"If there be any truer measure of a man than by what he does, it must be by what he gives."

-Robert South 

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Some marketing consultants talk about how you should always stress benefits, and never talk about features … and how you should always focus on the customer, and never on the company.

But is that always true? Of course not. For instance, the number of years you’ve been in business is a feature – a fact about the company. Yet prospects care how long you’ve been in business -- and your longevity can help close the sale.

Why?

Because in this world of fleeting connections and instant “YouTube careers,” experience and seniority counts a lot more than you can imagine.

According to a recent NBC poll quoted by the copywriting guru Bob Bly, more than 70% of Americans are losing their trust in business. And as bad as that may sound for most businesses, companies that have been around a long time, with a track record of success, “are suddenly at a tremendous advantage,” says Stephen G. Fossler of Stephen Fossler Company, a printer specializing in corporate anniversary seals.

“Your years of customer satisfaction act to build trust in your company and give people a good reason to do business with you,” Fossler explains.

If you've been long enough in any business, I'd say there is no harm in letting people know about it without going overboard.

I, for example, always briefly mention to my prospective clients that I've been a writer for over 20 years, since 1985, and I've been involved in many different writing projects from screenwriting to newspaper reporting.

That information usually establishes an initial sense of trust and opens up new venues that would probably not be available to me if I were a journeyman writer just fresh off the college

Ugur Akinci, Ph.D. is a senior writer and web content consultant with 20 years of experience.

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