We all know that whenever anyone comes to your website for the first time you start with zero credibility and zero trust. You’ve got a hell of a job ahead of you to build that trust and credibility if you are to establish a relationship in which you can “sell”. What surprises me is the extent some website owners go to tell big fat porkies (lies) about the size of their business.

In other words, they try to make themselves appear as though they are a huge multi-national corporation with offices in every county known to mankind, when in actual fact they probably work out of their garage or in the spare bedroom.

I understand the dilemma small businesses have on the internet. People believe that if you don’t look big no one is going to contact you. But at the end of the day, giving the pretense of something that you’re not is just a big fat lie, and won’t do you any favours when it comes to building up trust and credibility.

I’m writing this from a New Zealand perspective. We’re a small country, in fact, a very small country somewhere close to the bottom of the world. Most of our businesses (probably 95%) are classed as small to medium, and when I say small to medium, I mean very small and very medium. That’s our reality.

The difficulty that small businesses believe they face (and it’s just mind block) is that if they don’t pretend to be big they won’t get the work or sales they so desperately want. However, the reality I see on the ground is small independent contractor are happily applying their skills and knowledge in large companies and government departments.

Ok, I know we’re in a bit of a recession here, but even the real large contracting companies are feeling the pinch right now as well. The large companies and government departments employing these independent contractors do so on the basis they bring value to the table.

I think the same thing applies to small business websites. It’s about showing the value you can offer your market, rather than the big lie about how big you are. Be happy with being what you are and the big value you offer. At the end of the day it’s all about your integrity.