The 5 W's of Client Accomplishments

When collecting client accomplishments, keep in mind the "5 Ws" -- principles most commonly associated with journalism.

The 5 W's are Who, What, When, Where, and Why.

You want to find out:

• Who does your client work with -- both within the company, and outside the company?
• What do they do? Initially, this is about finding out what their responsibilities are, but we need to take it further.
• When -- not in the context of time, but when would they be missed?
• Where -- again, not in the context of geography, but where do they have the biggest impact? Where are their accomplishments most noticed? By their colleagues? By their boss? By their customers?
• Why -- why does your client's specific contributions matter -- in this job, and for this company?

Interested in more strategies to gather client accomplishments? Check out "Write Great Resumes Faster."

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!

Resume Writers: Get Ready for the Biggest Corporate Layoff in U.S. History

I've seen this reported over the last few days from numerous sources -- IBM is poised for the biggest layoffs in company history. In fact, some are saying this will be a record-setting layoff among all U.S. corporations. IBM is expected to lay off more than 110,000 employees (or about 1/4 of its workforce):
http://www.itworld.com/article/2875112/ibm-is-about-to-get-hit-with-a-massive-reorg-and-layoffs.html

While many of these folks will be directed to company-paid outplacement firms, others will no doubt be seeking out the services of professional resume writers. (And, as the article surmises, even those who aren't laid off are likely to update their resumes and LinkedIn profiles in case this round isn't the last.) These aren't just IT professionals -- there will be folks in administration, marketing, operations, customer service, and finance too.

You may be contacted by media in your area looking to "localize" this issue, especially if there are IBM offices in nearby. (Google "IBM" and your city name and see if there is an office in your area. We have one in Omaha, for example.)

OR, if you are looking to generate media coverage for your resume writing services, today would be a great day to reach out to your nearby news media (especially TV) and offer yourself as a source to interview about what to do when you're laid off.

For example, you could call one of your local TV stations and ask for the assignment editor. Ask if they are planning on doing a local story on the impact of IBM's layoffs, expected to be the largest corporate layoff in U.S. history. Introduce yourself: "I'm (name), of (company name). I am reaching out to you to offer information and resources to help those among your (viewers/readers) who will be laid off, and their families. I can share information and advice that will help these folks, and it's applicable to any of your audience who have recently been laid off or fired."

If you are interested in reaching out to the media, I'm offering my teleseminar recording and transcript of "Feed the Media: How to Get Free Publicity for Your Resume Business" for free download until Feb. 1, 2015. It will help you prepare to be a media source. Click here to download it.

Want some resources to help clients if they are fired or laid off? Check out this Pass-Along Materials package: So You Got Fired! (Or You Think You're About to Get Fired)

Should I Discount My Resume Services?

There's been a lot of discussion recently about offering discounts for resume writers  -- especially for friends and family. But discounts might not be the best way to convert a prospect into a client.

Prospects who ask for discounts may be more likely to turn into PITA (Pain-in-the-A$$) clients. But even if they don't ask for discounts, sometimes resume writers may feel pressured to offer a discount to get the client to sign on.

I have a better idea.

Creating a sense of urgency — buy now! — is the single most important factor in turning résumé prospects into résumé clients. Ask any résumé writer: It’s critical to get a client to commit on the first call. The longer they wait, the slimmer your chance of getting them to open their wallet.

But you don't have to offer them for a discount to get them to sign on.

Here's a strategy I share in my special report, "Turning Browsers Into Buyers":

1. Offer Time-Sensitive Bonuses

How to use a low-cost, high-value bonus to clinch the sale.

Just offering a bonus is a great way to incentivize people to buy what you’re selling. But when you make the bonus time-sensitive, you increase the urgency. And that means increased sales!

Think about the infomercials you see on television. Many of them offer a “gift with purchase” — something extra when you make your purchase. Simply offering a special bonus — and it doesn’t have to be anything expensive — can increase your conversions. But when you combine that bonus with a deadline, you make this strategy even more powerful. That’s because a sense of urgency can help get people to commit.

This does not have to be a high-pressure sales tactic.

Examples:

·       “I’m offering a special bonus for new clients who decide to take action today. If you order the Deluxe Résumé and Cover Letter package, I’ll also enroll you in our ‘30 Days to Your Next Job’ Challenge, which is a $49 value, for free.”

·       Order your Résumé Rewrite package in the next 48 hours, and you’ll get a free 8-day “Leveraging LinkedIn In Your Job Search” training — a $49 value.

·       Buy the “Six Steps to a $6,000 Raise” and you’ll get a free 15-minute salary negotiation strategy session — but hurry, this special offer ends tomorrow!

You can also use this tactic for products and services you sell on your website. For example, “If you purchase a one-hour job interview coaching session, you’ll receive a free ebook, ‘55 Questions You Should Be Prepared to Answer in an Interview,’ — if you reserve your coaching session by May 31.”

Low-cost bonuses can include:

• Ebooks or digital special reports

• Workbooks or tip sheets

• Recordings and/or transcripts of teleseminars you’ve done

• 15-minute “strategy sessions” when the client makes a high dollar purchase. These can also be lead-ins to your coaching services or coaching packages, giving prospects a “try-before-you-buy” sample of what coaching can do for them.

Most of these are things that won’t take you a lot of time to create — but have a high perceived value for clients. Just offering a bonus can increase your sales — but putting a time limit on it makes it even more powerful.

So next time you're tempted to offer a discount, offer a bonus instead.

You can purchase the "Turning Browsers Into Buyers" special report for $27 here.