Joyce Woods

Whether you have been in business for years, just starting your business, or just thinking about starting a business; to sell your business services you have to sell yourself. To sell yourself, you need to Create Your Consultant Image.

Do you really enjoy what you are doing; your product or service? Do you like meeting and talking with other people? You need to be comfortable enough with yourself to present a good image to your client or to a casual acquaintance. Just running your own business can be a full-time job. You're in charge of accounting, bookkeeping, filing, managing, marketing, planning, production, purchasing, selling, word processing, writing contracts, and general business housekeeping. You also need to plan time for learning new computer systems (clients use what they have at their company). You'll need insurance for business equipment, disability, health, liability, and life. Unless you're independently wealthy, you'll also need a retirement plan.

In today’s market, polishing away the rough edges is a multimillion dollar industry. Your appearance and how you present yourself means a lot. It could be an initial client meeting, attending a professional organization, networking at a conference, or just having lunch; you only get one chance to make a good first impression. What you wear for the initial contact depends on the company you are targeting and the person you are meeting. (2)(3)(4) If you're meeting with a banker, dress conservatively. The most important thing to remember is to NETWORK! Make sure everyone knows you have your own business and the services you provide.

If you have a business telephone, you get a free listing in the yellow pages. Usually all you get are calls from someone looking for work or trying to sell you something. You might get lucky and actually get a contract.

If you advertising in trade magazines to the right market, the returns could be great; but it is expensive.

Direct mailing really makes you determine your market. You can purchase lists of potential clients, research company names at the library, or use company names from the yellow pages. Direct mailing is costly and has a moderate to low effectiveness.

Presentations/Seminars. Give a presentation on how to do something that relates to a popular topic. If it's not your area of expertise; learn it or pick another topic. If done right, a good presentation shows your organizational skills and how you relate to your audience.

Besides being a member of STC, join other professional organizations that relate to where your clients might look for a contact. Example: The members of a software organization may develop software, but someone may be looking for a software writer. Remember, get involved so members get to know you by giving a presentation or a workshop. However, pace yourself. If you make a commitment and cannot fulfill an obligation; you and your company will look bad. However, if you make a commitment and do a good job, you never know who may be watching.

What happens if you get invited out to lunch by your client? (5) What should you order, what fork do you use, who pays, and what do you talk about? Order something light and not messy; avoid items like spaghetti. If you're not sure which fork or spoon to use, follow your client's lead. Who pays? If your client invites you to lunch, your client pays. If you invite your client to lunch, you pay. What do you talk about? Be prepared. Research your clients products so you're comfortable discussing the basic concepts. However, if you're asked something and you don't know the answer, say so! Don't try to bluff.

Your company needs to be visible, so build an image. Determine who your clients are and if a home office or rental space is best for your services. Develop a design/color scheme for your business cards, brochure, letterhead, and envelopes. Be organized; keep track of your papers, telephone calls, and monthly expenses. Plus, how many hours do you REALLY work each day.

Target your market! Who are your potential customers and who else provides this service? Determine the business market that relates to the service you will provide. Where are your competitors located and how long have they been in business? What media do they use to find qualified part-time help?

If you have the space, a home office is convenient and costs less. You reduce commuting time and expenses, you have good business phone coverage, and you can still have some interaction with your family.

The flip side is you must separate work time from home time. Depending on your setup, it's less appropriate to bring a client to your home office. You'll probably spend more hours on the job (but quality hours). The never ending problem is a relative, friend, or neighbor calling, "Oh, you're home; I thought you were working today!"

You can rent, purchase, or share space. This gives you a more professional environment with expansion capabilities (at more cost). Purchasing space builds equity in real estate. Depending on your business, it could be a better work environment than a home office. Sharing space could be beneficial if your skills are useful to each other.

The negative is you have a direct overhead expense that can be expensive. If you purchase space, you'll have additional financial commitment and extra responsibility.

Use a color scheme and have a logo designed. Contact an independent graphic designer for ideas, even if you are a designer. Use your logo on your business cards, letterhead, envelopes, brochure, invoices, etc.

Be aware of the problems using some trendy color schemes. For example, don't use mauve printing on gray stock. It may look snazzy, but it's impossible to read. Make sure you select an open, readable font. Use a minimum of fonts; no more than two (one font can do a lot).

If you would like to print with color but are concerned about the cost, pick a standard printer's ink color; such as, green, blue, red, yellow, brown. Ask your printer what colors they have and what day do they print your color. Then schedule to print your company paper items the same day. PLAN AHEAD! If you cannot afford printing costs, order a rubber stamp or address labels.

Business Cards. Start with the above information and design a regular size business card (not smaller or larger). Since your first contact will probably be a phone call, make your name and telephone number easy to read and bold (include your telephone area code). Your address should be on the card, but can be a smaller than your phone number. Leave some white space around the edge of your card; don't fill the card edge to edge. A horizontal copy layout is better than vertical; DO NOT USE BOTH!

Since your business cards may be put into a holder, don't use a folded card. If you really want a folded card, make sure who you are, what you do, and your telephone number are visible (always include your telephone area code). Whenever I put a folded card into my card holder, I either tear off the front or fold it over so I can read it without removing the card.

Letterhead/Envelopes. Start with the same information above on type size, style, and colors. Keep your design simple, but make your company's statement. Use standard size 8 1/2 by 11 letterhead paper, since it fits into standard file cabinets.

For envelopes, use the standard size #10. You can either have your return address (with company name) printed, use address labels, or a rubber stamp. Printed envelopes definitely look more professional.

Brochure. Collect brochure samples from companies that relate to your clients; use the best parts and make yours better. Do not include everything you've ever done on your brochure. Again, keep the design simple. Then, ask a friend or coworker to critique your brochure.

Company Checks. Open a separate bank account for your company. Keep your company funds separate from your personal account.

Invoices. You can purchase invoice forms in a book form, have them printed, or print them yourself. Remember to include your company name and logo.

If you currently do not have a file cabinet; get one or two or more. Be careful of cheaper models; you get what you pay for. If you get a cheaper model, after you fill a file with paper, either the drawers fall apart or the suspension fails. The cost for a heavy-duty, vertical, 4-drawer file cabinet (letter size) starts at about $150. If you prefer lateral files; a heavy-duty, 2-drawer file starts at about $190 and a 4-drawer from $340 and up.

Your next step is to set up your filing system. (6) If you're currently using the shoe box filing system or stuffing everything under your bed or have no system at all; you have a lot of work ahead. You need a filing system that can be expanded, so use a hierarchy-type system. Select a simple naming method; example INSURANCE; then include all your business insurance information under that heading. Maintain your filing system on a regular basis; daily, weekly, or monthly. Once a year, plan a day or two to archive old files and incorporate new files into your system.

To ensure you don't lose a telephone message, use a notebook or purchase or make up your own While You Were Out sheets. If a call needs a response or you need to take some action, note that when you record the entry. After you respond to a call, put the date and a check mark next to the entry. Remember, you never know when, where, or how you'll meet your next client.

Maintain a daily account of your activities: what you do, where you go and plan to go, how much you spend, how many miles you drive, which client did you meet with, and how much time did you spend on the project for ABC Company. Use something like a Daytimer and carry it with you all the time. At the end of each month, you'll have a record of your out-of-pocket expenses, how many hours you need to bill ABC Company, and how many miles you drove.

Besides your daily account, keep a calendar with the date, time, and place marked for upcoming meetings, seminars, etc. you're planning to attend. Put the calendar where you can easily see it and remember where you're supposed to be. Don't laugh! Occasionally, when your schedule gets hectic, you'll be surprised what you can forget. Along that line, don't overextend yourself or your business will suffer.

If you don't like the idea of entering your work hours into a book, keep a daily worksheet. In fact, on multiple projects this may be the best solution. You could also use a daily worksheet to log the hours it takes to do your bookkeeping, filing, and other basic business activities.

(1) Bolles, Richard Nelson. What Color Is Your Parachute? publisher, 1994.

(2) Molloy, John T. The Woman's Dress for Success. Warner Books, 1977.

(3) Murray, Jacqueline. The Power of Dress. A Semiotics Book, 1989.

(4) Jackson, Carole. Color Me Beautiful and Color for Men. Ballatine, 1980, 1984.

(5) Craig, Betty. Don't Slurp Your Soup. publisher, 1994.

(6) Dorff, Pat. File...Don't Pile. St. Martin's Press, 1983.