How To Make A New Business Seem "Bigger" Than It Actually Is?

[th.ri.ll]

Hi everyone,

After much wannabe-entrepreneurism I have settled on a software agency I'd like to pursue that is in the same industry I currently work a job in and has few competitors which all have a nice customer base.

I'm in the process of building a website and also going to start cold calling/emailing soon (I have experience in sales). However, in the beginning it is often hard to get traction or sales because of a lack of credibility or reputation. What are some ways you guys have seen or done to make your company appear larger than it is to establish credibility in the beginning? (Even if they are ... morally grey).

Thanks for all the tips/suggestions!

 

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[Practic]

Hi everyone,

After much wannabe-entrepreneurism I have settled on a software agency I'd like to pursue that is in the same industry I currently work a job in and has few competitors which all have a nice customer base.

I'm in the process of building a website and also going to start cold calling/emailing soon (I have experience in sales). However, in the beginning it is often hard to get traction or sales because of a lack of credibility or reputation. What are some ways you guys have seen or done to make your company appear larger than it is to establish credibility in the beginning? (Even if they are ... morally grey).

Thanks for all the tips/suggestions!

Switch from an employee status to a contractor status in your company. Then you can use this in your marketing.

 

[th.ri.ll]

Switch from an employee status to a contractor status in your company. Then you can use this in your marketing.

Hmm, interesting. I suppose I could get some family & friends to be "contractors" aswell.

 

[Antifragile]

Hi everyone,

After much wannabe-entrepreneurism I have settled on a software agency I'd like to pursue that is in the same industry I currently work a job in and has few competitors which all have a nice customer base.

I'm in the process of building a website and also going to start cold calling/emailing soon (I have experience in sales). However, in the beginning it is often hard to get traction or sales because of a lack of credibility or reputation. What are some ways you guys have seen or done to make your company appear larger than it is to establish credibility in the beginning? (Even if they are ... morally grey).

Thanks for all the tips/suggestions!

Not my style to pretend to be someone I am not. I believe it can backfire. Your name, your reputation - that's all you got.

So you are new, what makes you unique? Why do you believe you need to embellish to get customers? Can you make your offering stand out by being radically honest?

- I am a new company and you can count on the type of effort and results you can never get from a large and established company. You get the advantage of someone who is hungry to prove my worth and here is how I will deliver for you ______.

Make them an offer that is so good they'd feel stupid saying NO. For example:

- If I do not achieve ____+___ results for you within 90 days, I will refund you 100% of your payment.

Do your best to win trust! Embellishing on your size goes the opposite way. If / when clients find out, they'll think "what else did you lie to me about?" The cost of it seems to high for me.

 

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[Johannf]

Hi everyone,

After much wannabe-entrepreneurism I have settled on a software agency I'd like to pursue that is in the same industry I currently work a job in and has few competitors which all have a nice customer base.

I'm in the process of building a website and also going to start cold calling/emailing soon (I have experience in sales). However, in the beginning it is often hard to get traction or sales because of a lack of credibility or reputation. What are some ways you guys have seen or done to make your company appear larger than it is to establish credibility in the beginning? (Even if they are ... morally grey).

Thanks for all the tips/suggestions!

What do you plan to do in your software agency? If you plan to develop software for other people, it will be like owning a job and not a business. Not much scale or automation in that.

 

[Johnny boy]

-Good website, good brand, make it look mature. None of that "randy's websites" garbage.
-Give it a bloated footer full of legal disclaimers, "work for us" page, etc.
-Phone number with a menu. Pay some chick on fiverr to record your announcements. "Press 3 to be connected with a representative". Find a phone service like ringcentral, openphone, grasshopper, etc. Voicenation is a cheap answering service you can use.
-Have calls go to an answering service for a small monthly fee before they are forwarded to your "department".
-Every call you say "great question, ____" "in my experience ______" "with the clients we've had in your industry we've always done ___" etc.
-Look like a pro by asking good questions, listening, and not being a moron.
-Every situation, do not act like it's your first time.

When the client says "so what's next?", have an answer. Do not sound like a nerd losing his virginity who has no idea what to stick in what.

Say things like "how it works is _____" "the next steps are ______" "don't worry, we get that question all the time".

Say "we", not "I" or "me". You're a company now.

I always said "we" even when I was mowing lawns for people off of craigslist and living at home. Fast forward a few years and WE are now filing franchise disclosures and operating in multiple states.

Find 5 companies you want to be seen similar to and copy most of how they portray themselves.

 

[Amerstain]

Not my style to pretend to be someone I am not. I believe it can backfire. Your name, your reputation - that's all you got.

So you are new, what makes you unique? Why do you believe you need to embellish to get customers? Can you make your offering stand out by being radically honest?



Make them an offer that is so good they'd feel stupid saying NO. For example:



Do your best to win trust! Embellishing on your size goes the opposite way. If / when clients find out, they'll think "what else did you lie to me about?" The cost of it seems to high for me.

Interesting

 

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[Andy Black]

I'm going to take a different angle...

However, in the beginning it is often hard to get traction or sales because of a lack of credibility or reputation.

I got traction and sales just by saying I did XYZ.

View: https://youtube.com/shorts/iaVpqiUETl8?feature=share

What are some ways you guys have seen or done to make your company appear larger than it is to establish credibility in the beginning?

Are you sure you need to do this? My business is small and I lean into it. 12 years and I still use a simple Linktree style personal branded website.

(Even if they are ... morally grey).

Some lines I like:

"Start how you mean to continue."

"How you do anything is how you do everything."


Also... all that extra thinking about trying to be something you're not? Why not think about leaning into being small rather than pretending you're not?

 

[Stargazer]

You don't need to.

A friend of mine is a 1 man band. His customers, if you want to call them that, are The Crown Estate (Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle) Ministry of Defence (Warships) Supermarket chains, National Bus Company and so on.

If you really know your industry inside out, the potential customer you are talking to will know this straight away from how you are discussing their problems and proposing to solve them.

It's to do with asbestos auditing in case you wanted to know.

Dan

 

[bpbrewer]

I got traction and sales just by saying I did XYZ.

lol. Yup. It's insane how many marketers twist themselves into a pretzel with convoluted marketing strategies while failing at the absolute basics, like saying who they are and what they do.

 

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[fastlane_dad]

What are some ways you guys have seen or done to make your company appear larger than it is to establish credibility in the beginning? (Even if they are ... morally grey).

There are no hacks or tricks. Many times what makes that company 'bigger' is offering solid value, presenting themselves well, and knowing WTF you are doing.

Present yourself and your business well. Have a well thought out website. Train employees well. Make sure you are over delivering on value, and on what you promise. Solve problems. Follow up. See how else you can help them in the future. Think of ways to keep expanding your offering - upselling and cross selling. Deliver enough value to have them come back month after month (via recurring charges).

To build credibility start with 1 customer. Then see if you can use them as a referral. And on and on.

There are no shortcuts in this game, even if the PROs are behind it. Many times ones who promise that are charlatans or marketing experts vying for your quick buck.

Entrepreneurship and building a business takes time, process and execution.

 

[Antifragile]

 

[Xeon]

Hi everyone,

After much wannabe-entrepreneurism I have settled on a software agency I'd like to pursue that is in the same industry I currently work a job in and has few competitors which all have a nice customer base.

I'm in the process of building a website and also going to start cold calling/emailing soon (I have experience in sales). However, in the beginning it is often hard to get traction or sales because of a lack of credibility or reputation. What are some ways you guys have seen or done to make your company appear larger than it is to establish credibility in the beginning? (Even if they are ... morally grey).

Thanks for all the tips/suggestions!

Have an About Us / Team page showing 16 of your colleagues and staff, with roles such as CEO and Head of Marketing, and include a few minor roles like Administrative Executives and Tech Lead, Accounts Manager etc.

Go to This Person Does Not Exist to generate profile photos, then use ChatGPT to create individual profiles and backstories for all of these staff.

Use MidJourney to create interior scenes of your software agency office, throw them on the website. The pantry, the lobby, the meeting rooms, the workdesks etc.

 

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