Nine Ways to Show Your Resume Clients That You Care

Is customer service dead? It sometimes seems that way, doesn't it? Some businesses don't seem to appreciate that they wouldn't exist without their customers. But for most resume writers, I find that customer service comes first. If this is your mindset, here are nine ways to show your customers that you care.

1. Loyalty Discounts. You often see new customer discounts, but what about giving your long-term customers a loyalty discount? It drives me crazy when my cable company offers new customers an introductory rate that is 1/5 of what I'm paying, and I've been a loyal customer for YEARS! So consider offering existing customers a special offer when you roll out a new service or information product. And make sure you position it as a loyalty discount. ("Because you are a valued customer of ABC Resumes, I'm giving you my best discount on my new LinkedIn Check-up. New customers will pay $99 for this comprehensive profile analysis and development of a targeted Headline, but because you're already a customer, you get it for just $59.")

2. Thank You Notes. Writing thank you notes seems to have gone out of vogue, but you'd be shocked at how much a nice handwritten note will mean to your customers. You will stand out to them and next time they need their resume updated, they'll think of that note.

3. Remembering Special Days. If you've collected information on your customers such as birthdays, anniversaries or other special days, drop them a card in the mail. It's also a good time to give them a birthday discount. You can also give them an anniversary discount each year (on the anniversary of the day they started working with you!) This ties into tip #1 too.

4. Referral Rewards. Your happy customers will likely tell others about you anyway, but why not encourage the process by offering referral rewards. You can offer a percent off future services or a free gift; it's up to you. Some resume writers offer a Starbucks gift card or Amazon gift certificate. Or you could gift them a free copy of one of your ebooks. All will be appreciated.

5. Prompt Service. Another way to make your customers feel cared for is to offer very prompt service. Treat their work as if it's your sole priority and get it done on time or early. They will notice how you treat them.

6. Going the Extra Mile. You've heard the saying to "under promise and over deliver" before, but it cannot be said enough. If you can go the extra mile for your loyal customers, they will notice. Even if it's just something really small, they'll notice and feel cared for.

7. Ask for Feedback. People love giving their opinions about things. But, often they will not do it if they're not asked. At least quarterly, send your customers a survey to ask them how you're doing and how you can do better. But don't ask for feedback about things you're not able to implement. (Don't ask them if they want access to workshops or teleseminars if you hate to speak, for example!)

8. Be a Resource. Sometimes we can't be all things to all our clients. Perhaps they need something we cannot deliver. Therefore instead of just saying no, say yes by recommending someone who can give your client what they need. When you become a resource to your clients, they'll become loyal to you because they know you care about more than the almighty dollar.

9. Give Extra Value. Speaking of resources, jobseekers crave information. Be an information resource for your clients. Provide them with ebooks, special reports, teleseminars/webinars and other content. (This is easy to do using Pass-Along Materials that you can publish "as-is" with your name on it!)

People have so many other options available to them today that they really don't have to patronize your resume writing business. Remember that customers can and will go elsewhere if they are not happy. It costs a lot more money to find a new customer than to keep one. Therefore, you should go out of your way to keep good customers happy by showing them that you care.

Finding Your Focus as a Resume Writer

One of the major keys to success for any business owner is the ability to become laser focused on a specific audience, developing solutions for them, and building expert status. But, how do you find that place where you want to put all your focus as a resume writer? How do you determine where you want your focus to be?

Be Mindful of Dissatisfaction Cues
If you get a nagging feeling in the back of your mind that you're not happy with where you are going, pay attention to it. It's not healthy to go through life pretending to be happy when you're not. The trick is to figure out why you're not happy, then work toward changing those circumstances. Perhaps you're working with executives because that's where the money is, but you prefer working with moms returning to the workforce (but are having a hard time charging them what you need to, because you want to help them make the successful transition back to work). Pay attention to that feeling and find a way to bring that excitement to your business. You might not be able to charge returning-to-the-workplace moms $900 for a resume, but you could offer a group coaching program with a do-it-yourself component for $297 for participants, and if you have 2-5 attendees for each session, you're making money! (Plus, it's a program you can deliver over and over again!)

Determine Where Your Gifts Lie
What are you good at doing? Maybe you like writing resumes, but you hate the sales part of it. Consider being a dedicated resume sub-contractor! You write the resumes while your contracting writer sells the packages and services the client. It's important for you to figure out how your gifts align with a business that you'll love. 

Write down your skills (whether you have fun doing them or not), then write down the things you're passionate about. Give it a few days to consider how these things can relate together.

Be honest with yourself about what you really will love doing, compared to what you've been told you will make money at. Making money is essential to your life, of course, but money will not cure misery if what you're doing doesn't bring you happiness too.

Talk to Someone
It can be helpful to find someone to talk to about what kind of resume writing business you want to start before doing it. A business life coach can be very helpful in weeding through all the questions and getting to the right answers for you. However, don't employ a life coach if you're not willing to think outside yourself, and let go of fears. A life coach can only guide you; you're the one who is going to be doing all the hard work. If you're not ready for hard work, the coaching will not be successful.

There is no reason why your passion cannot also be a way to make money. You just have to figure out how to do it. Be creative, think outside the box, and before you know it, your business will fill your bank with money and your heart with joy. If your business is aligned with your values, and offers you the ability to do things that you're good at and enjoy, you will be successful.

Even if you can't go all the way as in the example above, perhaps you can focus your business in some way. The sky is only the limit if your imagination ends there.

Make Money Publishing Your Own Book

This month's special report in the BeAResumeWriter.com membership site is on self-publishing. So I thought I'd also blog about it today!

Everyone who publishes will not make a lot of money, regardless if they self-publish or choose the traditional publishing route. It's just a fact of life. About two percent of all books published, regardless of method, become "best sellers." But your book or information product doesn't have to be a "best seller" to make a decent amount of money. If you could make $100 a week, or $500 a week from self-publishing, wouldn't that add up over time! Even $100 a week is an extra $5,000 a year!

This type of income is possible if you follow the proper steps.

Create Your Information Product — The first step, of course, is to create your information product. What problems does your target audience of jobseekers need to solve? Research and brainstorm the topic, create an outline, write it, or have it written by a ghostwriter. It's always helpful if you can back up your information with quotes from professionals, case studies, and proof that your solution works.

Proofread and Edit Your Information Product — After you think you're done with your information product, let some other people look at it to proofread and edit it. It is still up to you to accept the critique or not, but it's always a good idea to let others see the product before you launch it. Does it flow well? Is the sentence structure readable? Does the grammar make sense? Are there any common misspellings or misuse of punctuation? You are too close to the product to do this yourself if you wrote it. Let someone else do this part.

Format Your Information Product Well — How your product is formatted depends on how you plan to distribute it. Are you going to sell it via Kindle, PDF, in print, or another method, or all of the above? If so, you'll need special formatting for each case. Formatting is essential for reader enjoyment and even lends to understanding of your concept. Don't hold back on on this area because it is an essential element to create a successful information product.

Create an Awesome Book Cover — If you're not a designer, please hire one. (I recommend Vikiana on Fiverr.com) Your book cover and your title are the two most important aspects of your information product to get someone to buy it. Yes, the inside content needs to be awesome too, but the inside can be a work of art never seen by anyone if book cover is not professional and the title doesn't speak to your target audience. 

Don't Skimp on Marketing — Some people who claim that information products didn't earn them any money didn't finish. They didn't market. Marketing should start before the official launch of each new information product that you publish. Marketing is an ongoing process that will garner you sells anytime you want them, if you keep doing it. Establishing and maintaining relationships with your target audience is an essential component of business success, including publishing. Don't be fooled into thinking once the book is published you're done, you're only just beginning!

If you want to make big money with information products, follow these tips and you'll find that you will enjoy the kind of success that you always wanted. People are hungry for information and answers to their problems. You have the answers, and the means to get the answers to them right at your fingertips.

Why a Niche Can Help You Sell More Information Products

Before you begin selling information products online, you want to make sure you’re targeting a niche that will be profitable for you in the short and long-term. A niche is just a fancy term for your "target audience."

Some niches, as you’ll discover, aren’t as profitable as others. You need to look at your audience and see if they’re willing (and able) to spend money for the solutions they’re seeking.

For instance, executives are often willing to invest significant sums in their career development tools, like LinkedIn, or their resume. Many of them also understand the value of having third parties advise them in matters of personal advancement and career.

But another niche, such as new college graduates, might not be willing to pay $67 for an information product showing them how to get their first job. Sometimes it depends on the solution itself. Targeting this same niche of college students, you may find that their parents are willing to make an investment in their kids, paying $197 for them to take a three-session program on finding a job.

One good place to find your niche is with online groups and forums. LinkedIn is a great place to conduct research. Search their Groups offerings and find a couple that target the niche you're interested in.

You’re not just looking for a broad group of people to cater to – you’re looking for those with a lot of problems. When you start creating your information products, you’ll want to build an empire of products that all focus on the same niche, allowing you to market to existing, loyal customers who buy from you time and time again.

Sometimes, you’ll find one large niche and then realize you need to build your information product line around a more targeted, narrow niche of people. For instance, take college students. Instead of targeting all college students, pick one major -- for example, engineering students. You can help them with creating a resume for an internship, landing an internship, creating their online presence (and online reputation management), networking their way to their first real job, and negotiating their first salary.

Just remember that an information product is not really a product at all — it’s a solution, so it needs to be marketed as something that will improve lives. You're not teaching them how to get an internship — you're giving them skills to land their first paying, productive job.