Most of us have prepared resumes to apply for jobs. But when we write a book, present a speaker proposal or bid on a consulting project, we are often asked for a “bio.”

And when you prepare your website, you’ll need an “About Me” page.

Clients often hesitate. “I don’t want to brag. I don’t know what to say.”

Bragging is an act of authenticity, says Peggy Klaus, management consultant and author of the best-selling book Brag! http://www.tinyurl.com/2ewpp

And writing your bio means you’re seeking to persuade future customers, ‘You’re dealing with the right person — someone genuinely qualified and eager to help.’

So think Terrific Copy – not True Confessions.

(1) Share only what is relevant to help your prospect say “yes.”

We want to read your memoirs — but not now!

(2) Avoid adjectives. Use strong action verbs and present evidence, not opinion. Depending on the circumstances, you may add a testimonial or a few words of support from a credible source.

(3) Begin with an attention-getting overview.

State experience as “from… to” as in, “from two-person consulting firms to Fortune 50 companies.”

Or you can use numbers: “20 years of providing web solutions to over two thousand clients…”

While writing this article, I came across a good example at www.priorityventures.com/aboutsherry.htm

“Balancing sophisticated analytics with intuition and “street smarts,” Sherry has a 20-year track record of improving market and financial performance for her clients.”

Sherry opens with a range of skills – analysis to intuition to street smarts – and an impressive number of years. She could enhance her intro even more by telling us how many clients she has helped.

(3) Summarize highlights of your experience.

You’ve given a range – an indication of breadth. Now show depth with a few eye-popping accomplishments. “Set a record of … “

Some professionals include a few sentences of “How I became a…” Example:

“Sherry discovered many of her clients set ambitious financial goals – but they also refused to sacrifice their own personal fulfillment. To meet these needs she created a program…”

(4) Include credentials and credibility-boosters.

Have you been interviewed by a recognized media source? Won awards? Earned advanced degrees and certificates from accredited universities and programs? Are you a CPA? Worked for clients whose names are household words?

Choose carefully. Listing an affiliation from a questionable source can backfire, especially degrees from unaccredited universities. See http://www.cathygoodwin.com/schoolbk.html

(5) Tell readers what you are doing now.

“Now he consults and writes books from his home on the Oregon Coast. Clients come by email from all over the US as well as Europe, Africa and Australia.”

(6) Include a personal note with a touch of humor.

“Euphronia lives with her partner Dan and their two Siamese cats. She plays tennis and paints landscapes.”

Edit your personal side. Include only significant qualities that you want all your clients to know. Often we walk a fine line between friendly and flaky.

(7) Live with your bio before sending it out to the world.

Your bio should make you feel proud, strong and confident. If you have doubts about any aspect, ask your network or mastermind group for feedback or hire an hour of consulting time.

Your “about” page and bio will influence client decisions to hire you. Learn more at my Bragging101 page.

If you’re a determined do-it-yourselfer but you’d like some input from the pros, here are 3 places to start. And they’re all FREE - even better.

Copywriter Ben Settle is offering what he calls a “mob critique.” Guaranteed to be brutal but hey, if you get chosen, you’ll get visibility and comments worth thousands of dollars. Look it up here.

Copywriter Bruce Wedding is offering critiques at his new forum: www.CopywritingBoard.com

And I offer a free Cat Scan similar to Ben Settle’s mob critique. To see previous examples, click on the Cat Scans category of this blog. To learn more, go here.

And yes, I offer totally private critiques — more like suggestions and ideas to jump-start your website or salesletter. You get an ebook, a bonus or two, a written summary and a 60-minute consultation. Right here!

Ben Settle, one of my favorite copywriters, made this point in an article. He wrote an ad targeted to the right-wing self-defense market. This market listens to the likes of Rush Limbaugh. So, Settle says, the ad reads like a Rush Limbaugh spot.

Ben showed the article to one of his friends. The friend hated it. And Ben took that as a good sign.

I’ve found the same result with my ezine and solo mailings. When I publish a strong issue or send a strong email message, I lose subscribers. And almost always, I’ll also make a sale.

Often prospective clients decide to hire you only after they’ve read your About page. They’ll wonder, “Will he be qualified to help?” or, “Will I be comfortable working with her?”

Your “About” page is especially important if

• you’re still trying to brand yourself as an expert in your field;
• your service calls for you to develop a personal connection with your client as a coach, consultant, healer, lawyer or attorney (rather than, say, a techie software developer); and/or
• clients in your market demand credentials and expertise.

What should be on your “About” page? Here are 5 essential ingredients that will help you promote yourself without losing an ounce of professionalism.

(1) Relate your background and expertise to your products and services. For example:

“Georgina has been transforming dogs from “problem” to “perfect” since she taught her first dog, Rover, to sit and shake hands. Georgina was five and Rover was a mutt from the local pound.

“Today Georgina works with owners of mutts like Rover, and she also works with owners of problem dogs, show dogs and special needs dogs.”

This example works if Georgina wants to promote herself as a dog trainer. If she really wants to teach people how to start a business, she would write a different story.

(2) Show that you truly empathize with your clients – a more sophisticated version of, “We feel your pain.”

Share stories of how you struggled (but you have to write carefully — too much pain will scare away clients). If you didn’t struggle too much, share stories of what motivated you to get started with your service. For example: “Watching my colleagues struggle to balance work and family motivated me to start my program.”

(3) Display your educational credentials, honors and awards. Prospective clients will resonate to your school and they will be impressed by your honors and news mentions. Even if your degree seems unrelated to your field, you can show how you use the knowledge creatively.

(4) Share a glimpse of your authentic self – the person behind the credentials.

Here’s where you write about your hobbies and interests. You don’t have to disclose everything you’ve ever done, so report activities that help you connect to your target clients. Dogs and sports are a good bet, but I’ve met people who connected over mutual interests in classical music, art and gardening (some folks are *really* into roses).

(5) Show, don’t tell.

You don’t have to tell readers you are amazing. Let your actions and activities speak for you. They’ll figure it out.

Want to brag about yourself without losing an ounce of professionalism? Learn here.

Recently I was comparing notes with an acquaintance. We were talking about mentors. I was talking about my current mentor, Kathleen Gage. Since I started working with Kathleen , I had a new sense of purpose. I knew what I needed to be doing, instead of wasting time on non-essentials.

More to the point, I was surprised when I looked at my Third Quarter results. I had to rub my eyes: was that shopping cart number right? And then there were the affiliate commissions coming in. Wow. The proof was in the pudding…er, numbers.

Then there was the “last call” test. I came away with half a dozen ideas to promote my business, pursue my joint venture coming up in February and more.

“Amy” was also delighted with her mentor, who I’ll call “Nanette.” But Amy seemed to be stuck. As I listened, I could see why. Amy had targeted a market that wasn’t likely to pay big bucks for her services. Her workshops offered valuable information but were not promoted as a way to meet her market’s needs: earn money, build relationships, get out of debt, or attract client. Sure, I could have made a few suggestions. But I had a hunch she was paying Nanette big bucks. Why would I offer free advice?

Amy adored Nanette. “We have wonderful conversations,” she said. “Nanette is so encouraging. She has great ideas.”

True, Nanette is wildly successful. She’s a brilliant marketer. But not every player becomes a great coach. And not every coach was once a great player.

I don’t know why Nanette hasn’t helped Amy. Maybe Nanette is too nice. Maybe she doesn’t want to come right out and say, “This idea is going nowhere.”After all, Amy is deeply attached to her product and her market.

Maybe Nanette is just distracted with her own growing business. Maybe Nanette is tired of working with Amy and doesn’t want to be in the position of rejecting her. And maybe I’m hearing a distorted version of their consulting calls.

But I wanted to say to Amy, “Why not have a few consultations with a couple of other mentors? Go to some teleseminars?”

Mentorship is not a marriage. When you stop getting money-making ideas out of every call, it’s time to look around. You’re not being unfaithful. You’re not getting a divorce. You’re becoming your mentor’s next best colleague.

One place to look around: my Cat Chats series. Listen to the recordings. If something resonates, follow up. Sign up for newsletters. Take a class. Schedule an hour.

Penelope Trunk, the Brazen Careerist, runs one of the most controversial blogs around. I usually feel like shrieking, “No! NOOOO!” after I read every entry. There’s always SOMEthing. Maybe that’s why she’s so successful. After all, I’m still reading - right?

Penelope’s advice on blogging, though, is right on. I especially like her advice to expect typos. If you’re writing a ton of content every day, you will have typos. And you won’t have time to write nasty comments about other people’s typos. Read Penelope’s blogging advice here.

When it’s time to ask for the order, you can’t be shy. You have to come right out and tell your visitors what you want them to do. Your Call to Action is probably the most important factor in converting browsers to buyers.

But surprisingly, many websites skip this step altogether. They tiptoe around the topic but leave their visitors waiting for the other shoe to drop. What they should do is include some Calls to Action, such a “Buy now,” “Don’t delay,” or “Every day you wait, you are losing money.”

I argue, “When you create a strong Call to Action, you are actually helping your buyers.” Here’s why:

(1) We’re all distracted. We’re bombarded with all kinds of information. Two minutes after we see a sales letter, we’ve forgotten it. So you have to create interest, enthusiasm and maybe anxiety. And you have to get the customer to take action right away.

(2) You make it easy. They don’t have to scrounge all over your website to find a form.

(3) The most common first reaction is, “Maybe later.” You have to give customers a reason to say, “Better do it now.”

And here’s where you are probably helping them, if they really fit your target market. For example, I was invited to attend a special event. I went to the event page. And like everyone else, I said, “Maybe later.”

When I finally go around to signing up, I found I had just missed the deadline. I wish the event promoters had highlighted the deadline and warned me. I wish they had created a sense of urgency. Instead, I missed an evening and an event I would have enjoyed immensely.

Don’t treat your buyers like that! And speaking of urgency, don’t wait to sign up for next week’s teleseminar where I interview Janis Pettit. Not repeated and definitely worth your time.

Sign up right here.

It’s a tough time for the book publishing industry. More and more professionals continue to write books and self-publish them. For these people, the publishing recession doesn’t exist - if they know how to market themselves.

As an author, you can prevent disaster when you talk to a marketer before you write your book and even before you hire an editor. Too often self-published authors summarize the content of their talks. Their ideas appeal to live audiences because they are great speakers.

The truth is: Best-sellers are created deliberately these days. You can have a great book but you need to know how to command the market’s attention. I’ve been involved with a few campaigns myself. What matters isn’t the topic or the quality of the book. It’s the marketing process.

I’ve learned the most from Kathleen Gage. She’s turned a lot of books into best-sellers and whenever I talk to her, I learn even more. She just announced that she is going to be sharing her secrets of creating best sellers in about 2 weeks. Click here to learn more.

Ezine readers frequently ask me about building websites with Wordpress. I absolutely believe this is the way to go.

If you need help getting started with setting up the platform, my VA Alicia Rittenhouse can get you up and running. Tell her, “Cathy Goodwin sent me.”

Working with Wordpress will make your life easier. You can change the content any time - fast. You can download and modify a theme that meets your needs. Mostly you won’t need a web designer.

If you want to learn Wordpress and do it yourself, I recommend Christina Hills, the Shopping Cart Queen. Join her ezine and consider her club if you have (or need) the shoopping cart. Christina gives more value for your investment than others who might seem more affordable. She’s offering another class in February (and as of now, you can repeat classes at no extra charge - I will be doing that myself). http://www.cathyrecommends.com/shoppingcart.html

But here’s the most important consideration. Regardless of your choice of platform, you still need results-oriented content.

That’s why copywriting remains the most important skill for Internet marketing.

People often ask me, “Why can’t I just do it myself?”

If you are new to the world of copywriting (and especially if you are also new to the Internet), you can expect to spend 20-40 hours writing content for your website. So you have to decide if you want to invest the time.

If you choose the DIY option, I recommend getting Robert Middleton’s Web Toolkit for writing the pages of your website: http://www.cathyrecommends.com/webtoolkit.html

For sales letters and info products: http://www.ReachDesperateBuyers.com .

For a more comprehensive self-help option:
http://www.cathyrecommends.com/conniegreen.html

These sources not only have value — they give you follow-up support via critiques, email and/or brief consultation.

If you want to chat about all these things, check out
http://www.makewebsiteprofits.com/call-in.html

Recently I was comparing notes about mentors with “Nancy,” a particularly smart, savvy business consultant. Nancy had enrolled in a workshop with “Tom.” She was not happy. “When we had a 20-minute coaching call as part of the program,” she said, “Tom dismissed my ideas. He said, ‘I can’t help you. This program won’t work for your service.’”

Nancy was blown away. She asked Tom for a second phone meeting, with even more disastrous results.

“My experience was so different,” I told Nancy. “I gained so much from Tom’s program. I made back the entire investment with just one of his suggestions.”

So…is Tom a good mentor or a bad mentor? I still have no qualms about recommending Tom. I suggested that Nancy approach him about a partial refund. She had attended all the classes and done all the work. And if Tom agreed his approach worked only for certain products, he should have said so up front.

“Tom is so famous,” Nancy said. “I’m reluctant to say anything.”

“And maybe he won’t give you a refund,” I said. “But I wouldn’t worry. Tom isn’t likely to tell the world about his unhappy client, even if he runs into you at a live event. Anyway, he’s so busy he’ll probably forget the whole thing. And everybody’s had this kind of experience. We’ve all bought the wrong info product or hired the wrong mentor.”

I don’t know what Nancy will do. But sometimes you have to take what you can from an experience and move on. There’s a saying that no two kids have the same parents. And I believe that no two mentees ever have the same mentor.