A new survey has found that many Australians with home-based businesses chose to keep clients in the dark about operating from home, for fear of losing business.
The survey, conducted by Serviced Offices International of 110 Australian home operators, found that 56.2 percent don’t tell clients where they work from believing they will be hesitant to work with a home-based business.
According to Michelle Mills, managing director of Serviced Offices International, image is very important in business, and many home operators fear they won’t be taken seriously if their clients know they work from home.
“Image is very important, especially for a home operator who has to convince customers that home life will not infringe on the quality of product and service provided,” she said.
Of those businesses that do tell clients, 67.6 percent said they would never hold meetings at their home office, with 47.4 believing it may look unprofessional, while 30 percent don’t because it infringes on their personal space.
Mills believes that developing both a solid exterior and interior image is crucial to drawing in clients.
“In order to maintain a professional image, a solid exterior must always be supported with great results and proficient customer service within the business. When effectively balancing both, home-based businesses are as successful, professional and dependable as their office-based competitors”.
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