Don’t sell you; sell your results

We often share an anecdote about walking into a meeting armed with a rather blunt critique of an agency’s “About Us” page (which they had specifically asked for, by the way – we weren’t being nasty just for the sake of it).

They had (so we were told) spent two days "perfecting" this page, carefully crafting every line to highlight their background, experience, ethos, and even their trademarked processes (it went on for quite a while).

But here’s the issue: no one hires you because of your “About Us” information. It is, of course, nice to reassure potential clients that you are real humans, but in a world full of dynamic, fresh agencies winning work with little more than creativity and boundless energy, how compelling is it to say, "We have 225 years of combined experience"?

Instead, we suggested ‘Why not let your success and results speak for you?’ Rather than saying, “We were founded in 2012, and Dave used to work for a big agency,” why not lead with, “We’re the team behind the 75% increase in Visa’s sales last year”?

Such a statement is hard to dispute (or ignore).

If I tell you, “We’re the smartest agency in London,” you can challenge it. But if I say, “We’re the agency that created the campaign that got Young’s into Waitrose,” you can’t burn that down (as long as it’s true, obviously!)

An “About Us” page built around results rather than narrative does several important things: it allows you to name-drop well-known clients (boosting your credibility), it shows the tangible results your work delivers (making potential clients imagine their own success), and it demonstrates that you’re savvy enough to know that surreptitiously squeezing a case study into your “About Us” page is far more powerful than talking about how you’re always “on time and on budget.”

It might seem like a small detail, but when it comes to cold-channel new business, every second of your prospects’ attention counts. Don’t waste time mentioning the office dogs or your staffs’ quirky habits when you could be showcasing your skills to a potential client.

Focus on what really matters: your track record and the results you can deliver.