The Mirror Test: Does your LinkedIn have spinach in its teeth
You look great. Really. (Nobody's going to tell you.)
I have an incredibly difficult client. Constantly wants to make little tweaks to his website, resume, and LinkedIn Profile. Worries whether his ONE thing is really his one thing. Worries about which revenue stream to focus on.
I'd fire him as a client except for one thing.
It's me.
"What do you actually do?" my wife of 36 years asked after hearing me share my elevator speech to a prospect earlier this year.
That's when I knew I was dealing with Brand Garbage. If my own wife couldn't explain what I do, what chance did I have with prospects? I had spinach in my teeth and didn’t even know it.
Here's what kills me: I watch brilliant executives recite their résumés like grocery lists. Consultants drown me in methodologies while their actual magic stays buried. Small business owners talk about "solutions" when prospects are searching for their specific problem.
You know what you've done. You can list every accomplishment, every degree, every certification. But when someone asks what you do (or what makes you different), you start to ramble.
The Problem Nobody Sees
Your LinkedIn profile. Your website. Your portfolio or bio page. Each one tells a slightly different story. Not because you're dishonest. Because you updated them at different times for different audiences.
And here's the thing nobody tells you: Most AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini hit a wall when they try to read LinkedIn directly. But prospects see you…and they turn to someone else’s profile.
So while you think your LinkedIn looks fine, LinkedIn blocks those AI tools and they’re scraping outdated versions of your story from everywhere else.
You probably have 5-7 issues you've never noticed. Dead links. Outdated bios. Generic language that could describe anyone. Stories that contradict each other. The worst part? You can't see them because you're too close to your own story.
Stop Reading. Run This Instead.
Here’s a diagnostic that takes five minutes. But here's the deal: I need you to stop reading this post and go run it. Right now. Then come back.
I know, I know. But humor me because the second half only works if you’re sitting there looking at your results thinking "well, shit."
Ready?
The 5-Minute Mirror Test
Go to your LinkedIn profile. Click "More" → "Save to PDF"
Copy this prompt and paste it into ChatGPT or Claude:
"You are an expert communications consultant conducting The Mirror Test (a diagnostic that reveals why opportunities disappear before they start).
Analyze this LinkedIn profile: [paste your LinkedIn PDF]
Find up to 10 specific issues across three types of Brand Garbage:
· Deal Killers: Content that directly blocks interest (unclear what you do, missing next steps, confusing messages)
· Trust Busters: Credibility problems (outdated info, conflicting details, weak proof)
· Invisible Problems: Generic messaging that gets ignored (could describe anyone, no differentiation)
For each issue, tell me: What you found (be specific), Why this costs me opportunities. Quick fix or needs strategy
If I also give you my website URL [insert if you have one], tell me the #1 misalignment between my LinkedIn and website that confuses prospects most."
Before you start, Ask me no more than three questions, one at a time, to clarify what I’m trying to achieve.
Review the results
Come back here
Seriously. Go do it. I'll wait.
Welcome Back. Let's Talk About What You Found.
If you ran that diagnostic, you're probably sitting there with a list of problems you didn’t expect.
Maybe your LinkedIn says you "drive strategic initiatives" while your website lists services from three business models ago.
Maybe your headline could describe 10,000 other people in your industry.
Maybe (and this one hurts) your own accomplishments are buried under corporate jargon that makes them invisible to both humans and AI.
I just ran my own test. Found three issues. Three ways I'm losing opportunities before I ever get up to bat.
The worst one? My portfolio shows journalism clips when I'm selling executive ghostwriting. Like a heart surgeon showing you their veterinary work. Related, sure. But not the proof prospects need.
What The Results Actually Mean
Here's what I hear after I run this diagnostic for clients and start asking questions:
A recent grad told me she "didn't have much experience." No college jobs, no internships. Then she mentioned (almost apologetically) she'd reorganized her entire sorority's financial system and saved them $30,000 with processes still used three years later. But that wasn't on her résumé because it "was just Greek stuff."
An executive spent 15 minutes listing job titles and responsibilities. Then, almost as an afterthought, he mentioned he'd been brought in to fix three separate family business successions without destroying the families. That's not a credential. That's a superpower.
A consultant's website promised "clarity" while using jargon that required a decoder ring.
Your credentials bore people because they're about you. Your truth interests people because it's about what you can do for them.
Your Next Move
Look at your results. Some will be quick fixes (outdated dates, broken links, typos). Do those today.
Some will be strategic fixes (messaging alignment, missing proof, buried accomplishments). Those need thought, but they're probably doable.
And some? Some will make you realize you're too close to your own story to see it clearly.
Start with the Trust Busters. They're usually quick, but they immediately stop the bleeding. That outdated title. The missing contact information. The testimonial from someone who left their company two years ago.
Then tackle Deal Killers. These require more thought but have the highest ROI. What you do, who you do it for, and what happens next.
Save Invisible Problems for last. They're often symptoms of a bigger positioning challenge.
If You're Stuck
Some people run this diagnostic, fix three things in an hour, and they're good to go.
Others realize they need deeper help. The messaging doesn't just need tweaking. It needs translation. Or their story is there, but it's buried under years of corporate speak and credential listing.
That's where I come in. I've got additional diagnostic tools (including one called Screaming Frog that crawls your entire web presence the way Google sees it). And I can help you revamp your marketing materials (which is really what your LinkedIn Profile, website, and resume are).
But start with the Mirror Test. Because the truth is, we all have Brand Garbage. The question is whether you'll clean it up before your next opportunity lands in the dumpster.
