Be a Servant Leader

One of the biggest mistakes new resume writers make is that they do a GREAT job with sharing content, information and resources when they start their business -- but as they get busier, that's the part of their to-do list that gets moved down to the bottom.

Content helps establish you as a thought leader and resource -- a "servant leader" in the careers space. If you don't establish yourself as an authority figure, no one is going to pay attention to you and you'll just be another resume writer that does what everyone else is doing. Originality is key to rising above others in the career services industry.

You have to keep some things in mind when figuring out how to serve your audience best. First, brand yourself in memorable ways. That means creating a name that will pop in your audience's head and stay there, including the headshot or logo that you use on all of your sites and products.

When visitors see that image, they will automatically know it's you. You have to be willing to put yourself out there -- no matter how critical you are of yourself -- your age, your teeth, your size -- no one cares. What they want is information.

Be original. Come up with unique angles to market your resume writing services. It doesn't have to be difficult.

It can be something as simple as sharing your day-to-day life with others so they can better relate to you. And it doesn't have to be extraordinary. I've mentioned this before, but one of the best things you can do as a resume writer is talk about the work you do with clients on Facebook -- WITHOUT using client names (or too much identifying information).

Be knowledgeable. Becoming an authority in the career services space is actually the best way to serve your audience. Make it a point to learn more than the average resume writer in your niche knows and solve problems and find solutions for your audience.

Get deep into your topic. Give yourself a thorough education in it. Read, take courses, pursue certification -- become the leader they need you to be.

Put yourself out there. Social media, blogs, forums and related sites are all good ways to make yourself known. And, make sure you don't just make an arbitrary comment like "me too."

Give advice, value, opinions and insights when you speak and people will listen and remember you. Don't be scared to stand out from the crowd. To blend in is what will make you mediocre.

Publish on Amazon. If you can put together an eBook for Kindle, it will boost your authority tenfold.

Avoid spamming at all cost, but make sure you release content or products on a regular basis. It takes time, planning and lots of research and forethought -- but if you really want to be the best, it will make a ton of difference because the smalltime players get paralyzed and lack consistency.

(Having a hard time coming up with content? Check out my Pass-Along Materials content.)

Do You Have a Kindle? Use It To Learn

If you have a Kindle, have you heard about the Kindle Owners' Lending Library (KOLL)?

If you have an Amazon Prime membership, one of the benefits of membership is that you can take advantage of the KOLL – allowing you to borrow one book a month from over 500,000 available titles.

Better than a public library because of the sheer volume of books available, you can use the KOLL to learn. Study resume writing techniques, borrow business books, read biographies of successful business owners.

Not an Amazon Prime member? Try the Kindle Owners' Lending Library for free as part of a 30-day free trial of Amazon Prime. Use my affiliate link to give it a try:

Leave me a comment below and let me know what book you borrowed first through the Kindle Owners' Lending Library!

Review: "How to Succeed as a Small Business Owner...And Still Have a Life"

"How to Succeed as a Small Business Owner...and Still Have a Life" is a very honest book on how to get the most out of your business. It is a small business owner's manual written by Bill Collier, whose company went through lots of trials and tribulations. With lots of hard, dedicated work, he finally reached business success.

In his book, the author covers topics such as: putting your business on "auto-pilot," setting ambitious goals and achieve them, developing business plans, delegating effectively, attracting the right employees, and much more.

In my opinion, this book is for anybody who already owns their own business, but feels that they are getting nowhere. Everyday business life seems to be all about long, long hours, cutting into their private life with no visible results. The only way out, according to Bill Collier, is by changing certain principles, which he describes in his book. Principles that have helped him to move on and create the successful business he has.

Overall, if you are feel like your resume writing business has become "stuck," then "How to Succeed as a Small Business Owner...and Still Have a Life" is a very valuable resource to own and read.

Using Amazon Affiliates to Generate Additional Income

A few weeks ago, I put together a five-part series on affiliate marketing for resume writers. Another source of affiliate income is with Amazon Affiliates.

I suggest you set up an account with Amazon Affiliates and build a “Recommended Resources” page on your website, featuring links to books that you’re featured in, that you’ve written, and/or that you’d recommend to clients. While this isn’t a large income source, you are doing clients a favor by offering your recommendations, and any sales you make are gravy. 

You can also use your Amazon Affiliates link to include book links and graphics in your blog posts, especially if you use Blogger. I’ve found my top two book recommendations that have led to sales are Jason Alba’s book, “I’m on LinkedIn, Now What?” and “Career Distinction,” Kirsten Dixson and William Arruda’s book on personal and career branding. 

I also used to sell a couple of copies of “The Insider’s Guide to the World of Pharmaceutical Sales,” but that hasn’t been published in a few years. 

If you have a blog geared to job seekers, I’d recommend doing regular book reviews — review books you’ve read and then include links to your Amazon Affiliate site. 

You can also excerpt your reviews on the book’s page on Amazon directly, which will help increase your “Digital Distinction” rating — and if you don’t know that that is, you should read Career Distinction.

Getting E-Book Ideas from Amazon (Second in Three-Part Series)

This is the second in a three-part series of blog posts designed to help you get ideas for e-books to supplement your income as a resume writer. The first post in the series focused on Google.

Next up: Amazon.com

From the world's largest search engine we move to the world's largest bookstore.  At Amazon.com you'll really get your creative juices fired up.

Again, you'll want to search the listings by entering a keyword or keyphrase into the search box on the main page at Amazon.com.

You'll get a returned listing of numerous books, courses and other periodicals. Search these listed items for ideas for your own ebook.

--- Example ---

If you were to search for "Job Interview," you'd find a variety of ideas just waiting in the listing of books 

available, including: an ebook with common interview questions & answers, how to research an employer before a job interview, preparing for an interview using LinkedIn, creating a portfolio to use in a job interview, preparing for a virtual job interview (Skype, by phone, etc.), and avoiding the most common job interview mistakes.

Any of these ideas (and the dozens of others listed) would be great ideas for the topic of your next ebook.

Pay particular attention to the first page of the listing.  Amazon ranks their listings based on popularity of actual sales volume.  In other words, #1 is a better seller than #50.  This is a ready-made indicator of demand!

This is book #1: Acing the Interview: How to Ask and Answer the Questions That Will Get You the Job by Tony Beshara (Paperback - Jan 23, 2008)

This is book #49: Everything Job Interview Book: All you need to make a great first impression and land the perfect job (Everything Series) by Joy Darlington and Nancy Schuman (Paperback - Jul 1, 2008)

----------------

Jimmy D. Brown is the author of, "5 Keys To A Big-Profit, 

S.M.A.L.L. Reports Business."  To download your free copy, 

visit http://www.SmallReportsFortune.com.

-------------------