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This title isn’t some cynical reference to Big Brother. It’s about the first, basic layer of scrutiny that potential customers give YOU: small businesses, consultants, freelancers and entrepreneurs, and you may not even know it. It doesn’t matter whether you’re an accountant, web designer, personal trainer, jewelry designer, caterer or freelancer. Ensure that your communiqués provide these three basic symbols of comfort and credibility. If you don’t have the time or business acumen to include them, their absence could be working against you, unwittingly:

1. A personal touch. The best proposals, pitches, emails, or what have you, reflect that you’re addressing a particular individual and their specific needs. Failure to personalize is a deal-breaker in the eyes of many people from whom you’re trying to get a contract or sale. You can’t, of course, do this on your website, but it’s important to keep in mind when otherwise pursuing someone’s business. Where possible, use their name and show that you’re familiar with their specific needs and offer just the right solution.

2. Currency. Showing a long history of excellence is one thing; showing no recent success examples is quite another. You may rarely be asked in what year you were involved with a particular past account, company or client, but if most of your work seems dated, so will your skill set. If necessary, date your material to show that you’re up-to-date and in demand right now.

3.  Website Links. Many of us have websites, and on most of our sites, we drop the names of our previous clients or showcase their glowing testimonials. Sometimes we don’t provide access – an associated link – for potential clients to follow as a semblance of proof. Note: there are prospects who will Google you and your clients, in search of evidence you’ve done what your website says. So where appropriate, notify those contacts that you’d like to showcase your work for them. Also ask if they’d mind occasionally receiving an email from an important stranger who might want feedback about your services.

There’s no magical formula guaranteed to land you new accounts, clients, or customers. But the first screen that many of your prospects use to weed out the weak are the most innocuous little tics you could imagine. These may be are minor details to you, but you’d be surprised by what turns people off, what seemingly offbeat rules they embrace as part of their hiring process.

The devil, as they say, is in the details. So, when it comes to your proposal, prospectus, presentation, portfolio, brochure or website, the more attention you pay to removing even the slightest reason to doubt your professionalism, the more swiftly ahead in preference you’ll move.

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