Two of the biggest challenges any new company faces are finding the right talent and controlling overhead. No one doubts that it’s important to get the right people with the right skill sets and mindset if the company is to succeed and grow. At the same time, keeping expenses as low as possible without sacrificing quality of service allows start-ups to weather the inevitable rough patches so they have the opportunity to find their rhythm and take the organization to the next level.
One of the ways small companies are meeting both challenges these days is by going virtual. Rather than following the standard model where everyone connected with the company works out of a single office, these progressive organizations are allowing employees to work from home or their own individual offices in some cases. As a result, the companies are free to seek out the best talent wherever it resides (instead of being forced to hire the best of whoever is in the area), and they’re able to severely reduce or completely eliminate one of their biggest monthly expenses – leased office space.
The downside is the potential loss of a singular corporate identity. With workers spread all over the region, the country and/or the world, customers and prospects can become confused and disoriented when they have to call one phone number to speak with someone in sales, a completely different number for technical support, and a third with a billing question. It doesn’t exactly make for the direct, personalized, friendly service they expect when working with a small company.
While e-mail overcomes some of this feeling of separation, there are times when only a phone call will do. When that happens, it’s best if there is just one number to call.
The Customer:
Proper Placement Inc. was founded in July 2008 with a mission of helping individual business professionals market and advertise their businesses online more effectively. The company’s primary focus is on ensuring its clients’ Web site and other links appear on the first page of both organic and sponsored search engine listings on key search terms. The Proper Placement client list includes insurance brokers, real estate agents, new and used car dealerships, doctors, dentists, lawyers, cosmetics salespeople and other types of small, locally focused businesses. It currently has 17 employees scattered throughout the United States and Canada.
The Challenge:
When Paul Roper, president and CEO of Proper Placement, was launching the business, he knew it would be a virtual company right from the beginning. The people he wanted to be a part of it lived in different areas, and since they already had established lives there they’d be unlikely to move. And the idea of not being committed to a monthly “nut” to lease office space for 17 people definitely appealed to his pragmatic side.
