So if you’re able to serve one more client each week and you’re in that average range for resume writers who respond to the survey, you’re looking at an extra $2,000 a month or almost $25,000 a year if you can bring in at least one more new client each week.
Over the next couple of days, I'm going to share with you some strategies to help you do exactly that. Most of the strategies that I'll share aren’t going to cost you anything, so you can get a tremendous bang for your buck if you implement one or more of these in your resume writing or coaching business.
STRATEGY ONE: OFFER TIME-SENSITIVE BONUSES
The takeaway for this one is how to use a low-cost, high-value bonus to clinch the sale.
Think about the infomercials that you see on TV. A lot of them offer a gift with purchase — something that you get extra when you make that purchase. So simply offering a special bonus — and it doesn’t have to be anything expensive that you’re giving them — but simply offering something in addition to what you’re selling them — can increase your conversions.
And when you combine that bonus with a deadline, you’re making the strategy even more powerful, and that’s because, like I said, a sense of urgency can help get people to make that commitment. I mentioned infomercials, but this does not have to be a high-pressure sales tactic. I don’t want you to sound like that guy on the infomercials that says, “Call right now. If you’re one of the first 10 callers you’re going to get a second slice/dice/blender sort of thing.” So it doesn’t have to be a high-pressure sales tactic.
Instead, you could say something to your prospect like, “I’m offering a special bonus for new clients who decide to take action today. So if you order my deluxe resume and cover letter package, I’ll also enroll you in our eight-day ‘Leveraging LinkedIn In Your Job Search’ online training program, which normally sells for $49 itself, but I’m going to offer it to you for free if you take action and book with me today.”
It engages the prospect's sense of FOMO -- "FEAR OF MISSING OUT." Let them know that this is a fast-action taker bonus -- it's only available if they book their appointment today.
You can also use this tactic for products and services that you sell on your website. This can be a box or a blurb or maybe even a pop-up that you put on your actual website.
For example, it could say, “If you purchase a one-hour job interview coaching session, you’re going to receive a free e-book: '55 Ways To Answer Job Interview Questions,'” for example. “If you reserve your coaching session by,” — again, a specific date. So it might be, “If you reserve your first coaching date by Nov. 30, then you’ll get this free e-book.”
So, some examples of these types of low-cost bonuses might include an e-book or a digital special report, or a checklist; it could be a workbook, or maybe a tip sheet that you prepare for them; it can be recordings and/or transcripts of teleseminars that you’ve done — and those are tremendous, high-value, low-cost bonuses for you to offer; or it might be a strategy session. So if a client makes a high-dollar purchase — like a resume and cover letter package — you might offer them, let’s say, a 15-minute strategy session for coaching services or a LinkedIn consultation. And this helps not only give that bonus that we talked about, but it can also give prospects that “try before you buy” sample of what it would be like to work with you on, for example, your coaching services or to write their LinkedIn profile.
Many of these things are tools that are definitely easy for us to put together as resume writers -- and won't take a lot of time to create -- but they have high perceived value for jobseekers because they don’t have that information at their fingertips. We sometimes undervalue what we have to offer when it comes to information.
And again, it’s one of those things that you can create once and then use over and over again, not just with those prospective clients but with your existing clients too. Like I said, just offering a bonus of some sort can help increase your sales. But again, that extra kicker for it is putting a time limit on it, so it makes it even more powerful. So that’s strategy number one.
And when you combine that bonus with a deadline, you’re making the strategy even more powerful, and that’s because, like I said, a sense of urgency can help get people to make that commitment. I mentioned infomercials, but this does not have to be a high-pressure sales tactic. I don’t want you to sound like that guy on the infomercials that says, “Call right now. If you’re one of the first 10 callers you’re going to get a second slice/dice/blender sort of thing.” So it doesn’t have to be a high-pressure sales tactic.
Instead, you could say something to your prospect like, “I’m offering a special bonus for new clients who decide to take action today. So if you order my deluxe resume and cover letter package, I’ll also enroll you in our eight-day ‘Leveraging LinkedIn In Your Job Search’ online training program, which normally sells for $49 itself, but I’m going to offer it to you for free if you take action and book with me today.”
It engages the prospect's sense of FOMO -- "FEAR OF MISSING OUT." Let them know that this is a fast-action taker bonus -- it's only available if they book their appointment today.
You can also use this tactic for products and services that you sell on your website. This can be a box or a blurb or maybe even a pop-up that you put on your actual website.
For example, it could say, “If you purchase a one-hour job interview coaching session, you’re going to receive a free e-book: '55 Ways To Answer Job Interview Questions,'” for example. “If you reserve your coaching session by,” — again, a specific date. So it might be, “If you reserve your first coaching date by Nov. 30, then you’ll get this free e-book.”
So, some examples of these types of low-cost bonuses might include an e-book or a digital special report, or a checklist; it could be a workbook, or maybe a tip sheet that you prepare for them; it can be recordings and/or transcripts of teleseminars that you’ve done — and those are tremendous, high-value, low-cost bonuses for you to offer; or it might be a strategy session. So if a client makes a high-dollar purchase — like a resume and cover letter package — you might offer them, let’s say, a 15-minute strategy session for coaching services or a LinkedIn consultation. And this helps not only give that bonus that we talked about, but it can also give prospects that “try before you buy” sample of what it would be like to work with you on, for example, your coaching services or to write their LinkedIn profile.
Many of these things are tools that are definitely easy for us to put together as resume writers -- and won't take a lot of time to create -- but they have high perceived value for jobseekers because they don’t have that information at their fingertips. We sometimes undervalue what we have to offer when it comes to information.
And again, it’s one of those things that you can create once and then use over and over again, not just with those prospective clients but with your existing clients too. Like I said, just offering a bonus of some sort can help increase your sales. But again, that extra kicker for it is putting a time limit on it, so it makes it even more powerful. So that’s strategy number one.
Interested in this strategy? Want to learn more? Check this out.