On the very last day of 2009, a young lad made his way around our neighbourhood, dropping off postcards advertising Garry’s Gardening Services.

Now, the young lad may or may not have been Garry himself. But, as he walked away, and I looked at the postcard he’d delivered, I felt an interesting mix of emotions towards Garry and his business.

Like most small business owners, I’m sure Garry wants 2010 to bring him success. I could almost feel his hopes and dreams in the cold winter air as he dropped off his adverts on the very cusp of the new year. The timing felt quite poignant.

Yet, I was also worried for Garry. Why? Well, two reasons:

Garry’s postcard had obviously been professionally printed. It’s an excellent quality – good board, and sharp clear photos. Unless Garry has a very good friend with a printing business, these postcards cost him some money. Unfortunately, the initial professional image that the postcard conveyed didn’t extend to the text, which contained quite a few spelling errors. Tidings are good, for example, especially if they’re of comfort and joy, but I don’t think that’s quite what Garry intends to do to my garden should I hire him. I’m guessing that tidying may be more appropriate.

Now, I realise that Garry doesn’t need to be able to spell landscaping in order to do it. And picking on Garry’s spelling does seem rather petty. Yet, if you’re a small business trying to convey a professional image, such a seemingly minor issue can actually have a big impact on how you’re seen by your potential clients. People do notice and it does make a difference, regardless of how much you might wish it were otherwise. Luckily, with the help of a spell checker (computer or human!), it’s an issue that’s easily fixed.

All in all, though, Garry’s spelling wasn’t the biggest concern I had. That prime spot was reserved for the fact that Garry hadn’t provided me with a reason to hire him. His postcard told me nothing about why I should give him my business over John, George or Tom, all of whom dropped off leaflets over the preceding few weeks advertising their gardening services.

In fact, none of the gentlemen advertising their gardening services distinguished themselves or their businesses from others. As a potential client, I don’t know who to choose, and I’m reluctant to take the risk of possibly hiring the wrong person. What if Tom is unreliable and doesn’t pitch up when he says he will? What if George is far too expensive? What if John quite literally does a hatchet job on my garden?

Now, I could phone each of them up and get a quote as well as some idea of who each of them are and whether they’ll be a good fit for my particular gardening needs. I could ask for references and phone previous and/or current clients. Of course I could do all that. But it takes time. And not many clients will go to all that effort. They’ll stay in a state of indecision until you make it easy for them to pick you out of the crowd of businesses vying for their attention.

The specific reason why clients will hire you depends on your particular business expertise, that special something that you bring to what you do. If Garry, for example, is an expert in bringing gardens back to life after the heavy winter snowfalls, this gives me a reason to hire him if his skills solve my problem. John, on the other hand, may be an expert in helping me create an indigenous garden that requires very little maintenance, excellent for a busy household with little time and inclination to spend hours pruning plants.

The thing is, I don’t know if either of these men have these particular talents. They could be gardening geniuses in their own special ways – but they didn’t tell me about it. As a result, I can’t act on it.

Your potential clients want to hire you. Give them a reason. Help them to make that decision.