What is your title?

Curious what you put in your email signatures...

[rich_b]

I'm replying to an enquiry from a potential client and I suddenly wondered what to put on my email signature. I don't normally put a title - like 'web designer' - but I thought "well hang on, he's sent an enquiry via a web form and now I'm about to email him back. He doesn't know I'm a sole trader and surely he'll be wondering whether I'm the MD, salesman or someone else replying."

I know that I always like to know who I'm dealing with. Of course, being a one man band I *am* MD, salesman, web designer, analyst, first line support (oh, and second and third line :) ). I'd love to hear your views on this.

[uncle_bob]

I think it depends on what you are trying to sell. If its a product then "sales manager" if its to design/build a website/app then try "senior designer" or "design consultant" - you just need to remember to use the same title in ALL your correspondence with that client.

It never looks good if in one email your "developer" and another "salesman" :-)

[rich_b]

Interesting point! I build sites and promote them but really it's an end to end service rather than a product. It's all custom built and I don't use templates. So sometimes I'm a web developer, sometimes an internet marketer, but also I get asked a lot of general IT related questions so sometimes I'm a consultant.

I also don't want to give an impression that I have people working for me, which I don't, or that I'm not the one in charge, which I think a title like 'Senior something' does.

[larryhatch]

It depends on the time of day and week.
If its late on a Friday nite, I call myself the Fridge Poobah. -Larry [burp!]

[teleworker]

Do you want your clients & potential clients to know that you´re a sole trader? Or do you want to hide that fact? (we all make our own choices)

I too am a sole trader and all my clients know it, even though I trade as a company. I use the title ´Web Technologist´ because that´s a sufficiently general term that covers what I do. I spend a proportionately small amount of time being ´CEO´ and ´MD´, so I don´t use them as titles.

[rich_b]

Do you want your clients & potential clients to know that you´re a sole trader? Or do you want to hide that fact? (we all make our own choices)

I don't mind them knowing.

"Web Technologist" is an choice of term I hadn't thought of before.

[percentages]

"I am The Lord your God, You shall have no other gods before Me."

I put nothing in my email sig. I state nothing meaningful as my occupation. Yet, I fully encourage all clients to believe the above.

Good webmasters can create and destroy online businesses with a flick of the wrist and a few clicks of the mouse.....the power is plainly dangerous!

The only client worth having is one that understands this concept ;)

[moltar]

I never put any titles. Titles are just weird, it feels like I am working for someone else :) I keep sigs pretty short and to the point:

--  
CompanyName Website Development 
[e-mail] // www.example.com 
[phone] (phone) 
[phone] (toll free) 
[phone] (fax)

I don't my name and title in the sig, because it's redundant. My name is already in the header of the message and also I sign every email "Yours sincerely, Firstname Lastname". Putting my name once more in the sig could be considered keyword stuffing :)

[gpilling]

I attended a trade show recently with the letters "KOAHS" after my name as my title.

It took until the second day for someone to ask what it meant - King of All He Surveys

[rich_b]

How did they respond to that?! :)

[gpilling]

Stunned silence followed by laughter....

[jsavvy293]

I always like the title "web strategist" - seems appropriate

[Hobbs]

"Operations Director"

gives me room to talk sales as well as technical matters..

[Demaestro]

I like the title "Web Developer"

Although this can be taken to mean coder or programmer.

You can use "Web Designer" however I tend to associate this to mean graphics.