It took me a long time to get to this point, invested a lot of hours and energy to provide the quality I am honored to be praised with by clients.
And I refer you to an article I have tacked on my bulletin board for inspiration: “You Can’t Pick My Brain, It Costs Too Much.” I don’t do free or cheap. Not to establish that I want to be viewed as expensive, but that I earned my stripes the hard way, by experience, and that makes me worth the cost.
Yet fair cost in the mind of the beholder and I need to reinforce why i charge what I do and I am proud to show my feathers differently than the rest of the crowd.
I could say anything I want on my LinkedIn profile about my journey, my values, my street creds, my “why” (not my “what”). But at the end of the proverbial day, it’s about the deliverable: a presentation that hit home, a situation in which I helped a client free up a payment error, knowing the right person to consult for assistance to make my client appreciate my ability, to rely on me. Isn’t that worth something additional?
But here’s the kicker: when others say something, unsolicited, appreciative, better than I could myself, it’s worth memorializing and advertising.
So I update my specific Experience subsection, with the comments I receive as a result of my work, as they come in, those truly worth sharing on my profile. Not because it will make the reader believe better what I say about myself, but because it will show the reader that others believed in me to hire me and as a result, volunteer to say great things, and it happens again to repeat, unsolicited.
Most recently such from a coaching client:
I just spent a good hour listening to parts of our last conversation on “Groups.” (BTW, I record our sessions and provide to the client.)
Very helpful, you had many great ideas which I will implement. I’m very enthusiastic about working this to expand my network in this new world of no more personal meetings.
Yes, I have skills endorsements from colleagues who actually experienced my providing that skill for them. And of course, I solicit recommendations and manage them reflecting on all the facets of my work.
But I come back to suggesting in this Back to Basics post that you incorporate what I see rarely on others’ profiles as a way of standing out, what I use effectively: add quotes received from clients (and a relevant reference of who they are/what you performed for them) to further establish your status and quality for all to see, expressed better than you could yourself.
Try it. The reader will like you better for it.
