I had the opportunity to chat with publicity expert Nancy Juetten of Main Street Media Savvy about her Bye-Bye Boring Bio Action Guide, which shows step by step how to share your story in a fun, memorable, and magnetic way.  I wanted to find out from Nancy how solopreneurs and small business owners can put together compelling bios on their About pages to help them attract more of their ideal clients, in order to successfully grow their businesses.

Why is it so important for solopreneurs and small business owners to have a compelling "About" page?

As an entrepreneurs or solopreneurs, you are your business.  The clients have to do business with you, and so they have to like, trust, and respect you immediately, in order for them to want to pick up the phone, send an email, or say "Yes, I want buy this person's service."

What is your recipe for a great bio or "About" page?

Start with stunning results, succinct stories, sassy sound bites, and social information to help your ideal customer connect with you.  Those four items are the cornerstones of an extraordinary bio, because they get to the meat of the matter in a delicious way and invite more of the right people to say "Yes" to what you have to offer.

What makes people so afraid to express themselves completely through their bios?

There are many people, women in particular, who are uncomfortable with what some call "shameless self-promotion."  What I like to tell people who are shy, unwilling, or uncomfortable talking about their accomplishments is to take a deep breath and consider, "What is it that I do that makes a huge impact on the success of other people?"  When you frame your special gifts and talents from the standpoint of how other people will be well-served, you're just providing a valuable service that the marketplace needs.  It's not a matter of bragging or promoting, it's a matter of helping and serving.

For people who are uncomfortable in this regard, if you look through the thank you notes that people have sent you for the contribution that you have made, that will really reinforce your confidence that you really are making a difference through the work that you do, and if you've gone the extra step to ask people to comment officially with a testimonial, you can simply say, "Clients who work with me describe me as a, b, c, and d."

In the book, you mention that "we can't be all things to all people" and that "we have to be the right things to the right people."  Explain.

If you say, "I'm an expert in everything, and you should hire me," no one believes you.  The more narrow you define how you serve, not only do you attract more of the right people, but you likely can charge more for your services.  It used to be that on television there was broadcasting, and then the Internet came along and all sorts of new programming came along and cable television came along, and now HGTV is one of the most widely watched programs, where all they talk about is home and garden stuff.  We've gone from broadcasting to narrowcasting, and there's a tremendous lesson in that.  Don't say you're all things to all people.  Identify your perfect customer so that people know they are right with you.

You say it's important to stand out, to tell an authentic story.  How can solopreneurs and small business owners do this?

I'm a big fan of the sassy sound bite, and that is to say something in a way that is so memorable and remarkable that people repeat it.  I'll give you an example.  Kim Duke is the founder of SalesDivas.com, and she trains people how to be extraordinary producers in sales, and one of her sassy sound bites is that she believes that cold calling is best left in the freezer.  That is so much more of an interesting way to say what she does than, "I believe there are a whole lot better ways to make sales than cold calling."

Don't underestimate the power of a sassy sound bite.  It really can demonstrate your personality, your passion, and something meaningful, remarkable, and relevant to how you make a difference in your particular field.

You mention displaying a very brief bio, say in the sidebar of your site, that shares something interesting and memorable.  Why is this brief bio important, and why do we need this in addition to our full-length one?

Now that we have Twitter and electronic devices and other conventions that require that we get to the meat of the matter in 140 characters or less, brevity is really important.  We're in an age of skimmers.  You have to get to the highlights so that people say, "Oh yeah, that's my guy!"

Would you recommend putting a photo of yourself in that brief bio?

Yes, I would.  I'm going to refer to my good friend and colleague and mentor Alice Cunningham of OlympicHottub.com who says, "Make it easy to buy, easy to own, and easy to refer."  When someone is thinking about buying from you, they're going to your About page, and they're going to say, "Well, who is that?"  You want an image that puts your best face forward that is truly a favorable reflection of everything that you bring to the party.

Talk a bit about the importance of a professional head shot.

When you're choosing your photo, consider the type of business you are in.  If you're in a conservative field, like banking or finance, you definitely want a conservative image.  If you're in a creative profession, say an artist or a photographer, your images can be more playful and creative.  I always recommend having a traditional professional head shot so that newspaper, blog, and magazine editors have a choice about which image they want to use.

Testimonials are an important part of a bio, but what about for the new service provider?

When you have glowing testimonials, it's not just you saying that you're great, it's your clients who are saying that you're great, and that's pretty powerful, so have at least three testimonials from the industries that are attractive to you so that you can attract more of the right opportunities.

Now, if you don't yet have clients, ask yourself, "Have I done any pro bono work for non-profit organizations, friends, or colleagues who would be happy to sing my praises?"  It doesn't necessarily have to be compensated work that people are complimenting.  It needs to demonstrate that the work you do you're actually go at.

You offer several versions of a bio in your book.  Explain how this might be helpful.

You can't go wrong with the short blurb bio that includes the succinct stories, the sassy sound bites, the stunning results, and the social information to help people connect with you.  It works for everybody, no matter what profession you're in.  Sometimes, you need a few more words to tell your story in a winning way than a short blurb bio can accomplish, and sometimes the fill-in-the-blank, "I was born in a little town in Minnesota, the best book I've ever read is..., my first job was..., the best advice I ever got was..." might fit for you.  You have to sort of frame your information in a way that your ideal customer will find remarkable.

Learn more about Nancy Juetten at Main Street Media Savvy and be sure to check out her Bye-Bye Boring Bio Action Guide.