Your best conversations with clients are usually existing clients who you have done excellent work for and they want to use you again. The art then is trying to make every conversation like this.
Profile can help you make sure you are framed in a way that makes you known to them. How do you want your clients to see you?
Three things to contemplate:
1.Why do you need to build your profile? Your profile isn't about you. It's about your potential client and making them comfortable to use you. What would they need to see to feel reassured that you have the credibility to help them resolve their problem?
As a starting point, I think clients need to know:
You have the expertise
You've done similar work before
People they respect think you're credible
Your peers rate you
You're decent to work with
2. What do you want from your profile? Do you want cold calls from people who need your services? Do you want to simply create more awareness of your existence? Do you want to be known by your peers?
3. Profile building should be consistent and tailored to your personality. The tactics of profile building - the things you do to build it, need to be authentic to you, but very much focused on your clients and reach them where they are. It will often mean not simply resorting to thought leadership, or at the very least tailoring it.
A profile can do many things. What I think it does well for most partners I work with, is be the frame for a conversation with a potential client. That’s the aim of your profile strategy to frame the conversations you would like to have. It’s like getting a referral from someone the client really respects.
A tip: think outside the law. Think how you can be of broader value.
To work out your profile building strategy...
Explore my executive coaching services or get in touch for a confidential discussion.