Which company would you be comfortable in dealing with—a large one with an established name or an unknown one that you have just heard from the grapevine? In most cases—and if you are like most people, you would pick up the former. You will probably feel more assured that you got good value for your money when you do business with a large, established company than with a much smaller counterpart.

People operating a home business or an SME usually would want to make their companies appear bigger than it really is, as though they have vast resources and teams of skilled individuals. The illusion plays an important role—it increases the company’s credibility and prestige in the eyes of customers, making users more confident in doing business with that organization. In addition, through various Internet tools and technology, these small-time entrepreneurs can acquire the reach and capabilities that far bigger companies enjoy.

If you are a home-, micro-, or SME entrepreneur, check out these tools and strategies that you can use to emulate or even compete with other hulks in the industry.

1. Organization
Good organization is vital in running a business, no matter how big or small it is. Without a proper sense of organization, your operation will plunge into chaos, confusion, and ultimately, failure. Being well organized, you will come across your clients as completely in control of the business.

Effective organization equates to more efficient, better customer service, and there are tools that can help you do this. For example, the Highrise Web application helps you keep track of your e-mails so you would know when you last communicated with your client and what was being said. The application sends a blind copy of the message to your Highrise account where it is archived whenever you send an e-mail.  Thus, by viewing the blind copy, you have all the information, discussions, and files in one place that you can easily access rather than sift endlessly through your e-mail’s inbox.

Shoeboxed is a task management service that can solve your clutter problem for a minimum fee. Upon payment, the company sends you a prepaid envelope where you place receipts, hard copies of documents, and the like. The company will scan the documents then send back the originals to you. The digital copies will be archived in a specially created content management so that you can access your documents whenever you need them. In addition, as a Shoeboxed subscriber, you can also take advantage of an iPhone app that allows you to scan receipts and business cards.

2. E-newsletters
Regularly sending newsletters to your leads and targets can definitely impress your prospects and clients. Because of the regular updates, viewers will get the perception that you have lots of employees with you; after all, who will help you manage all the operations and updates that you’ve introduced in your newsletters?

To aid you in your newsletter distribution, try using MailChimp. The tool allows your system to automatically send your newsletters to your customers. In addition, MailChimp gives you the option to create a Twitter or Facebook link version of your newsletter.

With MailChimp, you can also customize the program to send out e-mails after a certain period. For instance, if a customer bought an item from you last Monday, he will receive an e-mail response on Friday asking if the product was satisfactory. This way, you create the illusion that you have quality-assurance personnel who are continuously receiving feedback to further improve your offers.

3. Scheduling
Use scheduling software to manage your appointments. Being there with your client on time every time gives them the notion that you have a professional secretary or personal assistant working for you. Precise scheduling also paints your company a positive picture of professionalism.

There are great scheduling tools available in the net. For example, Tungle.me, a free calendar-management tool, allows you to create a calendar page that synchronizes with your own calendar program. The page can also be viewed by your clients so they can see vacant times in your schedule without showing other appointments. Once a meeting schedule is approved, the appointment appears on both parties’ calendars.

TimeTrade is another appointment-scheduling software that can be attached to Microsoft Outlook or Google Calendar. It helps you with marketing by inviting prospects to schedule meetings, conferences, and consultations.

Microsoft’s Exchange e-mail system through Intermedia is also a great scheduling tool. It links address books, e-mail programs, and calendars on your desktop computer, mobile phone, or tablet. If you make a alterations or entries in one of these devices, the entry is instantly reflected to all others. Fortune 500 companies usually take advantage of this system, and so should you to make you appear that you are bigger than you are.

4. Accounting
Efficient accounting software is necessary to monitor the movement of your money, the payables you have to shell out, and the receivables you need to get from your clients and debtors. Entrepreneurs and corporations suggest FreshBooks, an easy-to-use, cloud-based accounting software that is free of charge, a great plus for SME operators and home-business owners who usually keep a tight lid on their budgets.

FreshBooks also has an application called MiniBooks for the iPhone, which allow you to monitor your books and ledgers or send an invoice to your clients while traveling. Furthermore, it integrates with Shoeboxed so that digital copies of expense receipts can be turned into a professional–looking invoice.

5. Virtual Assistants
If you are a small-scale entrepreneur and you do not have the budget to hire a full-time employee, you can get a virtual assistant (VA) to work for you. VAs can definitely save you time and effort, handling tasks like data entry, e-mail replies, article writing, or research, while you focus on the more important part of your business such as sales, marketing, and operations. A competent and skilled VA can do a variety of tasks, boosting your operational capacity that much-needed “oomph” to be on the top.