sharpenr

A blog about starting and running web based businesses, getting the word out, being a web worker, and why clarity and simplicity is the way to go in pretty much everything you do.


Two rules for describing your business

Posted by Jaan on January 21 Add your comment

Number one - Be honest.
If you are a small 3-person business, say so. Don’t pretend to be a big company. Embellishment does not benefit anyone, least of all the company pretending to be a biggie. You will be found out and look silly. Or you will waste time explaining to the client that you can in fact deliver on a large scale, big biz, project. Or the client will walk away, preferring a more honest business partner.

Why businesses try to appear bigger than they are is beyond me. Big is not better than small. It’s just different.

In fact being small has more advantages than being big. The only exceptions are worldwide courier services, financial institutions and news gathering organizations.

Small is quick, nimble and above all personal. People like people. People choose whom to work with based on other people. Big means faceless, anonymous. Small means personal and human.

Number two - Choose a personal tone of voice and write in first person.

“We are a small web design agency based in San Bruno, California. Our most recent clients include a record label, a phone company, two authors and five really good restaurants. The people that hire us like our work, but most of all they like the fact that they can get to know us really well.”

You can probably guess what the opposite approach might sound like.

And one more thing. If you are a one man/woman band, please avoid the deadliest sin of them all: writing about yourself in third person. Don’t do it. You will come across as pompous and self important.

To recap; be honest, be personal. It’s that easy.

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