Promote Your Expertise With Success Stories

Thomasina asks me, “Do any of your networking groups need a speaker? I just published a book and I need visibility!”

So I reply, “Where’s your speaker bio?”

She sends me a classified ad. Attended school at this Ivy League college. Worked with these Fortune 50 companies as a consultant. Big yawn.

“How did you help those companies?” I ask. I like Olivia and want her to succeed.

“Increased profits by 70% in one year for Company X. Doubled revenue for company Y.”

“Impressive numbers,” I say truthfully. “But what did you do to get those results?”

That’s the essential question to ask when you want to appear as the expert, authority go-to person. When I work with clients on bios and About Pages, I ask for 3 success stories.

Your success story begins in the middle of the muddle. Your client faces challenges. You provide a specific solution. Your clients enjoy a specific outcome.

Thomasina might write:

“When I started working with Company X, their salespeople were not incentivized to promote the most profitable products. I used my proprietary profit-magnet system to identify the heavy hitters. Salespeople now sell twice as many products in the high-profit category as they did before.”

Stories work for testimonials, too.

Unfortunately, most testimonials go like this:

“Cathy is an amazing copywriter. I’d recommend her to anyone.”

You believe that? I didn’t think so.

Here is an example of a “surprise story” testimonial someone could write about me:

“I wasn’t sure about hiring Cathy. She doesn’t fit the image I had of a copywriter and she talks about her dog all the time. But the copy she wrote for my website helped me get more clients and she was fun to work with.”

Another imaginary example, this time in the “saved from disaster” style:

“When I hired Cathy, I’d been trying to put a website together for 3 months. Cathy came in, wrote copy and found techie types who put it together for me. Now my site brings me clients and revenue, hassle-free.”

Stories add credibility to your bios and testimonials because…

… you can show exactly what you did, instead of encouraging your audience to believe in magic

… you can begin with doubts and objections, which make the story seem more real

… you can demonstrate why you’re unique without bragging, referring to your proprietary systems, your people skills and your personal style

Now it’s your turn: Write 3 success stories to demonstrate how you’re unique and what you can do for your clients. Not sure how to turn those stories into a compelling brand? Sign up for the Strategic Intensive. You won’t just get a brand with colors and a slogan. You’ll get a foundation to build the rest of y 

“I need to make changes in my marketing to be more profitable…but what’s my next step?” 

Get an outside perspective on a marketing question when you need someone to listen with an open mind, introduce fresh ideas, and point you to surprising new opportunities.

Want to explore the different ways we can work together? Click here to send me a message.