Where have all the names gone?

I have a HUGE pet peeve. Maybe I shouldn't care about these people, but I do. I am part of an industry association. I check in on a weekly basis to see who is still a member and who isn't. One trend I am noticing, is that many of the members do not put their name and/or their location in their profile. Some of them don't even list their phone number.

I try to look at their listing from the viewpoint of a potential client or media person. If I have to struggle through your profile to find out who you are, I will walk away and move on to someone else. If as a media person I am doing a story on several companies in the Dallas area, but I can't find anywhere on your profile or even your website where you are located, I won't contact you. There are so many missed opportunities because someone does not want to reveal who they are in some fashion. I can't understand why they would hide, unless they are in the witness protection program.

If I have a referral for Florida, for example, and I plug Florida in the search box and your name does not come up because you either left out your location or abbreviated your state name, then I will turn the referral over to someone who I can find during my search. If I do a search for California to pass on a referral, but I have no way of contacting you, outside of filling in some page where I have to hit the submit button, I will move on and hand that referral to someone else. I may even find someone who is not a member to pass that referral off to.

I have also noticed when I visit websites that many are vague on their About Us pages. I don't care to know how ABC Errand Service will use their experience to help me with my life. I want to know how Jane Doe or John Smith, who have a background as a hotel concierge or who used to manage 200 people, will be able to handle my needs. I want to know if you won an award or volunteer your time. I want to know why you have the ability you do to help me. This helps establish credibility. Whether the target is individual clients, corporate clients, or a combination of both, the About Us page does not have to be so sterile. Loosen up and share something about you.

Share who you are with the world, or at least your potential clients. You never know what opportunities may come your way.