Option Paralysis

I'm re-reading a great book, "What Clients Love: A Field Guide To Growing Your Business," by Harry Beckwith (who is probably best known for his first book, "Selling the Invisible.")

On page 47, he talks about "Option Overload":

"Knowing they cannot know and understand all their options, they increasingly choose the most trustworthy and seemingly competent person -- or choose no one at all."

He adds, "Today's clients cannot chose among services and products -- they cannot gather all the information. So they choose among people."

Researchers at Stanford University found that we suffer from "option paralysis" with even simple products. Faced with a few varieties of jams and jellies to choose from, most people will buy at least one jar. When given more options, however, they usually leave empty-handed."

How does this apply to your resume writing service? One popular pricing method throughout the years has been to offer clients "levels" of service -- usually bronze, silver, and gold packages. But offering clients too many choices may keep them from deciding at all.

You might consider offering:

• Resume Only (digital files)
• Resume and Cover Letter (digital files)
• Resume Only (with laserprints and CD)
  
• Resume and Cover Letter (with laserprints and CD)

But go too much beyond those four options, and you're likely to induce "option paralysis." Just something to consider...

Pricing Strategies

Wondering about your payment policies? Here are my thoughts on the subject.

Most payment policies are actually more about pricing and branding. If you are targeting an audience that needs your services, and (collectively) can afford your services (i.e., your target market is not homeless veterans, and you charge $250 for a resume), your pricing and payment issues should not be as much of an issue as it apparently is for some resume writers.

For clients, it comes down to "trust, but verify." If I'm paying you $500 for a resume, how do I know that I'll get my money's worth? If I pay you 100% up front, I'm taking a leap of faith that I'll get what I'm promised. If I put down a deposit ($50 or 50% or more), we both have something invested in the process, but there's still a finalization process. If you don't collect anything up front, the resume writer takes on the risk of not getting paid. So there's a balance.

How do you alleviate your prospect's concerns? Relationship building is a key part of the process of turning a prospect into a client. (But remember, not every prospect will become a client -- nor should you want all of them!) Create a comfort level with prospects through testimonials, articles, samples on your site, success stories, e-mail newsletters, and certifications.

Allow clients to pre-qualify themselves -- if you don't do $45 resumes, put a range of prices on your site or in your materials so they won't waste their time -- or yours! Your clients should not be surprised when you finally quote a price -- they should have a general idea based on your marketing and positioning of your services. Don't spend 1/2 an hour on the phone talking with someone who doesn't have the ability to pay anywhere near what you charge. At least make sure they're in the ballpark before you make your "pitch," so to speak.

Pricing and payment policies are very much tied into your overall branding and positioning statements. I did marketing for a travel agency for four years. We sold cruises by Carnival ($199/day per person) and those by Crystal Cruises ($599/day per person). We didn't market all our cruises the same way to buyers. Domain names are cheap, and so are websites -- use different websites to target different kinds of clients so you build your credibility with the specific type of audience you're pursuing. We did websites (or specific web pages) just for brides, just for couples without kids, and promoting cruises for those who wanted to put together a group to go with friends, You can also provide specific links to different resources that tie into the target audience.

No matter *how* you handle your payment policies, it should be something that YOU are comfortable with, because if you don't believe in it, your prospective clients aren't going to buy into it. How you phrase things can have an impact, so develop a script that you can refer to during the prospect call.

Communication is the key to happy clients. Communicate what the terms and expectations are up front, so that there are no surprises. This should all be in your Client Service Agreement.

The $45 Resume

I had another call today from someone looking for a "cheap resume."

"I need you to help me with a one page resume," the voice mail message said, "And I just need you to type the information. I listed my jobs as a colorist, beautician's aid, and also my experience in art promotion and music promotion. How much do you charge?"

By the time I called her back, she had arranged for another "service" in town to create the resume, for $45. "Just so I know," she said, "How much do you charge?"

I won't even get into the discussion where I asked her, not in so many words, about "what she wanted to be when she grew up." ("Because you do have a diverse background," I explained, "it's important to target the resume towards the type of position you're seeking.")

"But how much would it cost?" is all she wanted to know. Sigh. That's all right -- I don't want -- or need -- every client who calls. Some of them don't make the correlation between investing in themselves as part of their job search, and the return on investment they'll get from a faster job search and higher starting offer, as a result of demonstrating their value to a prospective employer.

It reminded me of another client, and the e-mail response I sent back after being told, "You charge too much."

Here's what I wrote:
I'm glad you found someone to assist you with your resume update!

As you might imagine, with more than 4,000 resume writers nationwide, fees vary considerably. In fact, I've done quite a bit of research on this topic as the editor of a trade journal for resume writers. While it's true you might find someone competent who will charge very little for their services, the majority of professional resume writers -- that is, individuals who do this for a living -- invest quite a bit of time and money in keeping abreast of the latest trends in resume writing (especially about things like keyword summaries for companies who use applicant tracking systems). The national average for a resume is $279 (and that was from Dec. 2004 research).

You'll also find a wide variety of credentials among professionals. As a member of four national professional resume writing associations, and as a Certified Professional Resume Writer with a bachelor's degree in journalism and public relations, I have more than 12 years of experience writing interview-winning resumes. My clients rely on my expertise to get them an interview in a highly competitive job market. I had a client recently who paid around $200 for his new resume and cover letter -- but he landed six interviews from 10 resumes he sent out, and ended up accepting a new position that will pay him $25,000 more than his current position, with the potential for $15,000 more in bonus. In essence, his $200 investment landed him a 30% raise. His situation isn't typical, but many of my clients have landed more modest increases -- along the lines of $8,000-$10,000 -- through development of an accomplishment-focused resume that helps them not only get the interview, but help the interviewer establish the areas of value that he/she can bring to the company -- by saving money, saving time, attracting new clients, etc.

I share this information with you not to impress upon you the results I've achieved with my clients, but to let you know that your investment in your career can make a big difference over time. Finding a job faster (being out of work for a shorter period of time), being able to quantify why you're worth a $3,000 higher salary than initially offered ... these are things that an effective resume can do for you. I hope that you are able to achieve the results that you are seeking from the service provider that you selected.

Good luck in your job search!

Bridget Brooks, CPRW
Certified Professional Resume Writer
Image Building Communications

It probably didn't make a bit of difference to that prospective client (I never heard anything back), but it sure made me feel better.

What's In Your Client Service Agreement?

Do you outline your agreement with your resume clients in writing? If you don't, you should. Manage your client's expectations and protect yourself legally by capturing your client's signature on a document outlining the work process.

You can take a look at my Work Authorization form here. Nona Pratz was also kind enough to share her Work Authorization in Resume Writers' Digest.

Your Client Service Agreement should not only outline what you charge, but when clients pay, how they pay (if they have to send a check and have it clear before you'll release the draft, let them know!), when the draft will be delivered, how many revisions are included, etc. Indemnify yourself against mechanical failures, acts of God, and the like. Remember, informed clients are happy clients