Your Online Bio: Is it a Help or Hindrance?

By Fred Berns
Business By Design, Inc
Photro Credit: DesiLu Photography

.Those who need to know you, don’t. Your top prospects don’t. Your website visitors don’t. Vendors and suppliers don’t. Even your current and past clients don’t. They don’t, because they don’t understand and appreciate all that you do, and how well.

That’s because your bio – on your website, your Houzz site and on social media — probably doesn’t tell them. Creating a Killer Bio is one of the 15 success steps I include in my new free report, Get Bigger Projects from Better Clients.

Your online promotion profile should be your most important personal selling tool. After all, nothing communicates your credibility more clearly than a kick-butt personal profile. It’s the means by which you can promote yourself as a uniquely-qualified, leader in your field.

Your bio can do that, but most bios don’t do that. If yours is like the majority of interior design industry bios, it undersells you. It may even block you rather boost you, and disqualify rather than qualify you from projects and clients that you want and need.

Too many bios are vague and wordy, focusing way too much on old certifications and degrees, and way too little on recent accomplishments and milestones. Problem is, you can’t get good clients with a bad bio.

Here’s what it takes to create a personal profile that dramatically differentiates you

+ An “Only” phrase (” ____ is the area’s only kitchen designer who…)
+ Awards and other honors
+ Design specialties
+ Experience
+ Accomplishments
+ Skills and capabilities
+ Unique services and products
+ Publication history (where/how you’ve been published)
+ Client profile (who you serve and how)
+ Resources (vendors, contractors, etc.)
+ Affiliations
+ Educational background

Include all these elements, and your bio will spell out your special-ness and establish your expertise. And it will enable you to take advantage of what I call in my new free report the “Law of Attraction” associated with bios.

“Explain how you ‘specialize in’ or ‘focus on’ major design projects with prominent clients,” I note in the Bigger Projects from Better Clients report – and those are the outcomes you’ll attract.”

Some important rules of the road to consider as you revise or replace your current bio:

• “Only” is not the only Bio Word that rocks. Others that stand out: First, Newest, Latest, Oldest (longest-established), Largest, Award-Winning.
• Keep in mind, as you craft your Killer Bio, that your design skills don’t matter. What matters is how clients benefit from them
• In preparing to write your bio, don’t dwell on your “don’t’s.” Don’t fret about the experience, clients, degrees, certifications, and awards that you don’t have.
• Highlight, don’t hide your past. Explain how your current clients benefit from the skills you gained from past employment.
• Craft a Killer Bio NOW. Your current bio is blocking rather than boosting you, and disqualifying you, rather than qualifying you for bigger projects, better clients, and higher fees.

Fred Berns is the only interior design industry business coach and speaker who creates bios and other promotional materials for kitchen and bath and other design professionals worldwide.

Fred has more than 30 years experience training design pros from Dallas to Dubai, and creating their online profiles, website and social media copy, blogs and marketing forms. In addition, he offers a wide range of business coaching services, ranging from his Bio Briefing  to his Website Onceover. For more information, visit Interdesignbusiness.net, or contact him at Fred@FredBerns.com, or 303-589-3013.