You may be the charismatic, smooth, life of the party-type person, but I have news for you. The things that people do have a lasting impact—more so than the things that people say.
Tell me that rocks are animals and
the sky is green, I’ll dismiss you as an idiot. Give me a $20 tip while waiting
on you, I’ll pull the chair out for you next time you’re seated in my
restaurant. All this may seem obvious, but too many businesses just spout out
their strengths, and that’s not all a client or customer should be interested
in anymore.
Take a perspective employer, and
your resume. They don’t want to know that you got straight A’s in school. Good
for you, but it doesn’t mean that you’ll work better in their company. They
want to know what makes you different than the next resume they’ll look at. They
want to know that you have done the job before, and are capable. That’s why
your portfolio matters more, in this case.
The sooner you adapt this mentality
as a business owner, the better off you’ll be. Why not take a proactive
customer service approach? Why not use your marketing materials to show your
customers that this is the type of business that you operate?
Here are some ideas:
Testimonials Tell Your Story
You can walk around and tell people
how great your business is all day long. Of course you think your business is
great. Of course you think what you do is important. You better. You do it all
freakin’ day long.
Let your customers market your
business. Do you have a LinkedIn page? You better be collecting recommendations.
If you’re looking to put these front and center, consider creating a
testimonial page on your website using them. Or you can put one or two on the
bottom of your home page. Somewhere your customers will find.
Show, Don’t Tell
One of the classic writing rules is
to show, not tell. Don’t be afraid to show potential customers the lengths that
you’d go to make them happy with a promise. Domino’s 30 minutes or less
delivery. Geico is willing to save you money in the 15 minutes it would take to
switch. They’re not telling you they’ll save you money, and give you fast
service. They’re showing you how they’ll do it.
Talk Directly To Your Customer
Most websites are set up as the
business owner spoutin’ their mouth off about just how great their services
are. Why not take the opportunity to make your customer feel a little more
comfortable and at home? David Meerman Scott calls them buyer personas. You’re
better off knowing what yours are, and setting up your website so that you’re
talking directly to them.
Do you do business with more than
one type of person? Why not set up a page that speaks to each kind? This’ll
make them more comfortable reading your copy, which is never a bad thing.
A Portfolio Helps
It’s a good idea to make your
portfolio readily available. Potential clients will want to see what you offer
them. Show them what you are made of. If you have made the decision not to make
your portfolio available, they better be able to quickly glean your skill set
from your marketing materials. Your copy will needed to be worded that much
sharper.
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