New Scam Targeting Resume Writers

There is a scam targeting resume writers that began circulating last week. Colleague Laina Krisik alerted me to the scam -- here is her correspondence with me -- and my response.


Hi Bridget,

I received an e-mail the other day that's just not sitting right with me. The subject line read, "YOUR SERVICES!!!!!!!!!!" and the e-mail was cryptic-like asking about my services and charges. I replied with a brief e-mail stating that I'd like to see her resume and cover letter to see what kind of work needed to be done. I also asked her how she heard of me. Below was her response:

Am very much happy to read back from you and okay with the charges for the pages in which am sure it will be well prepared,easy and well understood by the reader.

Again,am presently undergoing ear sugery in which will be kind of hard to hear you clearly.we can easily communicate via email and i will answer all your question.

Therefore let me know the charges for the attached resume and Kindly get back to me with information below:

1: Your Full Name to be on the payment
2: Your Address and zip code
3: Your cell phone number

So i can instruct my financial secretary to issue out the full payment as soon as possible for the service.Do note that you will not release it to me not until have the payment with you.


I will need your immediate response via email assuring me that i can trust you to handle this with care

Best Regard

Here is my response to Laina:

My gut instinct is similar to the uneasy feeling you got: RUN!

There is no way you should need to give a prospective client this information before you've even decided on a quote.

It reminds me of similar "phishing" (scam) emails that restaurants in this area have received. "We want to order $1000 worth of food for a party. Please send us information on where to send payment." Then, they send more than the amount owed, with instructions (because the payment is coming from a third party) to "send a check for the overage amount to 'x.") When you deposit the check, the funds won't clear, and if you've sent a check for the "overage," they'll have stolen that amount, and you'll also be out the insufficient funds fee from your bank for their original payment not clearing.

That's the reason to communicate via email too and not by phone. Many of these scammers are based in Africa.

I would just NOT REPLY again. Move on to more fruitful waters!! 

After seeing reference to this same "client" on several profession E-Lists, my suspicions are confirmed. This is a variation on the classic "mystery shopper" and "employment" scams, where you are "paid" but then asked to send money to the individual (or their agent). Many jobseekers have been caught up in these types of scams -- resume writers need to beware, so you aren't caught up in one too!

My First Resume Client

Me and my Dad (7/15/12).

My first — and most important — resume I wrote was when I was 12. That resume was for my Dad, Keith Weide. I was the middle of five children, and suddenly, my Dad was unemployed. This was 25 years ago, so I don't remember all the details (and the original resume is long gone), but the end result was that my Dad secured an interview — and a job — with U.S. Army Audit, where he worked all through my junior high and high school years.

The job required extensive travel, and my Dad often left home at mid-day on Sunday and would drive to far-off places like St. Louis, the Quad Cities, and someplace in Kentucky. He'd work a compressed work-week (five extended days one week and four extended days the next week, leaving early every other Friday). He'd return home — usually around midnight on Friday night, and I would greet him at the door.

The distance was difficult for us — my Mom, and all of us kids. This was in the days before cell phones. Often, my Mom wouldn't talk to him at all when he was on the road. But always, he returned home.

This past Tuesday, I saw my Dad off for the last time. You can read more about that here.

Thanks, Dad ... for being my first, and most important, resume client.

Should You Like A Facebook Page of Another Resume Writing Business?

• Tammy Shoup

  • Quick question ... I do believe in networking with colleagues but I'm not sure about "liking" other Facebook pages. How is this helpful? Thanks for any insight you can share.
• 

  39 minutes ago

  Bridget Weide Brooks

  • Hi, Tammy!
    
    There are two reasons to like your colleagues' Facebook pages. The first is the "give to get" principle -- if you like their pages, they are likely to like yours too!
    
    The second is to get ideas/information on things you can share with your clients. You might find articles and resources that your clients will benefit from when you see them posted on your colleagues' pages.

Tammy Shoup, of Breakthrough Resume Writing Service, asked me this question yesterday on Facebook. Her question is a common one. As resume writers, should we worry about "liking" the work of others, or sharing articles written by our peers -- should we be worried that it might encourage our prospective clients to seek our our colleague's resumes writing services instead of our own?

I reminded Tammy that clients always have choices -- but by sharing information from other resources -- including other resume writers -- we show prospective clients that we are committed to staying current in our field -- and sharing the best information -- even if it's not something we did ourselves.

By "liking" another resume writing business Facebook page (or following them on Twitter or Pinterest), we increase our connections to our careers industry community. We also have the opportunity to see articles and information that we can share with our clients. There is so much information out there, it's nice to have other resume writers help "curate" it.

But if you're worried about "standing out" among the many resume writing firms out there, here are some ideas that can help.

There isn't one set formula that every resume writing business should use to stand out. (After all, if everyone did that technique, no one would stand out!) What follows are a series of attributes that stand-out companies tend to share. Implement these in your own resume writing business and add your own twist to them to make your services stand head and shoulders out of the crowd.

Be Genuine
Most sole proprietor resume writing firms try to be bigger or more official than they really are. Businesses that are able to let that drop and actually share what's genuinely going on are often able to garner a lot of trust and loyalty. After all, when it comes to their career, clients want individual, personalized service. If you're a one-person shop, they will actually be working with you -- and that's an advantage in setting yourself apart from larger firms!

Be real about who you are and where your company is at.

Cultivate Win/Win
A lot of businesses -- not necessarily career service businesses -- treat their value propositions as win-lose. They make money, the customer loses money. I sometimes see this principle reflected in payment policies for resume writing firms. After being burned by one or two clients (out of one hundred -- or hundreds!!), the resume writer puts policies into place that "punish" future clients for the transgressions of a few.

Great companies, on the other hand, view their relationship as a co-creative one with their customers. Their customers want solutions and you're there to help provide that to them. You trust your customers to pay you (sure, you can still have policies, but you can be somewhat flexible when the circumstances warrant it).

View your customers as your partner in their career success and look to cultivate more win-win relationships with them. Involve customers in the design of a specific service program to fit their career goals, and you'll ensure you're really solving their problems.

Do Unusual Promotions
Did you know that Otis, the man who invented the elevator safety mechanism, got his company launched by placing himself inside a giant elevator in public and hacking off two elevator cables with a hatchet?

Unusual promotions garner a lot of attention. Try to come up with shocking or unusual ways of promoting your business. An "ugliest resume" contest might be one way to do this.

Write with Personality
Groupon launched its service with a successful business model — but they also had something else. They had fantastic writers that had real personality. People love reading personality-filled bits of content online. If you can get people to write witty, funny or edgy content, there's a very good chance you'll stand out.

Pick a Niche and Be World-Class At It
Don't try to be good at everything. Instead, try to be fantastic at just one or two things. Pick a niche and become the best in that niche. Stand out in that niche, rather than in the broader market. (I'm writing a cover story on this topic for the next issue of Resume Writers' Digest.) If you want to be known for something, don't just serve anyone.

Choose a Company Culture
A company culture permeates your website, your writing, and everything else about your resume writing service. If you're a solo resume writer, you may not think you have a "company" culture, but that's just a phrase. For example, the fact that your dog is your company's mascot speaks to your company culture. Is your resume writing business entrepreneurial and fun, or more corporate in nature? You can consciously shape your company culture.

These are some of the many ways you can stand out. Pick the ones that resonate with you and implement them in your resume writing business.

Using Content Marketing In Your Resume Writing Business

One of the best tools resume writers and career coaches have to market their careers industry businesses is content marketing. Sharing information and ideas with jobseekers can help them become prospective clients for your resume writing business.

Content marketing is getting more and more important every day. People today are finding more and more content through social networks and less and less through search engines. That means that creating content people want to share is becoming ever more important.

Here's how to use content marketing to your advantage.

Build Your Personal Brand
At the end of the day, the only thing that you have is your reputation. But a lot of people -- including resume writers -- fail to consciously build their personal brands. Yet this is truly one of the most valuable assets you have -- and it's one of the best ways to grow your resume writing business.

By creating high quality, unique content for a certain market, you establish yourself as an expert. If you want to target a special niche of clients -- for example, sales executives, or equine professionals -- you can tailor general job search information to the specific needs of this audience, and increase your "know, like, and trust" factor with these folks.

Build Trust with Prospective Customers
Jobseekers looking for help with their job search are more likely to trust someone who provides a lot of quality content rather than a website that just says "buy, buy, buy."

There's something about consistency that really builds trust. Anyone can put up a website to start selling resume writing services, but if you're producing high quality content for six months, people will instinctively trust you a lot more. They'll think you'll still be around to help them six months down the line.

Build Your Platform Before You're Thirsty
One of my favorite books is Harvey Mackey's "Dig Your Well Before You're Thirsty."



The same is true for resume writers -- build a list of prospective clients before you need them! Your platform is your list of clients and prospective clients who are interested in what you have to say. Let's say you want to launch a LinkedIn profile rewriting service. If you haven't been publishing content and building your mailing list, how will you find people who want this service? It would be very hard. But if you've already been publishing content for months, you'll already have a reader base you can use to launch your new service!

The "Secret" to Good Content Marketing
Great content marketing is really as simple as focusing on providing good content, consistently.

Good content should be compelling content. One of the best ways to create content is to use examples from your work with clients. People can relate to the struggles of your clients -- and learn from the lessons you teach them of how you helped those clients with their specific challenges.

Don't be disappointed if it takes some time to build up your reader base. That's how it works: reputations take time to become established. Fortunately, once your reputation is established, it also builds momentum and can grow very quickly. It's not an overnight technique; so the sooner you get started, the sooner you'll start reaping the benefits.

If you're interested in content marketing, check out "Using Content to Capture New Career Clients" (teleseminar recording and transcript) and the "Resume Writer's Guide to Article Marketing" (which is the July special report for Bronze members on BeAResumeWriter.com).

Summer Savings on Training from The Academies

The Academies is offering $200 savings off of three of their upcoming training programs.

But you must register by Tuesday, July 31 to take advantage of the special pricing.

Social Networking Career Strategist program (focuses on Facebook) 

Starts Wednesday, August 15; from 6 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. ET

What you can expect to learn:

• How to reverse client perception that Facebook is “just for kids” or only valuable for personal networking.
• Tips for creating better profiles, fan pages, and company pages.
• How to build engagement and dialog and create community.
• How to leverage the social nuances of Facebook to build your clients’ online presence.
• Strategies for keeping client information safe on Facebook.
• Recommendations for managing time and messaging on Facebook.
• How to add a new revenue stream to your business by offering Facebook profile development, maintenance, and consulting services.

Register before July 31 & save $200!  Use coupon code SUMMER2012

Certified Tough Transitions Career Coach program (two 6-week classes) —

Life-to-Work class starts Tuesday, August 21, 2012; from 5:30-7:30 p.m. ET

Work-to-Work class starts Monday, October 15; from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.  ET

The Certified Tough Transitions Career Coach Program will give you a proven process and targeted techniques to help clients from unemployment, under-employment, or un-happy employment. You will be equipped and inspired to help even those making tough transitions to choose and market themselves wisely as they transition their careers or get back to work. Your new confidence and expertise will allow you to respond to clients at all levels, and build your business by coaching the growing number of people making tough career transitions!

* Register for Life-to-Work or Work-to-Work before July 31 & save $200 or register for both to save even more! Use coupon code SUMMER2012

Certified Career Management Coach program (longest running Academies program!) —

Starts Tuesday, September 18; from 10 a.m to 12 p.m.  ET

OR Wednesday, September 19; from 3-5pm ET

The CCMC course will give you the know-how to qualify for the certification of Certified Career Management Coach and be able to use…

• powerful coaching techniques to jumpstart and motivate clients,
• insider secrets for career management in this changing economy, and
• for entrepreneurs, proven practice-building strategies to attract your “choice” client … for career center professionals, techniques to help your clients understand the value of the services you offer so that they will “buy-in” with greater commitment and involvement.

* Register for the Tuesday or Wednesday class before July 31 & save $400 Use coupon code SUMMER2012 … PLUS – if you pay in FULL, receive enrollment in the Social Networking Career Strategist program for FREE! (No coupon necessary … when your full payment order comes through, a staff member will contact you regarding your free class!)

Find out more information -- or register -- here:
Summer Savings 2012


Want to find more training opportunities for professional resume writers? 
Visit the BeAResumeWriter.com Events page.

Heat Up Your Summer Marketing

I live in Omaha, Nebraska, in the middle of the U.S. However, for the past few weeks, I feel like we've been living in an oven. Temperatures routinely are in the upper 90s, and got up to 106 last Sunday! (The photo is a screenshot from my iPhone on Sunday morning -- it was already 91 degrees at 11 a.m.!) We finally got our first rainfall last night in about a month. Nebraska is officially classified in a "drought." (I can attest to this -- my yard is yellow and brown.) Yikes!

When the temperature is like this, it can feel like there is no end in sight -- but the fact is, cooler weather will eventually be coming our way. It may be the same with your resume writing business. You may have lots of clients at the moment, with no end in sight ... but if you don't continue to market your business, eventually, you'll face a "drought" in your resume writing business too.

If you're currently in a "drought" in your resume writing business -- or if you want to prevent one down the road -- there are some things you can do to attract new clients. In a resume writing business, it takes a constant infusion of new clients to keep your business growing.

Ways to Find New Clients

Here are some tips to help you begin to make a change right now, today, that will benefit your resume writing business.

• Take a fresh look at your marketing plan. At least once a year, you should revisit your marketing plan. What are you doing now? How can you revamp those marketing tools and employ some new ones? (For example, for 2012, I cut out all paid Yellow Pages advertising, but have budgeted to spend on Facebook and LinkedIn ads.)
• Become a social networker. Twitter and Facebook are valuable tools for resume writers who want to take their business to the next level. If you don't have an account with either or both, now is the perfect time to get started. If business is slow for you at the moment, social media doesn't require much money -- instead, you can invest your time in building your online profile.
• Advertise your business on your personal Facebook page. Do your friends know what you do for a living? Post links to new content on your website and other promotional links that friends and family can view and share. Just yesterday, I got a call from a new client who was referred to me by one of my best friends. This happens to me at least once a month, because I post careers-oriented content on my personal Facebook page. Also, create a fan page for your resume writing business. Encourage current clients to sign up and tune in for special information or offers that they won't find anywhere else. I use a tool called "Hootlet" from Hootsuite to share articles on social media. It allows me to schedule Facebook updates or tweets automatically so that I can find 3-4 articles to share while I'm surfing, but Hootlet will spread them out so they don't get shared all at once.
• Market yourself offline too. Even if your resume writing business is 100% virtual (operating online), that doesn't mean that your local market won't also benefit. Some offline tools include posting flyers, public speaking, appearing in local media (TV, radio, newspaper) and using promotional items (like free pens).
• Video marketing. People love to watch informative videos online. You can take what you know and turn it into a visual presentation that immediately gives new clients a picture of who you are and what you do.
• Create a press release. I mentioned getting local media coverage. The easiest way to do this is through a press release. (Bronze members of BeAResumeWriter.com can find sample news releases and pitch ideas on the "Public Relations Resources" page in the Paid Member Resources section.) You should also check out the "Feed the Media: How to Get Publicity for Your Resume Writing Business" teleseminar recording and transcript for more information and ideas.

Remember -- your marketing efforts are cumulative. Sometimes a single drop can turn into a torrential rainstorm. Whether you're "hot" now and anticipating a cool-down later  -- or if you're in a drought now and need it to "rain" clients, try these ideas.

NRWA Announces Results of 2012 Elections

The National Resume Writers' Association (NRWA) has announced the result of its election of officers for 2012-13. The new officers for the NRWA Board of Directors are:

First Vice President (Two-year term):

Laura Smith-Proulx

(@ResumeExpert)

Treasurer (Two-year term): 

Pat Criscito

Region 1 (One-year term): 

Suzette Jolly

Region 2 (One-year term): 

Jaushina Johnson

Region 3 (One-year term): 

Troy Johnson

Region 4 (One-year term): 

Mary Jo King

(@AllianceWriter)

Region 5 (One-year term): 

Bob Janitz
(@BobbyJ56)

Region 6 (One-year term): 

Jessica Dillard

(@Resume_Pros)

For more information, visit the NRWA website.

How Jobseekers Can Use SWOT in Their Job Search (And How Resume Writers Can Use It In Their Business Too)

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I love "SWOT." It's a great tool for resume writers, and a great tool for our clients as well.

SWOT, or "Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats" is a classical yet still effective tool for analyzing competition. By doing a SWOT analysis, you can analyze your marketplace in a very systematic way -- and your clients can use SWOT as part of their pre-interview research. (I included a SWOT analysis in the "Jobseeker's Guide to Preparing for the Job Interview" -- which is this month's Pass-Along Materials content on the BeAResumeWriter.com site.)

Here are the basics of how to do a SWOT analysis. The analysis for the resume writer is in RED; the analysis for a jobseeker is in GREEN.

Strengths

In what arena is your resume writing service particularly strong? (Do you have any particular areas of specialty? Unique certifications? Work experience that has prepared you to work with a certain type of client? How does that play out in the marketplace?)

How does the prospective employer's business compare to its competitors? Does its current employees provide a competitive advantage -- perhaps through years of experience or training? What does it do particularly well compared to others in its field? Is there a strength that can't be replicated by its competitors (or that can't be "stolen")?

Weakness

On the other hand, it's equally important to know what your weaknesses are. If you don't have an eye on your weaknesses, it's easy to get blindsided.

For example, say your weakness in your resume writing business is answering your phone calls live. You can't justify hiring someone part-time or full-time to take calls, but if you're busy interviewing clients to capture their information, or writing resumes, you can't be on the phone talking to prospective clients all the time. (But, as many resume writers will tell you, live callers are often the best prospects to convert into clients.)

If you're aware of this weakness, you can implement systems like a live answering service, live chat, virtual assistant or other such tools to help handle calls in real-time.

For a jobseeker, identifying a prospective employer's weaknesses is vital. Companies hire employees to solve problems for them. Whether the job you're seeking is in response to an already-identified weakness (perhaps they are adding a CFO position because they realize they need to do a better job of handling cashflow and recordkeeping and reporting) or you uncover a weakness you're not sure they're aware of in the course of your research (like an untapped potential market, if you're interviewing for a sales position) -- understanding the company's weaknesses can help you understand the company itself better.

Opportunities

Successful resume writing businesses focus on opportunities. What are the emerging areas where you can help prospective clients -- many resume writers have added service offerings to take advantage of these opportunities. Examples include LinkedIn profile writing/development, writing corporate bios for executives, helping clients practice for interviews, or negotiate salaries.

For jobseekers, sometimes it's easier for an outsider to spot an opportunity than the business itself, because the company may be focusing on urgent problems, instead of "bigger picture" issues. In business, there's always going to be urgent problems that need immediate attention. It's the companies that can manage to stay focused on their opportunities that win out in the end. Look for opportunities with your prospective employer and identify ways you can take advantage of them.

Threats

Resume writers: Keep an eye on your threats. There are constantly articles circulating that proclaim the death of the resume. While these are erroneous -- and, at the least, premature -- you also can't be complacent that technology is affecting the career services industry. Ignoring new technology like LinkedIn or even Facebook's rumored job board is to your detriment.

For jobseekers, being aware of competitive threats is even more important. It may be unwise to hitch your star to a fast-growth company that doesn't have a solid foothold in a high-growth industry. I just read an article yesterday about how companies that created custom Facebook tabs/pages have lost hundreds of thousands of dollars because Facebook changed to the Timeline format and the emphasis on Facebook landing pages went away almost overnight. Understanding the competitive threats posted by new competitors, existing competitors, third-party technology, or even internal issues (like joining a family business where there is no succession plan in place) can be a threat to your career.

What Areas SWOT Encompasses

For both resume writers and jobseekers, when you're looking for strength, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, these are the areas you should assess:

• Management, personnel and talent
• Marketing and outreach
• Finance, cashflow and cash on hand
• Product positioning and price
• Brand and brand perception
• Intellectual property and patents
• Supply chain and supply costs

If possible, do a SWOT analysis for each category. This will give you a very in-depth analysis of all the most important aspects of your business.

For resume writers, a SWOT analysis should be performed at least every six months. For jobseekers, you should do a SWOT analysis before each job interview -- and even before each application. (Again, it will give you better insight into how you can be an asset to a prospective employer.) Upon completing a SWOT analysis, ask yourself: What's the #1 highest leverage arena I could compete in today?

Craft an action plan around that answer. It could be based on leveraging a strength, fixing a weakness, exploiting an opportunity or mitigating a threat. Find the highest leverage activity and approach it head on.

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.

Project Management for Resume Writers

Although most resume writers work individually on their work, every once in a while, you get a chance to work collaboratively with other careers industry professionals -- for example, on a book project.

Whenever you kick off a new project, you should do so starting with a "new project meeting." In this meeting you'll lay out the objectives, the methodologies you'll be using, the various roles in the team and last but not least, the ground rules. The ground rules are the operating agreements that keep the project on task as things move forward.

Here are some project management guidelines that can help you make sure you keep your team of careers industry professionals on track.

If Something's Off Course, Let the Group Know
It can be very tempting to try and hide things that aren't going well. It can be especially easy to do so if all the person has to do is not mention it. They're not "lying," they're just neglecting to share something.

This undermines the team. Instead, aim to create a culture where people honestly share mistakes without blame. People should feel comfortable bringing up problems and resolving them as a group.

One Person Per Task
Every task or project should be owned by one person. That person is ultimately responsible for that task being done on time.

This person is free to bring in outside help to help get things done on time. They can even "outsource" aspects of the task to other team members or people outside the team.

However, if mistakes happen or if the task doesn't meet a deadline, that person is still responsible for it.

Ask Before Going Off Course
You should have a game plan for the project as a whole. The game plan should include what IS and what ISN'T included in the project. If someone wants to do something that isn't included in the project, ask first.

This helps prevent time and money from being spent on things that aren't integral to success. Sure, having more things done is great, but make sure they should be done first before spending resources on it.

Have a Clear Chain of Communication
Who is keeping track of the communication? Who manages reporting? Who sets up the meetings? How are disputes handled? Whose permission is necessary to go above budget?

Lines of communication should be clarified before you begin any project.

Setting these ground rules for operating the project before you get started can help you save a lot of time and energy in the long run.

Quick Ideas for Resume Writers to Maximize Your Online Profile

I'm a bit of a social media "junkie," and wanted to give you some ideas for maximizing your online presence.

First off, your personal Facebook profile is where you're likely to get most of your initial business. After all, these are your friends and family, and maybe former colleagues, neighbors, etc. (depending on your personal policy about accepting friend requests andyour privacy settings). But sharing job search-related tips on your personal profile (as well as talking about projects you're working on for clients) can be a good way to spark some referrals. (I average a couple referrals a month from my Facebook friends...from my personal profile!)

The next step is to set up your Facebook Business Page for your resume writing business. It can be tricky to get your business page Profile picture and Timeline cover graphic to look just right, but you can find someone to help you on a site like Fiverr.com (and it's just $5). You'll find that it takes time to build your "Likes" to your Business Page (most resume writers average around 75 "likes" for their page -- but there are many with as few as 5 "Likes" and a few with 100+). While "quantity" is your eventual goal, quality is a great way to start. Share tips and ideas, link to interesting articles (don't just post the link -- comment on it!), and share your client success stories (not by NAME specifically unless your client says it's ok -- more like: "Just got a call from Ann K. who received three calls for interviews within 2 days of sending out her new resume. Nice!"

On the subject of getting the most out of your social media presence, there's Twitter. As I remarked to a colleague today: You either love Twitter, or you don't understand it. A lot of people set up Twitter profiles and don't do anything with it. The key with Twitter is: The more you do on Twitter, the more you'll get out of it. I admit, it has kind of a steep learning curve to begin with. There's the whole follower thing (i.e., you can Tweet at anyone with an unprotected Twitter account, but you can only get Direct Messages from someone you're also following) ... there's "Twitter-etiquette" -- like acknowledging retweets (RTs) and mentions (MTs), the phenomenon of #FollowFriday (and the whole explanation of hashtags #) and how/when to use them ... and, of course, how to manage the Twitter stream (as it relates to time management).

The easiest thing to do with Twitter is to set up your Twitter account to interface with your Facebook Business Page (it's quite easy, actually) and have everything you post to your Facebook Business Page automatically post to Twitter. Also, check in for 10-15 minutes a week on Twitter to respond to Tweets and DMs, follow people who are following you, etc. You can also set it so that Twitter automatically posts to your LinkedIn account.

You can learn more about how to use social media for client acquisition in my "Introduction to Social Media for Your Resume Writing Business" special report, available to Bronze members on BeAResumeWriter.com this month (June 2012).

Using Article Marketing as a Client Acquisition Strategy

I was inspired to write today's blog post by a request for help in the LinkedIn "Resume Recipes for Success" forum for careers industry colleagues. Krista wanted to know:
"Has anyone published online? I am almost done with a blog that I think could be an article. Is there a website that anyone recommends?"

You can read my response to Krista's question here.

But I also wanted to share some ideas for other resume writers who are looking to use article marketing or article publishing as a client acquisition strategy.

Content is king! Jobseekers are looking for information to help them navigate a difficult job search. People looking for a job just can't get enough information on various subjects related to their search -- writing resumes and cover letters, salary negotiation, company resource, using social media -- the list goes on and on. Providing this kind of information -- through articles -- is a great way to drive visitors (traffic) to your website.

You can use a keyword suggestion tool like the Google Keyword Tool to see how many searches are done for certain keywords. WIth these keywords are typed into search boxes of search engines like Google and Bing, indexed websites containing those keywords are displayed. And these links can provide traffic to websites ... including your resume writing business website!

Here are some benefits that writing articles can give your resume writing business.

1. It's absolutely free.
All you need is your thoughts, your computer, and your hands. If you have those, nothing will stop you from typing words that will make you complete that article for your website. Sure, it takes your time, but if you're not currently working on a resume project, you should be spending some time on marketing!

2. Your website can be noticed in a short period of time.
Submit that article of yours to article directories that get the most web traffic and in no time your web site will be "crawled" or indexed, because you'll have included your link to your website in your "resource box," the 2-3 lines at the end of the article that tells a little bit about you and your resume writing business.

3. You can obtain backlinks automatically.
When you submit your articles to directories, they can be published by any other website or blog, as long as you are given attribution, including the link to your website (if you provided one -- and you should!). When the article is published on other websites, it exposes it to people who haven't heard about you, and they can click through your your website (these are backlinks, because they "link back" to your site).

4. Improve your reputation.
Sometimes, it can be a challenge to convert resume prospects into clients. You need to increase your "know, like, and trust" factor with jobseekers. And what better way to do that than by writing articles that will teach jobsearchers how you can help them, and how knowledgeable you are.

If you are looking for more information on how to use content marketing to acquire new resume clients, check out the "Using Content to Capture New Career Clients" -- teleseminar recording and transcript. Just $5 from Resume Writers' Digest.