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 Marketing
a service business is not the same as marketing a product. The strongest
asset you have in marketing your business is actually yourself. Allowing
your customers to get to know you will build their trust. You deserve to
be the star of your own promotional materials.
"Call us today and change your life," proclaimed the hot pink flyer on
the bulletin board. It was signed "Sunrise Hypnotherapy" with a phone
number and a blind email address. No practitioner's name appeared
anywhere on the flyer.
Posted near it were numerous other leaflets, advertising everything from
life coaching to bookkeeping. Fully two-thirds of the flyers I spotted
were similarly anonymous. Some displayed a business name; others simply
described the service, e.g. "acupuncture." But the names of the people
offering many of these services were curiously absent.
I had to wonder if these nameless flyers ever produced a single phone
call. It seems to me that if you are going to trust someone to change
your life, you would like to know a little about them first.
Surfing the web, I discovered the same baffling omission on the web
sites of numerous independent professionals. Entrepreneurs targeting the
corporate market seemed to be just as likely to conceal their identity
as those oriented toward consumers. Management consultants, executive
coaches, and seminar leaders alike were promoting their one-person
businesses by mentioning only their company names, and referring to
themselves in the plural as "we" and "us."
If I were searching for a professional to help my company solve a
problem, I would be pretty skeptical of an individual who identified him
or herself only as "Exegesis Management Group." If I'm going to consider
hiring a consultant, coach, or trainer, a good starting place would be
knowing the professional's name.
Where are the people behind these offerings? Why have they decided to
cloak their identities and promote an anonymous business instead of
their talented, experienced selves? What misguided or outdated advice
are they following that makes them believe this is an effective way to
market their professional services?
Marketing a service business is not the same as marketing a product.
Potential buyers of your service don't have the same opportunity to
touch, taste, or test drive what you offer as they do when buying a
tomato or a car. To spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on a service
they can't sample in advance, your prospects must be able to trust you.
And to build their trust, they must get to know you.
Examine your web site, brochure, or flyer with a critical eye. Does your
name appear prominently on the first page? Is there a bio of you in an
obvious location that describes your credentials and experience? What
about a photo? If visitors or readers want to get to know you better
before contacting you personally, do you offer them options like a
newsletter, articles to read, or your speaking schedule?
If your firm has more than one principal who provides services, identify
them all. If the business is really just you, but you bring in
subcontractors as needed, that anonymous "we" in your marketing copy
isn't fooling anyone. Feature yourself as the company founder and
describe your expertise. Identify some of your subcontractors by name
and give their backgrounds, so customers can see who they might be
working with.
Perhaps you have unconsciously been copying the marketing style used by
large consulting firms, seminar companies, and national service
providers in industries like financial services or health care. These
well-known companies rely on building their brand to attract new
customers by promoting the organization as a whole instead of the
individuals within it. But these firms spend millions of dollars and
take years to build those reputations. You don't have that kind of money
or time to spare.
The strongest asset you have in marketing your business is actually
yourself. Providing visible evidence of your experience, credentials,
and capabilities is what will ultimately convince skeptical buyers that
you are the right person for the job. Allowing them to get to know you
will build their trust. You deserve to be the star of your own
promotional materials. So stop hiding behind an anonymous marketing
image and let your customers know how talented you really are.
C.J. Hayden is the author of Get Clients NOW!
Thousands of business owners and salespeople have used her simple sales
and marketing system to double or triple their income. Get a free copy
of "Five Secrets to Finding All the Clients You'll Ever Need" at
http://www.getclientsnow.com
Article Source:
www.businesshighlight.org |
