"Tooting Your Own Horn" or Informing Your Prospects

I was writing a bio for a client recently – a darn good bio – that showcased her expertise, her talent, and a bit of her quirky side. It was engaging and told “her story” in an authentic way and hopefully, would make prospects sit up and say, “I want to hire her!”

Now…let’s backtrack a minute. Before I begin writing a bio or About Page for anyone, they must complete a two page questionnaire filled with juicy tidbits about their life – and some not so juicy, but necessary details.

So, after crafting this compelling piece, I was surprised when my client was “uncomfortable” with the content. What?

Everything contained in the write up was true – her accomplishments, her talent, and how she helped her clients. She agreed it was accurate and good – but she thought she shouldn’t tell so much about herself. She said it sounded like she was bragging and she was raised to never “toot her own horn.”

In marketing, if you don’t share who you are and why you’re the perfect choice to serve your market, those potential clients will go to someone else that will acknowledge they know what they’re doing. And I’m talking about sharing this info in a story form and not a boring bulleted list of accomplishments.

Think of it this way, if you were going in for surgery and contemplating which surgeon should cut into you (if that is even possible), would you choose Surgeon A who shares how she has successfully operated on thousands of patients with a 99.99% success rate…or Surgeon B who simply says, “I’m a surgeon working in London, Ontario and graduated in 1997”? If all else is equal, of course you’d choose Surgeon A, who has shared her experiences and you get that she knows what she’s doing.

In person, it takes time to get to know others as you engage, build rapport, and make a connection. Online, you have seconds before your prospect is off to find someone who they believe is capable of fully helping them.

You can toot your own horn – but don’t blow it. Excessive hype will turn people off. Be authentic – share your story. And once I pointed this out to my client, the bio stood as written…all was needed was a perspective shift.