This is it! The day is finally here! For whatever reason, you have decided to become…
AN ENTREPRENEUR! [DUN, DUN, DUNNNNNNNNN]
You get a clever website address, come up with a logo, and even a cool title. STOP!
A cool title? While CEO, President, Owner, and Partner may all carry the swagger of a corporate rock star; are they playing a positive role where your prospective client/ customer is concerned?
For example, if a PMP certified Six Sigma Black Belt Project Manager hands you the business card below, will you know what they can actually do for you or your organization?
Does the name of the business communicate the service or product offered? The value it represents to the consumer?
Does the title of the professional tell you anything about what they can do for you?
Unless the person handing you this card makes a very strong impression, AND follows up with you in 24 hours, this card will find itself in the trash.
Being clear, concise, & strategic doesn’t matter if you’re only going into business to stroke your own ego, but allow me to be the first to tell you
…you’re likely to fail! Successful business ventures find themselves with a primary focus on what they can do for others (the client/ customer). With that in mind, it is of great importance that you take every opportunity, from your website address to the title you label yourself with, to drive home that focus.
Why? If you haven’t noticed, the world is more selfish than ever. If everything about every piece of marketing doesn’t scream to the marketplace ‘What’s in it for them,’ then you should:
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QUIT NOW, or
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quickly revise your materials to do so!
There is an exception to my position that titles like CEO and President are useless on a business card (and other marketing materials).
Fortune 500 leaders carry the President and CEO title because that truly is the value they are bringing to the table; Chief Executive Officer. Tricia Griffith, for example, doesn’t need to communicate her value to the consumer on her card because she isn’t likely to be handing her card to a consumer. Her business interactions are primarily with internal and external executives she requires a relationship with in order to bring her vision for her organization to life.
TAKEAWAY: be conscious of your level of interaction, and be certain that what you bring to the table is clearly communicated. YOU GET ONE CHANCE AT FIRST IMPRESSIONS!