I received a very good offer from someone on the Ivory Coast wanting to give me several million dollars if I would just give him my bank account information. The email sounded really convincing until I read his name - James Diarra. It sounded a bit too much like another word that isn’t too nice. (Ok, the email wasn’t really convincing…but still, to some it might be. Not that I’m trying to give sales advice to Nigerian scammers…)

Now, this could be James’ real name. I don’t believe it is, though. Most spammers wouldn’t send their real names. I would advise Mr. Diarra, however, that if he wants to sound more convincing in his email scams, to pick a name that doesn’t sound like something so gross.

I guess we can all take something from this. Company name and image is important if you want to be taken seriously. A company that only has a basement office seems a lot smaller than one with an established office. Even if it’s a huge basement office with several employees - it still makes the company seem small. Just renting some office space is sometimes that push that’s needed to get potential clients to look at your proposal again.

Then again, not all companies care. But some do, and if you have a good name, office, and image (and don’t forget reputation!) you’ll probably do well with sales, as long as you have a good sales team, and the ability to take care of clients.