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Title picking

EdgEventEdgEvent subscriber Posts: 10
edited March 2008 in Marketing
So I`m about to order my first set of business cards so I can start handing them out and I realized that I don`t really know what title I should give myself.
I`m a one woman company at the moment, working as an Event planner. In time i will be hiring a couple people to help but for now it`s just me. However, I will be working with mostly businesses and larger corporations so I want my company to appear a bit larger than it is at the moment. So I always say "we" or "ours" rather than "me" or "my" when i refer to the company both in conversation and on the website.  That being said, I don`t want to come off as if i`m a huge conglomerate either.
I feel that titles like President and CEO are for bigger companies and may sound pretentious if i introduce myself to people as that, and then they find out i`m the only member of the staff. So much of my business is networking and I don`t want to give off that impression of deception or pretentiousness when I  hand them my card. But Owner sound very "mom & pop" to me and I want to appear professional. Something like "Creative Director" sounds better, but it makes it seem like someone else runs the business. Any suggestions on an appropriate title for the head of an event planning company that isn`t misleading or overly pretentious? Or would you as a company prefer to deal with someone who held a title like President or CEO, regardless of the size of the company?EdgEvent2/28/2008 8:58 PM
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    RicWillmotRicWillmot subscriber Posts: 14
    Eric has nailed it ... you do not need a title.
    No TRUE economic buyer cares about your credentials, degrees, titles or certificates.The TRUE economic buyer just wants to know, "What can you do for me?"I consult to some of the largest corporations in Australia, plus some pretty impressive firms in New Zealand, Dubai, Hong Kong and the USA. When someone happens to say, "Hey, you are just an independent consultant."I reply, "That`s exactly why you need me!"The stunned silence is magic and gives me two seconds to await their response. A conversation then follows because they generally ask me why I think that. And, I have quite a few VERY good reasons for it to be so.Bottom line: your business card does not generate business for you. All it does is provide your contact details. Don`t consider the trifles get out and start building relationships with the people who can write you a check!Good luck.Rgds,Ric
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    EdgEventEdgEvent subscriber Posts: 10
    Campsteve, I thought of trying to come up with a witty title but have struck out so far.  I think it would be cool to have a title equally witty as the tagline "You put it on. We pull it off"
    If anyone has suggestions on that front, i`d love to hear them. If not, then having not title on the card wouldn`t be the end of the world either.
    Thanks for all your help
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    PeterCPAPeterCPA subscriber Posts: 0
    I agree with most of the others. You don`t need a title.
    Peter
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    RicWillmotRicWillmot subscriber Posts: 14
     
    Let`s not overthink this. Just get a business card and then get out and do the REAL business of work. Worrying about the title is not going to generate business for you. Action is the only pecursor to success.
     
    Rgds,
    Ric
    RicWillmot3/1/2008 6:37 PM
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    EdgEventEdgEvent subscriber Posts: 10
    Thanks for everyone`s suggestions. I realize my business card isn`t going to do all the work for me. But as TigerTaco mentioned, i do want my card to get passed around and for people to know i`m high up in the company if not . I have a couple friends who have asked me if i have business cards to give to them because they knew some people who might use my services. So the question is, is it better to have no title, or something made up and cute like Chief Eventor/Eventress or Lead Eventist or any other combination. Do you think having a cute name like that detracts from a professional image?
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    Garage222Garage222 subscriber Posts: 1

    Going along with the crowd I suggest not having a title either. My company went through the same issue, we figure we should establish ourselves and earn those titles before bestowing them on ourselves.  No cares about titles. I really like the slogan “You put in on ,we`ll pull it off" it`s quick easy and cute it gets your point across also!
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    EdgEventEdgEvent subscriber Posts: 10
    Okay, so i had an idea this morning of creating a title with an acronym of CEO since that`s what i am...but something that sounds cuter and less pretentious like Chief Event Orchestrator or Certified Event Originator or Chief Eventology Officer or something like that. It`s another play on words. I could even use Certified Event Organizer, though that`s a little misleading because there is such a thing and i`m not certified yet. Thoughts?
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