Look at Your Stationary

Collect all the paperwork you use to communicate with your customers and vendors including letterhead, business cards, envelopes, price lists, order forms, purchase orders contracts, proposals, etc. Do these documents convey the message you wish? Are they consistent? Do you have a logo and is it clearly displayed on all your correspondence? Make sure the address, phone numbers and other contact information is current.  In the sink business we made sure all our price lists were up to date when we deleted an expensive 800 that no one was using but it took us several months to discover that we were still emailing order forms with the old phone number.  

In the computer age letterhead is often produced one at a time with each letter so it is easy to change. It is also possible that each of your employees is using different letterhead. Make sure each of your employees is using the same documents and make sure they are all using the current version. It is easy to forget to modify all the copies in all the computers in your office.

Look at your business cards. A business card is often the only thing that people you meet will keep. Make sure it conveys the message you want. Is it out of date? Does it have a slogan or motto that no longer reflects your company’s goals and mission?   I had a friend building multi-million dollar luxury homes whose business card said Affordable Luxury.  He told me the slogan was from when he was building smaller homes. No one building a home in the millions wants their home to be called affordable.  They want their friends, neighbors and family to think it is a really expensive symbol of their success. Spend some money on your business cards. Do not try and get by with printing cards on your laser printer on perforated cards you buy at the office supply store. They will never have the professional feel of a printed card.

If you use large envelopes or packages to send information or even product to your customers is it professional.  If all you stationary is professional but you are sending large envelopes with return labels you make on your printer it may be making you look small and temporary.

To build a brand it is best if all your stationary is similar color, layout and has the same logo. A little work on stationary and forms may go a long way to improving your image.

Original Content copyright 2010 Thomas Robinson