In real estate, the expression is "location, location, location." In business, the expression is "image, image, image." However business owners, entrepreneurs and home-based offices are missing the "image" of a more expansive company size by using their own voices on general company messages and voicemail greetings. If you are attempting to get projects and assignments with larger organizations and corporations, the sound of your own or one of your employee's voices on the company greeting or general voicemail makes you appear as if you are a small business, a solo entrepreneur or home-based business.

With the ability of remote access to most voicemail systems and to small phone systems with auto-attendant capability, you must consider hiring a professional voice that can give you the touch and feel of a much larger organization no matter where your company or office is located.

Some may ask: "Would this be considered "scamming" prospective or existing customers?: Absolutely NOT. Your company general voicemail should be a marketing tool that showcasing the professionalism that you certainly have exhibited in your design of website, business cards, stationery - even your email signature block. You have the tools to present yourself and your company as a professional, dynamic organization whether you are conducting business from a boardroom or the comfort of your bedroom!

Here are some tips on what you should plan on having as your Professional Greeting:

For phone systems that allow you the option of changing messages - you should have 3-4 messages:

Business Hour Message - should play during normal business hours.

After Hours Message - necessary if you receive many calls after your office is closed.

Holiday Message - a very generic message for days when your business is closed and customers or clients will know that you probably won't be returning their calls during that time.

Optional Messages:

Emergency Message - if you live in an area of the country that frequently experiences weather conditions that necessitate the closing of your business, this message will again be helpful to callers. You may need to have an alternate "emergency number" on this message that you would not normally give out.

Personal Voicemail Introductions for Executives - Often the owner of a business not comfortable with voicemail technology may need a professional voice as his/her voicemail introduction. Left in the third person, this also adds an air of professionalism.

If you are a solo entrepreneur with a single voicemail on your main number, contract with a Professional Voice Artist for:

General Business Message -normally played 24 hours a day, 7 days a week - so it must be more specific to the fact if you are not available that you will return their call when you are available.

Holiday Message - a very generic message for days when your business is closed and customers or clients will know that you probably won't be returning their calls during that time.

You are probably wondering about the cost at this point. I can tell you from my own experience, I hired a fabulous Vocal Artist who remotely did the company general Voicemail Greeting - and since we have 3 additional voicemail boxes with our SBC Voicemail Plus™ system, she has recorded those as well.

Since we prepaid for one year of her service, she records a holiday message for me on our main voicemail for the Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter holidays since my partners and I usually use that time for personal time off. The cost for the entire year of service was $275.

We basically "interviewed" her on the phone, loved her voice and energy and ideas for both branding and image improvement and she did not even need to come to our office. After a 15-minute conversation discussing our company needs and her emailing me a questionnaire for the purpose of her preparing our messages, my new company image was all set.

The comments and kudos we received on that investment was well worth it. We had prospects and customers alike commenting that they were not aware that we were that "big" of an organization. Even though we are a company of almost 10, most would not consider our organization sizeable. We are certain that on a few projects we were brought in on, just the perception of our company depth and size helped seal the deal!

With a small investment, your business could be perceived as the vibrant, growth-oriented business that you have committed and dedicated your efforts to become.