Wondering where, who, what, how long . . . .

I am wondering where you are, who you are, how long you have been in business, do you have a real store, etc.

If you are on the net, these basic questions should be answered. I am very disappointed in sites that do not have this general information. I think one of the reasons online shopping has developed a bad reputation is that stores do not provide this kind of information. A consumer has no way of knowing if you will be here today and gone tomorrow. I think to build a good reputation, this kind of information is necessary. I would advise you to put this on your site.

Yes anyone can do business with anyone in the world when working on the net. And for almost all kinds of business you can just as easily run your business in the basement of your house in the Yukon, from your cabin in northern Saskatchewan, at your chalet in Jasper, or from Bankers Hall in downtown Calgary. With the power of the net, outsourcing, contracting, fulfillment services, call forwarding, message manager, etc, you can run a business these days from anywhere. So why state on your site where your business is located. Why do people like to know where the business originates?

There is a number of reasons. One is, even though email is the main means of communication for many firms that do business on the net, I still believe that picking up the phone and calling someone is a vital to a good customer relationship. And if it is a long term business relationship, it is often nice to meet in person at some time. Therefore, to know where you are located is important. Your exact address is not absolutely necessary (I know many excellent business are run from home, and advertising one's home address is not always favorable), but knowing the city, province or state, and the country lets clients know what it would take to get in touch with you.

Another reason that location matters is some of my clients, and even I at times, like doing business with Canadian firms. If I can get the same service in Canada, I will choose that company over one from a different country. I am Canadian, and proud of it, and try to support other Canadian business's.

One last reason about listing your location is that quite a number of new businesses are originating from outside Canada and the United States. But the level of service is not always what you can get from a Canadian company. There may be political instability, poor infrastructure, etc that may affect the ability to adequately serve the clients needs. The stability of the region the business is in is a major factor.

How about who you are and how long have you been in business. If you have been in business on the net for over a couple years, then that is something to brag about these days. You have been through the boom and bust. Let people know. And if you have other business history, then that will help you earn your customers trust. Just by putting your personal name on the site shows you are not afraid to let the world know you are in business, and willing to personally stand behind your service and your website offering.

But what if you are just new, your first business, your first website. I believe then that you should let people know as much as they can about you, what you have done to think you can run a business and why you believe the client should shell out his hard earned money to you. I would much rather give a rookie a chance who has told me his story of education, experience, training, etc, than someone with 10 years experience who won’t even let me know his name.

What about a real storefront or office. Do you need one, and do the customers expect you to have one. Well I think if you have a location, definitely let them know. It can’t hurt, and they can then drop in on you and check you out in person if possible. But if you are operating from your spare room, or a cabin at the lake, then let the client know that you are not bound to an office. Tell them you are a home-based business, and give them a mailing address (use a local mailbox if you do not want to reveal your house address). Most people are used to dealing with home based businesses these days. You can even tell them you are passing the savings of running an office on to your loyal customers.

By being totally honest and forthcoming with your business information, it shows your clients that you are here for the long run. You are trying to build a strong reputation, so do not do anything that will tarnish that.