Elist post by Laura DeCarlo, CDI President
I’ve had a lot of personal emails about the $50 for resume value that was posted on the Chat asking me if I think job search tools are hard to sell and that people don’t value them. So, here’s my personal 2 cents:
I remember reading a Gallup survey in the early 90’s that said something to the effect of, “70% of people would get career counseling if it cost $15”. It made me groan then and the $50 survey result for resume writing makes me groan now.
BUT….When that survey came out in the 90’s I was charging $175 for a 3-hour group workshop added to a resume, cover letter, follow up letter, and reference page, and getting up to 95% of my clients (from blue collar to executive) to invest in them. So, an average sale back then for an entire 5-item package was about $600. A 3-hour workshop alone from those folks was getting me about $3000. For the mid-90’s I was making six-figures AND this was before people really knew about ‘career services’.
So, how did I do it and how do I continue to do it? Have an unending stream of clients who I funnel away to others so I can manage CDI now? CLIENT EDUCATION COMBINED WITH 100% BELIEF IN WHAT I AM OFFERING WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE, AND AN ENTHUSIASM THAT THIS IS WHAT IT TAKES TO SUCCEED WITHOUT COMPROMISE.
At the CDI Summit Pat Schuler said that you let your clients tell you their five key pains of what will happen if they don’t get help with their problem. I realized listening to her that I help clients realize the pains they were unaware they were going to suffer if they did not hire me!
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