There are countless advantages to working from home– I’m sure every entrepreneur, freelancer, and small business owner would agree with me. But what about your clients? You can actually find more in depth data casino bonus 20 euro. Are they as comfortable in your home office as they would be in a standard office setup?
If clients are wary of meeting you at your home, it’s most likely a “space” issue—they don’t want to intrude on your personal space or know too many personal things about you. Here are 6 ways to keep your home office looking like an actual office:
1) Set Up a Partition or Other Physical/Visual Barrier – Your office space will look more like an office if you can’t see other parts of your home like your kitchen or bedroom. If you don’t have a separate room for your work space, set up a floor-to-ceiling partition like a folding screen or a room divider. A curtain or well-placed bookcase could also do the trick, but keep in mind that your partition should also help to contain noise. If you have a separate room for your office, try to have it close to the front door so customers won’t have to traipse through your entire house to get there. The visual barrier will also function as a psychological barrier, keeping your personal life out of your business life for both you and your clients.
2) Ditch Personal Items – In a previous life, I worked in Counseling and Social Work. I continue to use the therapist’s rule of thumb when it comes to personal items in your office area: the less, the better. Personal effects reveal personal information, and this is often distracting to clients. They’ll be thinking about your home life when they should really be there talking business with you. Think first about what you want your customers to know about your personal life (again, the less, the better.) If you don’t want them to necessarily know your age, marital status or about your family, then keep things out of your office that would show them that information.
3) Add Business-Related Décor – As a follow-up to #2 above, replace personal items with professional ones related to your business. This can give an advantage to your home office over the sterile feel of a cubical in a traditional office. As your own decorator, personalize your space. Our business is a rare books and manuscripts company, so it was an easy decision for us to make our “office” look more like a library. When customers enter our space, they are transported to a turn-of-the-century library, complete with period artwork and Tiffany-style lamps.
4) Dress the Part – We all love to work in our pajamas (perhaps no one more than me!), but no one besides you has to know that. You might be able to keep it casual, depending upon your business, but dressing up couldn’t hurt either. “Business casual” is still business-appropriate, so this is a good barometer. Wear something that would be appropriate in any office. Also: keep your shoes on. Never make your clients feel as though they need to “dress down” to you. They’ll be uncomfortable, or at the very least confused about whether they need to take theirs off too. Keep shoes on, even if you normally take them off when you’re at home.
6) Keep it Smoke-Free and Pet-Free – This isn’t just a “not everyone’s a cat-person” tenet—serious allergies could make clients feel physically uncomfortable in your space. This is also a consideration for how your office smells. Cigarettes and pets can make their presence known even after you have moved them from your space. As much as we want our small dog to meet all of our clients (almost as much as he wants to meet all of them!), we keep him in our bedroom during meetings unless we know for certain that they want him around.
Now that your home office looks more professional, offer your clients the advantages your home has to offer. Bring them a glass of water or cup of fresh-brewed coffee. Take their coats and bags and set them up in a comfy chair. The perks of a home office can benefit your clients, not just yourself.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/sundaysteinkirchner/2013/01/30/keep-your-home-office-looking-like-an-office/#5b9f70275d74