About Us is actually About Building Rapport

In simply doing my job, I’m lucky enough to meet many amazing people. Some run their own businesses; others are employees. In all cases they have a story to tell. Yet sadly, the “About us” is often one of the most boring sections of a website, the profiles the dullest part of a submission.

Is this a throwback to our sometimes corporate origins? That dark place where standing out from the crowd is a sackable offence? Where everyone strives for a bland sameness?

Well, the aim of a small business is to stand out, so let your personality shine through. What captures most people’s attention is an encounter with someone they like. Yep, that old chestnut: People do business with people they like.

Use your About Us page or profile section to really build a rapport with your potential clients. Sure your list of degrees and years of experience are interesting, but at the end of the day, your clients want assurance that they’re talking with someone that gets them, someone that sees their challenges, someone who hears what they're saying and can provide them a suitable solution.

Conversely, you probably want to attract clients that you feel comfortable working with, clients that get your values, that see how partnering with you is the best option for solving their challenges.

So your About Us page or profile becomes more than a list of professional achievements. It becomes a rapport-building tool and a potential client sifter. How can you capture a reader’s attention, be friendly and chatty yet still remain professional? Here’s a couple of suggestions:

1. Start your profile with a headline.
You create a sentence that encompasses the essence of your business or you as an individual. For example: Independent telecommunications experts who can negotiate the best-fit, best-priced solution for your business.

Consider listing some of your values and then describing how these benefit your clients. For example: Growth. Flexibility. Collaboration.

Or you can make the headline an editorial lure for the interesting story that follows. For example: From Scientist to Copywriter: A gamut of industries and experience.
Whatever you choose, aim to lure the reader into reading more.

2. Include a quote.
You don’t need a long rambling paragraph to tell a story. A great quote cuts succinctly to the core of an issue. Whether it’s something you’ve said yourself or a citation from someone else, you can let your personality shine through.

Consider what my favourite quotes might reveal:
The world is a comedy to those who think; a tragedy to those who feel. Horace Walpole.
There are no rules of architecture for a castle in the clouds. GK Chesterton.
The crow that mimics a cormorant gets drowned. Japanese Proverb.

3. List how your experience and qualifications are of benefit to your clients.

Consider the difference between:
I’ve worked in a number of different industries including not-for-profit, construction, biomedical, utilities and retail.
and
My work across a number of industries including not-for-profit, construction, biomedical, utilities and retail means you’ll get a copywriter who understands your particular needs.

The first simply gives the facts; the second applies those facts to the situation for your potential client. Do they care what industries I’ve worked in? Not really. What they really want is someone who understands their needs and works to provide a solution for them.

4. Ask clients to write a few words about you.
If you’ve drawn a mental blank, consider asking your existing clients to describe your business, your style of operating and your staff. Maybe even get an independent person to contact them and ask them what they think in an informal way. This will help make what they say less formal and more conversational. Or if you don’t feel comfortable asking clients to do this, go back through their emails to you and clip out the nice things they say. Remember to ask permission to use their name and attributed quotes in your promotional material.

In summary, as a business person, a professional and an individual you have a story that’s worth telling. Show potential clients what a great match you are for them by wording all your accomplishments as benefits to them. Most of all let your individuality and special sparkle shine through.

Drought breaking winter rains. Brrrrrrr!!!!!!

Who among us hasn’t looked to the darkened skies and sent a silent prayer of thanks for the rain? And among my Victorian readers in particular, who hasn’t reached for the anorak, the gloves, the scarf and the beanie?

And while for us a cold, wet winter means snow, spa baths and green grass for the thousands of homeless it means being in one of the states I personally hate the most – cold and wet. The Salvation Army recently held a knitting day where people were asked to knit a square that would be sewn with other squares to create a blanket. And while their knitting day has come and gone, I doubt if the completed squares will make enough blankets for all the shivering homeless people this winter.

So consider taking up the needles. The blankets are a simple garter stitch (the easiest knitting stitch). And the thing I love about knitting is it’s something kids can easily do. They’ll achieve something, i.e. making a blanket or a scarf or even a beanie (depending on their knitting skill-level) and they’ll help someone else. And they can do it in front of their favourite TV show. Even one hour of knitting a day can make a difference. If no single member of the family has the time, make the effort a tag-team event. Whoever’s sitting in from of the tellie gets the knitting!

You can find the pattern at Cleckheaton's Knitting for the Homeless web page. Take your completed blanket to your local Salvation Army outlet or in fact, any organization that works with people in need.

Splitting
Okay, the promised full-split update. Pete has measured my full-split. Toe to toe I can stretch to 130cm. Yes, still a fair way to go, but I’m definitely on the way down! I also experienced my first ever karate grading last Sunday – and passed! I am now an official Yellow Belt!

Easy, effective self defense
Want to learn some very simple, very effective ways to get away from someone who’s attacking you? You don’t need to be a yellow belt to protect yourself. What you do need is to know the most effective way to throw your attacker off-balance or to loosen their hold on you so you can get away.

These techniques are so easy that children can and have used them to get away from would–be abductors/attackers. My karate Sensei, Joe Templin, is going to run a simple self-defense class for women. If you’re interested email me on mandy@talkingturkey.com.au and I’ll let you know when the class is or call Joe directly on 9584 5657 or 0407 547 597.

Saying to Soar By

Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.

Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Email: mandy@talkingturkey.com.au
Web: www.talkingturkey.com.au

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