One of the best perks of being in sales is working from a home office. Yet, many reps lose credibility with customers by failing to prepare a professional image. I often contact reps at home and am greeted by their four year old receptionist! Parents may think this is cute and endearing, but I can't help to think of the negative impression it gives to customers. How committed are you to your career if you fail to make even the most minor investments in your business? Most companies have allowances for such expenses-use them! Unless calls can be taken in a professional manner, the phone should not be answered. A dedicated business line should be established for you and your home based business. This includes sharing with spouses or roommates.

In sales, image is everything. Voice messaging services, provided by local telephone companies, are superior to the old fashioned answering machines. Answering services, featuring a "live person", have often been considered a better alternative, however, these days they offer no advantage over their digital (voice mail) counter parts. In fact, bad service can create a worse impression than no answer at all! Also, take the time personally to record your out-bound greeting to help the caller confirm he has reached the right number. Your voice will also soften the disappointment when the caller fails to get you in person.

Another frequent faux pas is forcing customers to maintain mini phonebooks to keep track of you! We often make the mistake of demonstrating our extensive availability by providing our business number, voice mail, home office, cell number, pager and on and on. You can improve customer communications by using the KISS principle here. How can you simplify ways to reach you? Ask technology to do the work-- not your customers! Provide your accounts with one number that will automatically track you down or give out your mobile number to reach you directly. Some reps like to give their firms toll free voice mail number. This is a great option, providing you check and respond to messages several times each day. Being unable to leave a message because your mailbox is full sends a strong signal you are over your head or uninterested in receiving your caller’s messages.

Another way to make a good impression on customers is with your outbound phone greeting.

Call yourself today and listen-- really listen to your message.

Look for creative refreshing ways to demonstrate your uniqueness and add interest to your greeting. Don't get weird on me-just fresh. I have heard, several great examples of reps who offer a "Quote or Thought of the Day" or a timesaving tip to improve the performance of your product. Keep in mind, the essence of professional salesmanship and referral based prospecting is being memorable. Use your phone greeting to work for you and build your business.

There is nothing worse than a busy signal preventing customers from getting through because someone is busy checking stock prices on the Internet! Get a back up voice mail service or invest in a dedicated fax/modem line. Forcing your callers to advise you of an incoming fax is unprofessional and for amateurs. Automatic fax/phone switches are another alternative to receiving faxes easier and are transparent to the caller. Another great way to be of service to customers with little or no effort, is to provide a fax on demand option. Provide your most common requests for information or product tips and techniques via an automatic dial up fax service. Many of the popular software programs, like WINFAX Pro have this option already built in. Get technology working hard for you-it will not only boost your image and productivity you'll have a lot more time to spend those fat commission checks!