This is a guest post from Brian Heys, a freelance software tester, frustrated pianist, and reformed pessimist who blogs at brianheys.com about technology, the Internet, careers, and anything else that takes his fancy.
When I set up my business in the nineties, one of the first things I did was put up a web site. Even back then, in those formative years of the web, I felt it was important for a lone IT consultant to have a web presence.
The web site looked great, but I made the classic mistake of trying to sound like IBM, when in fact, my business had just one employee: me.
The Wizard of Oz Effect
Using the ‘royal we’ like I did back then remains a common tendency today. I call it The Wizard of Oz Effect.
Many small business owners are insecure when it comes to admitting they work on their own. Their brochures are stuffed full of corporate stock photography, their web site content is written about ‘us’ and what ‘we’ can do, and how great ‘our’ company is.
Attitudes have changed
Nowadays, it’s okay to admit you’re a small business. The customers you really want to attract will no longer hold it against you. In fact, they’ll probably be glad to hear it.
In a world where bad service from big companies is the expected norm, it can be totally refreshing to have a positive experience with a small firm. I see this all the time. Often, the smaller the business, the better the service they offer – because they care more about their customers.
I’m not the only one who feels this way. As a simple research exercise, I asked a handful of people around the office if they felt the same – and they all do. Dealing with a small business is much easier, much faster, and can be ultimately more rewarding than trying to engage a large company to do the same job.
Be proud to be small
Instead of hiding behind a facade, why not stand up as a solo business operator, and make it clear to your potential customers who you really are?
Chances are you could do a simple ‘find and replace’ on all your web content and immediately have copy that is much more refreshing and engaging to your target market:
- Replace ‘we’ with ‘I’
- Replace ‘us’ with ‘me’
- Replace ‘our’ with ‘my’
You get the idea.
I took the bold step of doing this about eight years ago with my own web site. Incredibly, the same day the new version went live, I received a sales enquiry from a potential client who complimented me on my originality and honesty! I’ve never looked back.
You can’t fool anyone
We’re all so accustomed to spin we can smell it a mile off. Nobody is fooled by the Wizard of Oz trick anymore. Your 0870 number gives you away. Your telephone answering service blows your cover. The residential address on your business cards and letterheads reveals the truth that your business is … shock, horror … just you.
So why try to hide? Be different. Admit you’re small. You may be surprised by the results.
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Great post, Brian. ECC was a ‘me’, ‘I’ and ‘my’ for a long time on this site, because, well…it was just me, and I was more than happy to say so.
Now I have a few people in the team, including 2 freelancers and an account exec, I’ve made the change over to ‘we’, ‘us’ and ‘our’, but I still stick to first person on the blog, because I write it (and because while the ECC team do all work together, we don’t have a collective consciousness!).
My company is small (I prefer boutique) but there is more than one of me, so we do need to say “we”.
On the other hand, we’ve deliberately tried to keep our branding friendly and give the impression we are a small passionate company. I think it wins us more business than it loses..
It’s interesting that i was taught to punch above my weight on my website… hence the ‘we’, ‘us’ on my website.
But like Emily, I use the ‘I’ and first person for my blog.
Fabulous post!!
A quick search around the various business forums online and you’ll see a whole host of posts asking how they should word their websites. It’s a difficult one but one which in my opinion your business plan dictates.
If you’re planning on being a sole trader for the remainder of your business you need to come out and be honest that it is just you. After all, people buy from people. However, if your business is going to expand and you’re going to be working with large multinationals unfortunately I think it’s a kiss of death to make out you are the only person working in your organization.
It also has a lot to do with the type of business you’re in. for those of us in PR, marketing etc etc saying “Hey it’s just me” works and it works well, because people love that personal service.
My advice would always be look at your business, at the types of clients you want to attract and take it from there. Overall you’re absolutely right, it’s usually extremely obvious that a one man band is indeed a lone worker…
Excellent post and one I can really empathise with. It was only when I ‘came out’ as a one man operation and replaced the ‘we’ with ‘I’ that my business took off.
What I saw as a weakness…there’s just little old me here…was in fact a strength. Training purchasers were re-assured that the guy agreeing the contract was the same as the person delivering the programme.
I’ve even taken this a stage further with everything now branded (or about to be branded) as ‘Gary Gorman’ rather than as my limited company…limited in both senses of the word!
Great post Brian and thanks Emily for sharing it with us.
Gary
You mentioned stock photography, and I’ve been banging on for ages that smaller businesses need to play to their strengths by showing (using “real” photography) who they are, how friendly, approachable and professional they are. Hiding behind cheap, generic, irrelevant photos that are being used by ALL their competitors is no longer slick or clever.
I applaud this post, and recommend you for a knighthood
Wow, you take a night off from the Internet and look what happens – all these great comments. Seriously, thanks so much to everyone for commenting. I’m glad my first ever guest post touched you, or made you think in some way.
As for the knighthood, well, I’m open to the idea! Is The Queen on LinkedIn? If so, she’s only six degrees of separation away…
Now, if only I could figure out how to get this many comments on my own blog!
When I first helped my son set up his business in the 90′s, I couldn’t understand why he referred to himself as ‘we’. As other have commented, he was trying to win contracts with big organisations.
As the business person becomes more professional and knowledgeable,(as he/she has to be) it will make absolute sense to refer to’me/I’. I guess this is another example of ‘small being the new big’.
In the case of Optimum Financials Ltd, we are a team of three so ‘we’ is the reality. We do take individual responsibility for individual tasks, in part by reference to ‘I’. In the end, as long as we are up front and honest, the debate would seem to be a matter of common sense.
Really great blog and comments, thanks.
This is an interesting subject.
I have also been advised by my social media strategist – who is helping me grasp the social media world and apply it – to emphasise the `me`, and used `Steve Ward` on Twitter, my website and online communications; as opposed to Cloud Nine.
I was absolutely taken with this idea, as I am an sole operator – and people buy from me – and as is stated, I thrive on being small as it gives me an edge with my clients, and I have always communicated this verbally. But its strange that I never really communicated this in the online world – until now. And hey, I’m in recruitment – its a people business.
Fantastic message Brian, and one I wholly echo now.
I do not generally respond to content but I’ sure will in this case. Seriously a big thumbs up for this 1 C CLass IP hosting!