An organized, professional-looking office can give clients confidence in you and your business.

If a client is distracted during meetings by clutter or inappropriate photographs, he or she may start to have doubts about your competency as an advisor, says Rosemary Smyth, owner and coach of Rosemary Smyth and Associates, which specializes in coaching financial advisors. Clients will feel more confident in you if you appear organized, prepared and focused on the meeting’s agenda.

Follow these simple steps to give yourself a professional and organized office that will impress clients:

1. De-clutter. Repeat if necessary
Newspapers, post-it notes, scraps of paper, coffee cups, paper clips, note pads — get rid of the clutter, says Angèle Lord, a productivity and efficiency specialist and owner of ALO Angèle Lord Organizer in Gatineau, Que.

“De-clutter, de-clutter, de-clutter,” Lord says, “You can never say it often enough.”

Some people seem to think it doesn’t matter what their office looks like, as long as they know where everything is.

That is not the case, Lord says: “People don’t realize that our physical environments are a direct reflection of who we are and what’s going on inside of us.”

2. Add a touch of personality
Once the clutter is gone, you can create a positive workspace by adding a few personal touches.

It’s important to have photos that mean something to you in your office, Lord says. You spend so much time at work that you should have things there that will keep you motivated and happy.

Just be careful that your personal photos and décor won’t send the wrong message.

Make sure any photos on the walls are appropriate for a professional office, says Smyth. As well, be careful that you don’t have so much paraphernalia from a favourite hobby in your office that client’s feel you’d rather be somewhere else rather than helping them.

3. Provide comfort
Furnish your office with pieces that will make clients feel comfortable during meetings, Smyth says.

While a comfy chair or two is a nice touch, make sure that the furniture fits your office space, says Lord. Couches or large, over-stuffed armchairs could make it difficult for clients to move around in your office.

4. Keep important files at your fingertips
Make sure any information you need for clients is within easy reach.

“You should have information as handy as possible,” says Lord. “If you’re having to dig at the bottom of a filing cabinet to get that information, even though your office may be totally clutter-free, you’re still going to look disorganized.”

Consider having a few small stacks of information for clients either on your desk or on a nearby credenza, she says.

5. Clear away the private stuff
Keep the really personal items out of sight.

“Don’t have a medicine cabinet lined up on your desk,” Smyth says. “Put personal stuff like that in drawers.”

As well, if you hang extra jackets, ties or shirts on the back of your door, she says, stash them in a closet before the client arrives.