John did measure up for blinds and provided a quote which compared to Mary's one was $600 cheaper. It appeared he hadn't included one of measurements therefore justifying why his quote was so much cheaper.

However, I didn't bother ringing him to find out if this was why his price was much better than Mary's. I had already decided that if he's a slob then company he works for probably supplies shoddy blinds.

Whether that's true or not, doesn't matter because that's perception I got about company.

What Image Do You and Your People Portray?

Image is very important. We judge people on way they look and behave. Do you dress appropriately for your role? Do your people? Is image you portray professional? Does it instill confidence, trust, reliability?

Image is not just about physical aspect of a person. The environment you work and live in also says a lot about you. So does vehicle you drive.

For instance a cluttered environment gives impression of chaos, disorganisation and sloppiness. Whereby a clean and tidy area portrays harmony and control.

Small Business Ideas - Points to Ponder

Do you and your people dress appropriately? How is telephone answered? Is your environment uncluttered or does it look like an earthquake zone? Your signage Your car - is it clean on outside and inside? Your home - is it clean and tidy? The Final Word

So take stock today. Look at yourself first. If you're a manager, business owner or team leader assess your own people and environment and see what can be improved, then take action. You only get one chance to make a great first impression. And it's that encounter which can make difference between you gaining business or losing it.

For more small business ideas see our website:www.office-organiser.com.au

Lorraine Pirihi is Australia's Personal Productivity Specialist and Leading Life Coach. Her business The Office Organiser specialises in showing small business owners and managers, how to get organised at work so they can have a life! Lorraine is also a dynamic speaker and has produced many products including "How to Survive and Thrive at Work!"

To subscribe to her free ezine visit www.office-organiser.com.au

Learn to say "No" To dramatically improve your productivity and do more of things you want in your life, you have to be firm with others and let them know if you cannot, will not or are unavailable to fulfil their requests. Neighbours, family and friends can have mistaken belief that because you work from home you are not really working.

If you constantly say "yes" to everyone else's requests you will never have time to do what you really want to. Book yourself into a self-assertiveness course to learn these skills if you feel you need to.

Do What You Do Best and Delegate Rest See if there are ways you can delegate tasks which would suit someone else's talents. Many people spend heaps of time on mundane secretarial tasks which would take a person who is trained in that area a quarter of time to undertake.

At home hire a gardener and cleaner to take care of basic household chores. It's worth investing extra dollars if you can have more free time to do what you want to.

Compliment Someone Every Day How do you feel when you receive a compliment? Make someone's day…give before you get because what goes around, comes around. Go out each day, even if it's to local shops so that you can talk to people.

The Final Word

By following these simple yet very effective ideas you can really enjoy benefits you can experience when you work at home. You'll feel good, look good and have more time to enjoy your life… and when you're enjoying life, you're happy!

Lorraine Pirihi is Australia's Personal Productivity Specialist and Leading Life Coach. Her business The Office Organiser specialises in showing small business owners and managers, how to get organised at work so they can have a life! Lorraine is also a dynamic speaker and has produced many products including "How to Survive and Thrive at Work!"

To subscribe to her free ezine visit www.office-organiser.com.au