You decide to run an ad. You hire a local advertising agency to create something nice. You explain your area of practice, your ideal client and your budget. They come back to you with several versions of an ad.

One thing they all have in common is that your name is at the top. It’s big and bold. It’s beautiful.

Why do they put your name at the top? Why is it in big, fancy letters?

Because you are their customer and they want you to like the ad. It’s a pretty sure bet that you’re going to like an ad with your name in it.

You’re human after all. Seeing your name up in lights is calculated to have a certain impact on you and it works.

But will it help you grow your practice?

Probably not.

If you could create an ad with your prospective client’s name in big type then maybe you’d have something. They’d certainly like the ad – just like you liked it.

But you’re not likely to be able to use their name. Your going to have to try something else for a headline.

How about featuring their problem. Will they be more interested in an ad about their problem or an ad about your name?

You tell me – when you need a new wallet – do you get excited about an ad with the headline “Buxton” (a wallet manufacturer) or do you prefer an ad with something like “Tired of Wallets that Don’t Last?”

Put yourself in the position of your customer and think the way they think. That’s exactly what the ad agency was doing when they designed an ad with your name at the top.