Oh! You’re on your own?

July 16, 2018

Do we assume that a small business is more likely to rip us off or be less reputable because they are just one person?

Would we rather use a bigger company than a small business because of their reputation and the customer support they offer?

The perception is that a bigger company has the people in place to put something right and can fit me in closer to when it suits me.

But is that how it is in practice? Do we slight the small business because we all know of someone who has been fallen foul of a ‘rogue trader’?

Are we becoming business snobs?

Are we really that important?

In reality, the sole trader or micro-business trades more on its reputation than a larger company. They rely on word-of-mouth and recommendations to get more business.

Their work can be seen on their Facebook pages and other social sites because what they do and how they do it is who they are. It’s simply how they get more business.

Whereas a large organisation will be concerned about ‘reputational risk’ and the impact it has on revenues – it has to be something big to have an impact on their bottom line (TSB, for example). Are they really that concerned about an individual issue?

I know a small business would be. In the age of social media and constant sharing, a small business could be severely impacted by just one bad review.

The key is trust; taking recommendations from people you know and using the local businesses you’ve used before and which provide a great service.

Big business likes to build brand loyalty to themselves. We at me:now like to build loyalty to the small business.

Following your favourite businesses on the me:now app means that you know when they can fit you in. It’s their way of giving you the heads-up that they want your business again and again.

Best of all we have a free tier so businesses of any size can use the service, or your favourite business can use this code FBCUS01 and get the premium tier free for a couple of months.