Finding It Hard to Stay Motivated?

I read on her Facebook page today that Kathy Sweeney started her resume business, The Write Resume, 25 years ago today. (Congratulations, Kathy!!) My resume writing business was founded in 1996 (15 years last year!). Longevity in the resume writing business isn't rare -- there are hundreds of resume writers who have been in business for more than 10 years -- .... but staying motivated can be a challenge.

In the beginning you were likely gung-ho about starting your resume writing business. Maybe some of that fire is starting to flicker out. (It can ebb and flow...) So, how can you stay motivated?

When times get tough, you may decide that you want to throw in the towel. Confronted by a PIA client (think: pain in your keister!) you might think to yourself, "Wouldn't it just be easier to go get a job?" After you've spent the last 14 hours writing resumes, handling client emails, doing all the financial paperwork and recordkeeping that goes along with keeping your business running, and squeezing in some marketing activities so the phone will ring tomorrow, you might be both physically and mentally tired.

Before you give it all up, however, consider a few ways that you can help yourself to regain your zest for running the business.

First, ask yourself a few questions:

• Why did you start the business in the first place? Don't underestimate the power of your memory. Were you working for someone else but wanting to be your own boss? If you don't want to return to that way of life, then donít give up when the chips are down. Was it because you had a desire to help others? (Most resume writers have a little "social worker" in us.) Who did you help today?

• How are things looking for other resume writers? It could be that everyone is having a slow season. Evaluate your growth compared to others in the careers industry. 

There are two things that can motivate you to keep going here:

One: Other resume writers are doing better than you are. A little friendly rivalry is healthy. You can opt to step up your game and learn from whatever others in the careers industry are doing to make financial gains where you are not. (For example, LinkedIn profile development writing is a growing area. Would learning some new skills and expanding the types of services you offer rejuvenate you?)

Two: If other resume writers are in the same boat, you can rise above the mediocrity. Remember what you started your resume business for. If you are going to make a living and reach your goals, keep the big picture in mind.

• What are your goals? Every resume writer has to remain focused in order to move forward. Your goals set the path along which you will travel. But, if your goals are non-existent, or they aren't strong enough to support your business, then it is time to re-evaluate and change them to become the appropriate platform to help you gain success.

Now that you have asked yourself some questions, here are a few suggestions to help you continue to push forward.

• Get sage advice. Consult a trusted advisor. The leaders of the professional resume writing associations can give you perspective. (Frank, Laura, Wendy, Louise, Maria.) They can help you to regain your focus and also set a new course for your business should you need that.

• Partner up! Reach out to another resume writer and team up to form a support group for each other! If you're stuck while writing a particularly difficult resume, you can reach out for inspiration. You can post encouraging notes on each other's Facebook walls. (Or use Facebook's "Poke" feature to let him or her know you're there for them.)

• Gain camaraderie on forums. Visit and become a participating part of professional association e-lists and online forums. You can find out tips to help you move forward in your business. Consider attending a conference offered by one of the major associations or taking online training.

• Get access to tools to make your work easier. Don't reinvent the wheel! I use an inspiration book to help me when I get stuck in writing. And you can use tools from BeAResumeWriter.com -- like each month's unique Pass-Along Materials to help your clients (and market your business).

It's natural that you're going to have times when you struggle in your careers industry business. Taking it one day at a time (hoping and planning that tomorrow will be better than today) can keep you going through the difficult times.

Considering an Alliance with a Recruiter or Other Referral Source?

Have you ever considered developing a formal relationship with a referral source -- a recruiter, headhunter, career coach, mental health therapist, even a Realtor® -- but didn't know where to start?

"Developing Strategic Alliances and Partnerships with Recruiters."

This information-packed report is designed to give you an in-depth guide to develop and structure these relationships -- from finding prospective referral partners to coming up with a compensation structure to things you should include in a Letter of Agreement or contract to ensure the relationship begins -- and ends -- the way it should.

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Here is an excerpt from the report:

Risk vs. Reward and the Role of Resources
The more risk you take on (i.e., investment in materials, free programs for the recruiting firm's clients), and the more resources you commit (developing custom forms and templates, meeting with clients at the recruiting firm's offices because that is more convenient for them), the greater the share of the project fee you should reap.

You might consider different fee-splitting percentages, depending on the arrangement:

• Seeing clients at your office vs. at the recruiter's office vs. virtually
• If you are collecting the fee vs. if they are soliciting the funds and then paying you (thus allowing them to "use" the money in the meantime).

If it's up to you to structure the agreement, write it in such a way that is favorable to you, and be prepared to negotiate the details, if necessary.

As a general guideline: The more resources you commit to the project, the greater your share of the project fee should be.

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I conducted interviews with resume writers who currently are in strategic alliances and/or partnerships with recruiters or headhunters and there are also five case studies in the report detailing their experiences. Report also includes Frequently-Asked Questions.

The "Developing Strategic Alliances and Partnerships with Recruiters" special report is just $27 and is available for immediate download.

The Numbers You Should Know

It's February....which means it's tax time. I'm slooooowwwwlyy working on my tax stuff for my accountant... and it reminded me of some important questions you should be able to answer about your resume writing business. If you don't know the answers to these questions, you should!!

1. What are your current annual and monthly net revenues (gross revenues – expenses)?
2. What are your net revenue goals and are you on track to meet them based on your current gross revenues and expenses?
3. What’s your current marketing budget?
4. What’s been your most successful marketing tactic based on Return On Investment (ROI = Gross sales revenues generated – time & money costs of implementation)?
5. What’s the average value of one new client or sale?
6. What’s the annual value of a client or customer (average value of one new client or sale X average # of annual sales per client or customer)?
7. How many sales, customers or clients do you need to meet your goals (gross revenue goal / total average sale)?

Social Media Sites Can Improve Your Website SEO

Photo used under Creative Commons from Victor1558

Yesterday, I offered a free special report for resume writers on using Pinterest ("Resume Writers' Guide to Pinterest"). Pinterest is just one of the social media sites (along with Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, among others) that can drive traffic to your resume website and/or blog.

It's no secret that search engine rankings are important -- many prospective resume clients start their search for a resume writer online.

Search engine optimization is necessary if you want to achieve any useful ranking that can impact your resume business in a positive way. It can take months and even as long as a year or more for websites to achieve the coveted spot on the first page (or even the first spot!) on a search engine. To speed up that process, you can take a look at social media to increase your visibility.

Google is now considering social media stats in their overall algorithm for website rankings. The good news is that many of us use social media anyway, so turning it for business won't be a stretch. You can use your knowledge and the keywords from your website to help you attract other social media members who are in your target market.

Here are a few tips to help you utilize social media to improve your SEO efforts.

• Join the social networks that matter -- There are several social media sites but the ones most used are Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Establish personal (if you haven't already) and business profiles on each of these sites. Within your profiles, incorporate the target keywords that you use on your site to attract visitors.

• Utilize every area of these sites -- Link updates on your website to posts that you make on these sites. Uploading a video to YouTube? Use keywords in the description and add a link to your site. "Like" pages that are similar to your niche market. 

• Join sites relevant to your target audience -- This is an old one but a good one. For instance, when you sign up for community forums (like a Group on LinkedIn), become an active member. Two-word comments, or posting to promote your site, can be viewed as spamming. You will gain more traffic from other members and influence in the community if you genuinely participate. 

• Follow other relevant blogs -- Make comments, offer to guest blog for influential bloggers in your niche (for example, if you are a resume writer who works with CFO candidates, find bloggers who write about business-to-business financial topics), and offer useful information.

The more engaging that you are on social media sites, the more you will rise to the top on the lists of others who also patronize those sites. This can elevate your status and increase traffic to your website. Also, communicating with your target market here can offer valuable insight for prospective clients, increasing your status as an expert for them when it comes time for them to conduct their job search.