[Stephen Taylor]

What Does Your Business Address Say?


If you are operating a business from your home andyour post office address clearly indicates a homeaddress, you may want to re-think your marketingstrategy.

A Rural Route 2 address can plainly say yourbusiness might be in a bedroom at home, or worse,in the barn. Does 27 Sleeping Beauty Circle looklike a business address to you?

If your business is still at home and your addressscreams it, get a post office box. There are alsocompanies that rent addresses and forward yourmail. You could have a Chicago address and live inNebraska (although I don't recommend it).A Chicago address might sound better than a suburb(RR #2 Box 2451, Gurnee, Illinois), but keep itwithin reason. An Internet search for "MailForwarding" will give you an idea of how it allworks (and costs).

If your on-line address looks like the Tarzan Yellyou may want to re-think your web strategy.

What comes to mind when you see an AOL, Hotmail orYahoo eMail address? Home? Fun? Hobby? Cheap?Stigmas can attach and hold like glue. They aretough to shake. Your business does not need Cheapand Chinsey.

No matter what size your business, you should haveyour own domain name which, in turn, gives youyour own eMail address, even if you don't want toput up a web page. I have been asked how to dothis so many times, I wrote a Special Report withstep by step instructions. Read about it herehttp://bigideasgroup.com/html/special_reports.html

Experts agree, you need a domain name, but theydiffer as to whether your domain name should justbe your name (BernieSchwartz.com), or be the nameof your business (SchwartzPlumbing.com) or bevery broad in scope (PlumbingHorizons.com).

My domain, BigIdeasGroup.com has a broad scopebut also reinforces my personal brand as BIG Mike.I bet I am the only BIG Mike you will read abouttoday, or this week.

What if your business phone number is also yourhome phone number and someone else answers,"Heh-whoa? I'll Get my Mom-mee". What impressiondoes that give?

Would you feel comfortable doing business with afirm who's answer machine says "Hi, you've reachedMolly, Bernie, Bernie Jr and little Susie, sorrywe can't come to the phone but if you...")

Your business should be using a separate number,no matter what the size. Specific ideas on how tohave a separate business line and fax numberare detailed in my free article "What Does YourTelephone Say?" Send a blank eMail toMailTo:[email protected].

Your business card can say a lot about yourbusiness image, too. Get my article "What DoesYour Business Card Say?"MailTo:[email protected]

Your business address is more than where themailman delivers the bills. It includes yourtelephone and your cyberspace image as well. Getall three working for you instead of against you.

©2005 BIG Mike McDaniel All Rights [email protected] Mike is a Professional Speaker and SmallBusiness Consultant with over 30 years experience,http://bigideasgroup.com

Subscribe to "BIG Mike's BIG Ideas" NewsletterMailTo:[email protected]