Master the High-Stakes Hello

(By Gil Gerretsen) Is your website's "About Us" page and your personal self-introduction working for you or against you? In the high-velocity world of rainmaking, you rarely get a second chance to frame your value. Most professionals treat the "Tell me about yourself" moment as a filler, but the elite treat it as a strategic opening move. If your website's "About Us" page and your personal self-introduction is a rambling list of past titles, you are losing the prospect before you even start. The secret to a powerful “About Us” page and personal self-introduction is not just what you say, it is how you position your expertise to solve the specific pain points of your viewer or listener.

Executive Summary: The Pivot from Ego to Utility.

A website "About Us" page and a personal self-introduction is not a visual or verbal resume; it is a marketing brief for your brand. To be effective, it must pivot away from your history and toward the listener's future. The goal is to move from "This is what I have done" to "This is the value I create." By applying nine specific strategic keys, you can transform a business or social nicety into a revenue-generating tool.

Background: The First Impression Crisis.

Research suggests that people form a solid impression of your competence and trustworthiness within seconds. In professional settings, this initial window is often squandered on "elevator pitches" that feel rehearsed or overly formal. If only we could quickly tell people everything they needed to know about us or our firm! Too often, we just can't seem to find the right words at the time. We mutter some poorly framed message that we later regret. That is perhaps one of the frailties of the human existence, but one place it should NOT happen is on your website's “About Us” page. It is one of the first pages new visitors will investigate after discovering a brand or professional that has captured their attention. It’s the best place to simplify and share your core message.

Analysis: Why Most "Aboout Us" Pages and Self-Introductions Fail.

Rainmakers who struggle with lead conversion often have a "weak handshake" in their online and verbal messaging. They fail to differentiate themselves from competitors, leading to a "commodity trap" where they are judged on price rather than unique authority. But, if you change your approach by first refining your "About Us" page and get it right, then your personal self-introduction during networking or business events can mirror it. It will flow naturally and provide consistency.

Recommendations: The 9 Keys to Authority.

The failure of an “About Us” page or personal self-introduction usually stems from three core issues. First is the "Chronological Fallacy," where the speaker believes their life story is inherently interesting. Second is the "Expertise Gap," where the speaker uses jargon that alienates the listener. Third is the "Lack of Intent," where the introduction ends without a clear reason for the conversation to continue. Without a structured framework, your introduction becomes noise in an already crowded marketplace.

Certainly, there are no standard rules about building the perfect “About Us” page, but to dominate your next interaction, consider and implement the following nine strategic layers. You don't need to incorporate them all, but consider sharing the following elements (concisely stated from the 10,000 foot level):

1) Overview: A sentence or two about what you do and what you sell.

2) Origin: A sentence or two about why the business came into existence and how it has evolved since then.

3) Obsession: What kind of change do you want to create in this world. Who do you help? Why them?

4) Oath: What are the core values that drive your day-to-day operating decisions?

5) Opinions: Why your existing customers buy from you. Provide or link to social proof in the form of quotes or positive press mentions.

6) Options: Some prospects might want to follow your social media activity, so provide links.

7) Overture: What should they do next? This is your call to action.

8) Ombudsmen: Business is about relationships (people to people) so introduce the humans who are the public face of the company.

9) Pictures: You thought this was going to start with the letter "O" right? Visual elements will make your “About Us” page much more engaging. Consider including photos with the elements listed above. Perhaps pictures from the early days. Or behind-the-scene pictures. Product or action photos from current events might be interesting too.

Second, tweak Your Verbal Self Introduction. Once you have built your “About Us” page content, it will be much easier to build your personal verbal self-introduction.

Next Steps / Implementation: The “About Us” Audit.

1) Rewrite Your “About Us” Page: Once you have built your “About Us” page content, it will be much easier to build your personal verbal self-introduction.

2) Script Your Self-Introduction: Use the “About Us” page to craft your new personal self-introduction. However, take it a step further by highlighting every time you say "I." Replace at least half of those instances with "You" or "My clients."

3) Test the Timing: Record yourself speaking. If you exceed thirty seconds, cut the fluff.

4) Practice the Pivot: Rehearse moving from your name straight into the primary problem you solve.

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