One of the most challenging things that service based professionals and creativepreneurs face is establishing a solid credibility when just starting out or even starting over. Whether you have been in business for several years but you are reinventing how you do things and launching new models, or you are just getting started, credibility is vital to your growth and success. Here are three simple secrets to gaining that essential trust component quickly and easily to capture clients and profit.
#1 Look Established (Even When You Aren’t)
Yes, appearances do count. This lesson is from a recent trip I took to San Diego. There is a delightful hotel, The Lodge at Torrey Pines and while I was staying next door at the Hilton, I decided to indulge in lunch and a spa treatment at The Lodge. I was captivated. It appeared to be built back in the 1930’s in the Arts and Crafts Style. As an interior designer and kin to Frank Lloyd Wright, this is one of my true favorite styles.
They had a glass case by the dining room with old photos of the alleged owners, a diary, and more. The materials were all antique in feel from the patina velvet to the period patterned carpet and the aged mahogany paneling. It was all beautiful, elegant without being stuffy and very comfortable. I was stunned to find out it was only eight years old (not a typo!) They had literally 
crafted an entire story to support the historical look and feel created and it worked. They looked and felt established, trustworthy and definitely worth the rarified rates.
Viking did this when they began as well. Most people (including me) thought that Viking ranges had been around for 100 years or more. In fact, Fred Carl Jr’s legendary company is barely twenty years old. He selected a name that brought age and implied history. He backed this up with marketing materials that reinforced the solid nature of his brand and gave them instant credibility (having top drawer quality always helps.)
#2 Look Big (Even When You Aren’t)
You don’t have to be a big company to be credible, but sometimes it can help for people to think that you are more than a one person show. Building a team can be virtual and mean simply that you work with vendors to provide the finest service.
For years when I am asked how big my design firm is, I ask in reply “how big do you need me to be.” I consider my vendors as partners so whether a project requires three vendors or twenty with workrooms and installers, I am flexible to suit my clients needs.
Today there are easy tools like www.grasshopper.com (no clue why they changed their name from gotvmail, that made sense), and virtual answering services to help you look bigger. By limiting access to yourself, you add the perception of greater value.
#3 Look Connected (Even When You Aren’t)
Social media is a profoundly valuable tool for being visible and visible typically leads to credible. When you appear in more places you look better connected. You can also choose high profile individuals to associate with on Facebook, LinkedIN, and Twitter.
Be selective in those you share as Top Friends and whose Fan Pages you join on Facebook. Seek out industry leaders to connect with on LinkedIN. Always make your invitations personal on both networks and be sure to let that person know (compliments work well, but not fawning) why you want to connect.
Check out blogs of your favorites and be sure to leave relevant and meaningful comments to garner their attention. This can lead to all sorts of opportunities. In addition, providing testimonials or reviews of those whose work you know first-hand (products, seminars, services) can put you in the spotlight and at the least, get you into a much more visible orbit.
Whether you are starting out, starting over, or adding new services and products to your mix, your credibility is integral to your success. Implement the secrets shared here to quickly and easily rise to the top.
Melissa,
Thanks for great information….
Derrick
Derrick,
You are welcome always!
Hugs, Melissa
Thank you, Melissa
As usual, your suggestions come through just when I need them most –
I do have a lot of ideas started, so completing just one will make a difference!
PS – I like your more interactive site!
Thanks Cheryl,
Glad you like the site changes, always a work in progress.
And I’m also glad I’ve got good timing on my advice and best practices.
Hugs, Melissa
Thank you Melissa for sharing these important lessons.
Juliane,
You are always welcome!
Hugs, Melissa
Hi Melissa
As usual, your information is spot-on.
As a not-large-yet business owner, I try to think and act *now* the same way I would think and act once I have a massive, multi-state, business with multiple teams of drapery installers and more vendors than you can synchronize with your Blackberry.
Something else that I think a lot of startups overlook is when creating content for their business (whether it’s a website, or a blog, or a brochure) too many by default simply say “I”… as in, “I” can get you the best price, “I” can work on that project for you… instead of using the more generic (an in my opinion more professional) “we” which mentally gives the reader the impression of more than a one-man show.
I use that terminology all the time – so much so it’s basically a habit. When I’m booking an appointment, even if the client already knows that “I” will be the one coming out and even with my regular clients that already know that “I” am the only employee of my company, “I” almost always say something along the lines of “We” will be there tomorrow and “we” will get you taken care of.
Hi James
I have just tweeted to Melissa as this blog was very helpfull but I have also found your comment helpfull too.
We are sharing the same thoughts.
On my website also on my social profiles ( lately have been setting up , learning ) I speak as *I*. Then I had changed them to *we* as I had thought just like you.
After a while my husband thought *I* sounds warmer and changed them again.
Now it will be the last time I will change.
Thanks a lot.
Nevin,
We is warmer and more inclusive and gives the effective feeling of a larger company.
Whenever I’m asked how big my company is, I reply as big as you need us to be. I work with a flexible team of talented experts!
Hugs, Melissa
James,
I’ve got you one better. I have a voicemail that indicates my assistant will get back with you.
Often I am my assistant!
Hugs, Melissa
Hmmm, some interesting thoughts here on marketing yourself. I guess that the most important thing here is to be able to deliver what you promise.
Michael.
Michael,
Underpromise and overdeliver works well!
Hugs, Melissa
You have more useful info than the British had clooneis pre-WWII.
Thanks Star,
Delighted to hear it and look forward to knowing of your progress with said useful information.
Hugs, Melissa
Great post. Our virtual world gives us the ability to do so many things without them being “in house”.
Thanks Barry,
Yes, it sure does. I can be as big as I need to be at any given moment with virtual team mates!
Hugs, Melissa
Melissa;
I agree with using the term “we”, and that the size of the firm isn’t really the issue (“we’re big enough to deliver value in this engagement”). But in the age of transparency I would pause before crafting a fake origin story. I think that people want to connect with real people — when they find out that they are connecting with a story it’s some how a let down.
That said there are lots of fake twitter avatars that are doing just fine…
Brad,
It is never my intent to encourage anything false, I simply believe in leading with possibility and your best foot forward. Ironically I’ve probably lost business years ago because I appeared too big. I actually juggled 40+ projects at a time and some clients wanted me to carry far fewer. That is a real number, nothing fabricated. I had a large capacity and talent for multi-tasking.
Warmly, Melissa
Melissa,
This is true, not just for service-based professionals and solopreneurs, but also for small businesses. We all need to look more established, bigger and more connected than we are to add to our credibility and compete with the bigger players. Luckily, the Web and social media can do all of this for us! Thanks for the reminder. 🙂
Susan,
Yes the web can do this and that can be a big help. The irony is also that often the smaller players are more nimble, more flexible, and better connected than some of the giants.
Hugs, Melissa
These are all really great suggestions. One more: get yourself some publicity. It’s amazing what being featured on a widely-read blog or national TV show can do for your credibility (and how big/connected/established you look) – it will bring clients and customers to you, so you don’t have to hunt them down.
A great tool for getting free publicity is HARO – helpareporter.com. Reporter Connection is another free option, but HARO is the more popular of the two. We’ve used HARO to get our clients covered everywhere from CNN to the Today Show, so it definitely works.
These smart tips are helpful since seeking ways to bridge the transitional period of Top Manager to Entrepreneur a few years ago. Reading through the comments has also been very informative and forwarding…credibility is king….