Are You Spreading Yourself Too Thin?

For resume writers, this is probably a blog post I should have written in January ... or May ... or even a few months from now, in September. Summer tends to be a bit slower time for resume writers. But while you have some time right now, you can implement some of the tools I mention below ... that way, when the normal "hectic" time comes around again, you'll be ready.

Sometimes the signs that you're doing too much are subtle. Other times there is absolutely no doubt in your mind that you have too much on your plate. Here are a few signs that you're spreading yourself too thin:

• Insomnia — you go to bed and can't get tomorrow's to-do list off of your mind
• Fear and doubt — fears and doubts start sneaking in. You doubt your skills, direction, and purpose.
• Moody — you feel tired, irritable, and frustrated. You may find yourself snapping at your children or family members and then of course feeling guilty about it. 
• Exhausted — everyone gets exhausted from time to time. However, the exhaustion that comes from being overwhelmed doesn't "go away."
• Family members — when your family members start acting out or complaining that they don't see enough of you, then you know you've tipped the scales of balance in the wrong direction. 
• Negative thoughts — when you start thinking, "I'm doing too much," "I can't do this anymore," "I'll never get this done," or "I'm not going to make it," then you're likely spreading yourself too thin.

What Can You Do about It?
Spreading yourself too thin isn't all doom and gloom. It is a very useful sign that things need to change for you. And sitting down and assessing what isn't working is a great way to improve and grow — both professionally and personally. Truth be told, spreading yourself a bit thin can also be invigorating and fun — it's certainly better than being bored.

However, to be productive and to get where you want your resume writing business to be, it's important to regularly assess if your energy is being put into the most productive tasks. For example, if you spend an hour filing and shredding every day, that isn't productive. You ideally want to spend your time on high priority tasks — tasks that make you money — like writing and client consultations.

Tools to Overcome Overwhelm
When you feel overwhelmed or that you're spreading yourself too thin, there are some very effective solutions.

1. Create a schedule. Schedule your day. Put your high priority tasks first. Schedule time with your family and friends. And schedule downtime for yourself. If you cannot take care of yourself, then you can't take care of everyone else.
2. Create a business plan. If you don't have a business plan for your resume writing business, create one. If you do have one, then use it. Set aside time each week, or month, and review where you are and where you want to be. Use your plan to help you stay on track. 
3. Outsource. You don't have to do it all yourself, and — to be honest — you probably shouldn't. Outsource those tasks that you dislike, that take you tons of valuable time or that don't make it to your top priority list. These tasks can include personal tasks like house cleaning or business tasks like social networking. You decide what gets taken off of your "to do" list. (There are an increasing number of resume writers who are using the services of a virtual assistant — like Christine Edick, who calls herself a "Careers Industry Support Specialist".)

Finally, be confident in your decisions and use the word "No" whenever you need to. Don't be afraid to turn down opportunities, requests, and other things that take up time (time that you don't want to spend). This is your life. You're the boss of it and your business — take back your time and regain control!

And if you're looking for ways to improve your efficiency in the actual resume writing process, check out "Write Great Resumes Faster."

The Importance of Prioritizing Projects

When you own your own resume writing business, there will always be a million and one things you can do with your time. Many of these things could seem important today, but -- in retrospect -- won't seem that important after all. Learning to prioritize projects -- and only spending time on things that will have an impact on either your resume clients or your bottom line -- is a crucial skills.

The Key Question
The key question you should ask yourself is this: "How will this project impact my resume writing busines in six months?"

There are many projects that could seem important today, but really won't have much of an impact on your business in the long run. For example, trying to chase down one particular sale probably isn't going to make a long term impact.

On the other hand, there are projects that won't seem to make much impact now, but could have a profound impact on your resume writing business in the future.

For example, setting up an autoresponder system and a rock solid followup system probably won't pay off in the beginning. It takes a ton of effort and the sales conversions won't justify the time spent right now.

However, you know that in order to get your business to where it needs to be eventually, you need a followup system. In this case, it absolutely makes sense to build this system today.

There are always going to be projects that seem urgent. There are always going to be problems that need to be solved "right now."

The challenge for a great prioritizer is knowing when to put these fires on the back burner and instead focus on opportunity. If you can't do this, it'll be very tough to grow.

Prioritize Leverage Projects
Projects that help you achieve other projects better should be prioritized. These include projects that improve internal systems so you can get more done, educational systems so you can help jobseekers be more effective in their job search, and purchasing new equipment.

These rules of thumb will help you prioritize projects so do what'll really help take your resume writing business to the next level.

Content is the Key to Making More Affiliate Sales

Want to earn passive income with affiliate income? One of the keys to increasing your affiliate click-throughs (and purchases!) is through content. Content provides credibility. It gives your visitors the value and information they are looking for online. Some types of content also help put people in a buying mood. And, of course, content is the key to driving traffic to your website. If you have affiliate links on your resume website, more traffic brings with it the potential for more affiliate sales.

So what type of content works best?

Reviews
Some content puts people in a buying mood. And to be fair, when people seek product information and reviews online, they are already looking to make a purchase. Reviews are one of the most powerful ways to promote affiliate products or service -- simply because they help provide that potential buyer with the information, and the link, to make a purchase.

When writing a review be sure to present an unbiased opinion. A prospect won't trust a review that is all good. Be sure to point out any downsides to the product or service. You can then counter it with a positive statement. Consider reviewing features, prices, and any personal experience you have with the product or service.

Be sure to include a link or two to the product sales page so you can earn your commission.

Free Downloads
The most common type of free downloads are reports and ebooks. You can create these yourself or use Pass-Along Materials. Reports and ebooks offer a tremendous amount of value to the reader because they offer more information and benefit than a simple article.

When relevant, you can include affiliate links in your ebook or report. You can also include them again in an appendix dedicated to resources. However, make sure to not go overboard with the affiliate links. Use them only when relevant and appropriate.

In addition to reports and ebooks, consider giving away other downloads. For example, printable checklists or calendars, useful resource lists, blueprints and other easy to use and informative resources.

Email Marketing
Hopefully, you are collecting email addresses and building an opt-in mailing list. This list may be your single biggest commission-generating resource. Each person that signs up for your list is a qualified prospect. They are interested in the information you have and the products and services you represent.

If you don't have a growing opt-in list, spend some time creating your opt-in strategy. This often includes a giveaway with the sign-up. (Once again, you can use Pass-Along Materials for this purpose.) Once you're collecting email addresses, don't wait for a magic number -- even if you only have 15 or 20 people on your list. Start sending them informative messages right away. You can include an occasional affiliate link, or two, when relevant to the information you are presenting.

Test and track the methods that generate the most affiliate sales, and focus on building and growing those tactics. Affiliate marketing commissions will almost certainly increase as you provide more content.

If you want to learn more about how to earn passive income using affiliate marketing, check out the recording and transcript of "Building Affiliate Relationships to Grow Your Resume Business." (Just $5.)

Teleseminar Basics for Resume Writers

As I mentioned in this month's call, "Teleseminars on Teleseminars: How Resume Writers Can Use Teleseminars for Promotion and Profit" these types of calls are a great way to build trust with an audience, make sales, and facilitate two-way communication.

Before launching your first teleseminar, you need to make sure you're prepared from both a presentation perspective and a technical perspective. Here's a brief checklist to help you do that.

Make Sure Your Line Can Handle the Volume

If you have over 100 guests, make sure you check your teleseminar provider to see if your line can handle the volume. The kinds of providers you need for a teleseminar with 100 people, 1,000 people and 10,000 people are very different services with different technical requirements.

Prepare the First 60 Seconds
The first 60 seconds of the teleseminar is the most important! This is when people will decide either to leave the teleseminar or to stay on. In the first 60 seconds, clearly spell out what's going to be covered and what they'll get by listening to the call. Practice your first 60 seconds several times before the call.

Invitation & Follow-Up Schedule
At a bare minimum, every teleseminar should have one invitation and one follow-up email before the actual call. You will want to carefully plan out your sales process around the call and you use several emails to "sell" prospective attendees on coming onto the teleseminar.

Make sure to plan out the whole process before you start promoting the teleseminar.

Get Familiar with the Technology
Whether you are doing a teleseminar or webinar, you'll want to familiarize yourself with the technology before you do a live call. This is especially important with webinar software, because it can be tricky. Try running a test seminar with just yourself and a test computer beforehand. Learn how to switch between screencasts and presentation tools. Learn how to mute and unmute visitors and how to take questions. You don't want to be trying to figure these things out while on a live call.

Test Your Recording Devices
If you want your call recorded, make sure you test that as well. Most teleseminar services offer recording as part of the service, but I also recommend a second recording as a backup. I use Audio Acrobat to record my teleseminars, because it allows me to provide the recording in numerous formats, including downloadable MP3s as well as streaming audio on my website.

Prep for Most Common Questions
Before the teleseminar begins, try to predict what kind of questions people will ask you. You can do this by going through past emails prospective or current clients have sent you or by browsing related forums on the Internet.

By having an idea of what to expect before going into the seminar, you'll be able to answer questions in a more informative, authoritative way. You'll also be able to research any questions that you might have trouble with.

These are some of the most important things to cover before you launch a teleseminar. Make sure your line can handle the volume, check your recording equipment, test the software, prepare your first 60 seconds, have a solid invitation and follow-up system, and prep your Q&A beforehand.

For more information on using teleseminars to get more clients for your career services business, purchase the "Teleseminar on Teleseminars: How Resume Writers Can Use Teleseminars for Promotion and Profit" -- just $5 for the MP3 and transcript.