This is part 2 of a series of posts for a local newspaper.

How often have you paged through the newspaper or yellow pages looking for a company offering a specific product, only to become suspicious when you see only a cell phone number or P.O. Box address?

Unfortunately the reality is that for many small businesses having a land line and office address is a luxury they cannot afford. It does not just cost money having a land line, it also needs to be manned, from 8am to 5pm every day.

There are few things less professional than having potential customers leaving messages on an answering machine. They simply don’t. So how do you get around this problem without bankrupting your business?

The answer lies in Virtual Offices. These service centers provides you with a physical business address you can put on your business cards, ads, etc. They also answer your landline in your company name, in a professional manner. Never miss a business call, never make the wrong impression. All for a fraction of the real cost. Suddenly you appear as corporate as the long established larger companies in town.

Great for when it comes to pithing for those larger until now unobtainable government and corporate contracts. Combine it with a professional looking business card and letter head and you get to play with the big boys.

Bear in mind though that sound business principles and a real market for your product is the make or break of any business, not just presentability.

Contact Imel Rautenbach at imel@OfficeReliance.co.za should you wish to know how to empower your business through a professional business image.

Next week’s topic: Getting the fundamentals right so the rest falls in place easier.