Preparing for My 11th Resume Writing Conference

I'm speaking (two breakout sessions!) at the 2015 NRWA Conference in Charlotte, and it got me thinking about how many conferences I've attended! (The answer is 10 so far! Charlotte will be #11.)

Here's an updated list of resume writing conferences (dating back as far as I could remember or tell). The ones I've attended I've listed in BOLD.

The National Resume Writers' Association (NRWA):
2015 - Charlotte, North Carolina
2014 - Denver, Colorado
2013 - Chicago, Illinois
2012 - Charleston, South Carolina
2011 - Portland, Maine
2010 - Fort Worth, Texas
2009 - Annapolis, Maryland
2008 - San Diego, California
2007 - Savannah, Georgia
2006 - Phoenix, Arizona
2005 - Stamford, Connecticut
2004 - Nashville, Tennessee
2003 - Seattle, Washington
2002 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2001 - San Antonio, Texas
2000 - Las Vegas, Nevada
1999 - New Orleans, Louisiana
1998 - Chicago, Illinois

Career Directors International:
2015 - Orlando, Florida
2014 - Orlando, Florida
2013 - ??
2012 - ??
2011 - Savannah, Georgia
2010 - San Diego, California
2009 - Orlando, Florida
2008 - Seattle, Washington
2007 - San Antonio, Texas
2006 - Orlando, Florida (PRWRA)
2005 - Las Vegas, Nevada (PRWRA)
2004 - Indianapolis, Indiana (PRWRA)
2003 - New Orleans (PRWRA)
2002 - Atlanta, Georgia (when the organization was still PRWRA)

Career Management Alliance (no longer in business as of August 2011):
2011 - Las Vegas, Nevada
2010 - New Orleans, Louisiana
2009 - San Antonio, Texas
2008 - Minneapolis, Minnesota
2007 - Louisville, Kentucky
2006 - ??
2005 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (when it was still Career Masters Institute)
2004 - Atlanta, Georgia (CMI)
2003 - Kansas City, Missouri (CMI)
2002 - San Diego, California (CMI)

Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches
(discontinued conferences in 2004?)
2004 - St. Pete Beach, Florida
2003 - Las Vegas, Nevada
2002 - Dallas, Texas
2001 - Tampa/St. Petersburg, Florida
2000 - Toronto, Canada
1999 - Colorado Springs, Colorado

Help! I'm Having Trouble Converting Prospects Into Clients

In today's blog post, I'll answer a resume writing colleague's question.

Question:

Lately, I've been noticing that prospective clients have been replying with "Thanks for the information. I will take your recommendations into consideration but I cannot afford to pay to have my resume done."

What is your take on this? It has been 3 clients in a row.

My Answer:

What is the normal conversion rate you're getting from clients after receiving the critique? (How many clients -- out of 10 -- normally engage your services after receiving the critique?) For example, my normal conversion rate is 1-out-of-3. For every three clients I talk to (in general), one becomes a client. Instead of looking just at the last 3 clients, then, how many prospects out of the last 10 have become clients? If the overall ratio is slipping, then further analysis is needed whether this is an economic trend or simply a blip.

Second, look at where the clients come from -- each client should be asked how they heard about the service as part of the "intake" -- before providing the critique results. This can also help with the analysis. If they were referred by a current client or another source vs. finding you online, I would expect the conversion ratio for those clients to be different. (Referred clients should have a higher close rate, obviously.)

Is there any education about "value" in the communication process with the client? Perhaps sending some sort of information in between when you receive the critique from the client and when you deliver the critique can be part of the education process. For example, I have a document called "The Jobseeker's Guide to Working With Your Resume Writer: 10 Simple Things To Help Me Help You." (It was the April 2014 Pass-Along Materials content for Bronze members). It helps "warm up" prospects to become clients -- giving them information on how we can work together most effectively.

Do you have a follow-up system for when prospects don't immediately become clients? As we talked about in the Get Clients Now! program, follow up is a critical consideration. Even something as simple as a follow-up email after they get the "I can't afford you" message that thanks them for their time, reiterates the issue that they came to you with ("not getting interviews" for example), and a desire to work with them in the future if something changes. And then maybe a recommendation for a do-it-yourself product, a lower cost service (for example, a resume revamp instead of a full resume re-write, an offer of a referral to a lower-priced service -- for which you would get a 15% referral fee from that writer, or a book recommendation (with affiliate links). 

I find that when clients say they "can't afford to pay," it's really that I haven't established enough value for the service I'm offering. Sometimes it's that I haven't communicated up front my "range" of service fees (i.e., "resumes starting at $250") so that clients know that it's not going to be a $99 service. Do you ask them their budget as part of the critique process? That might be useful... and certainly appropriate -- after all, you are providing a valuable service and have an expectation of receiving valuable information in return. Are you "qualifying" prospects appropriately before the critique is being offered? (That is, are they a good fit for you -- in services needed, pricing, turnaround time, their industry/job title, etc. -- before you take the time to offer the critique? Or are all prospective clients offered a critique?)

From an overall standpoint, the best way to increase closing rates is to generate leads from the "top" of the "Marketing Strategies for Professional Services" diagram on page 15 of the Get Clients Now! book. These prospects, as I mentioned in paragraph 2, are more likely to become clients because you've established more of the "know/like/trust" factor with them than if they found the service through a Google search or an ad.

Want access to the "Jobseeker's Guide to Working With Your Resume Writer" AND a ready-to-go resume critique form you can use with prospective clients? Join BeAResumeWriter.com as a Bronze member and get access to both tools as part of your membership.

Interested in learning more about the Get Clients Now!™ program? Learn more here:
Get Clients Now!


Get Clients Now!™ is a trademark of Wings BusinessCoaching LLC and is used under license. www.getclientsnow.com

Ready to Create Your First PRODUCT as a Resume Writer?

I talk with a lot of resume writers who want to create products to supplement their resume writing services. (Instead of trading time for dollars, you can create a product that will help you earn passive income even when you're not working.)

But it can feel overwhelming to get started on the process. You may think it will take months and hundreds of dollars to put together a comprehensive information product. Even then, you’re not guaranteed to make lots of sales.

Instead of trying to launch your first product the hard way, do it the easy way. Start by releasing a short report and see if your audience gobbles it up. If they do, then you know you’ve got a sure-fire winner that you can expand on later.

But it’s easy to get overwhelmed with the whole process. That’s why you need Rapid Report Club, a three month e-course where you’ll learn everything you need to launch your own reports. It’s a group coaching program designed by Kelly McCausey, a well-known and respected business coach. When you follow Kelly’s plan, you’ll have 3 reports written in just 90 days.

Details of the program:

Rapid Report Club

Besides group coaching from Kelly, here’s what you’ll get when you sign up for the program:

• A fresh, new opt-in report for your mailing list
• Advice on how to price your reports so they sell
• The knowledge you need to publish a report on Amazon Kindle
• Accountability from the group
• Easy tips that will help you write your reports quickly 

If you’re serious about establishing yourself as an expert and creating your reports, then reserve your spot in Rapid Report Club today!

2015 Resume Writers' Digest Annual Industry Survey Now Open

I just sent out an email requesting responses for the 2015 Resume Writers' Digest Annual Industry Survey. This voluntary survey of career industry professionals is not scientifically valid, but it provides a useful snapshot for resume writers to compare themselves to colleagues.

Want to check out some of the results from previous years? I've provided a link to some of the blog posts describing previous survey results:

2012 Results

2011 Results

2010 Results

2008 Results

2007 Results

2004 Results

2003 Results

Who is an "average" resume writer (2012 data):
Profile of an "Average" Resume Writer

You might also be interested in this post from 2009:
Analyzing the Professional Resume Writing Industry

If you are a Free Level or Bronze member of BeAResumeWriter.com, you can access the most recent "Profile of Professional Resume Writers" special report by logging into your account.