy to fall into a false sense of security. Customers will understand you’re new and trying to compete with the big boys. Right? No. Physicaladdress.com provides real, physical mailing addresses because shoppers are notoriously fickle. If they can’t trust you, which they won’t if you’re small and have no experience, they’ll avoid your goods and services like the plague. There’s no other way around it - you must appear bigger than you are by investing in commercial contact details.
Unhappy Employees
Unhappy workers are problematic for two reasons. Firstly, smallbusiness.chron.com highlights the perception of employing disillusioned staff members. Whether it’s true or not, people will see that you can’t manage your team and assume you’re an unprofessional outfit. Again, they’ll vote with their hands and feet by walking past your store or clicking off your landing page. Secondly, disgruntled people can be lazy as they are unmotivated. If you can’t find a compromise, the best option is to cut the cord and recruit a replacement you know will remain productive.
Poor Communication
Face-to-face interactions are essential as your employees are reflections of the brand. Thankfully, it’s easier to put out fires and solve problems in person as there are more tools at your disposal. On the flip side, it’s easier for workers to be rude over the phone or via email since they believe there is a lack of culpability. How does anybody know they were rude to a customer? They don’t unless you record calls. There’s nothing Orwellian about listening to customer and employee interactions, especially as you can use them for training purposes.
Blurring The Lines Between Home And The Office
Social media platforms are incredibly popular - almost four billion people actively use Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram according to backlinko.com. You and your team will inevitably fall into this category, which is risky. After all, what you share rebounds back on your brand, and all it takes is a like or share to start a PR nightmare. To eliminate the confusion, it’s crucial to create social media T’s and C’s employees can follow to avoid combining their personal lives with the office.
What do you find the biggest challenge regarding your ability to remain professional?
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