About seven years ago I was fortunate to have lunch with a recently laid-off marketing manager.  He had been involved in the growth of a large and successful local company.

At the time I had priced the premium level of JibberJobber at $6.95 a month.  It just felt right.

My uncle, a senior level executive, said I should charge $20 or $30 a month, because it was just that valuable.

At lunch, the marketing manager asked me how I came to the $6.95 decision.  I’m not sure what I said, but I’m sure it was as elusive as “it just felt right.”

I really didn’t know what I was doing with pricing back then.

He went on to tell me that his company did some in-depth studies and found that from the $5 to the $10 price point was NO DIFFERENT to consumers.

In other words, I could charge $5 or $6 or $10 and it wouldn’t have a negative impact on how many people purchased.

He said this was true at every price bracket, so $5 = $10, $15 = $20, $25 = $30.  A consumer would say something like “oh, it is less than $30.”

I do that… when buying something my brain says “oh, this is less than $10,” whether it is $6.95 or $9.95.

The bottom line is that you can leave money on the table, and after our conversation I decided to listen to the expert and change the price to $9.95.

Here is my point: I had no idea what I was doing. I wasn’t expert in it, I wasn’t even smart enough to read a bunch of books and figure this out. But I found and talked with and listened to an expert, and I was able to make decisions based on what he had learned.

I’m guessing you are questioning or struggling with something.  Whether it has to do with interviewing, networking, job search, healthy eating, marital relationships, exercise… or a host of other things, why not find the expert?

Sometimes you will have to pay them.  Sometimes the answer you need will be on their blog or in a book they wrote.  But it’s always better to find the person with the best right answer rather than struggle with bad or lack of information.

I do have to say, though, don’t ask an expert out for lunch just to pick their brain.  This is offensive, and you’ll be one more leech in their inbox.

I regularly consult with small business owners (aka solopreneurs) about how to network and market.

Those two are almost one-in-the-same, aren’t they?

On a recent call I was talking to a solopreneur about doing webinars or teleseminars.

You can get a lot accomplished with a teleseminar, but what if no one comes?

Same question with a book… what if you write a book and no one buys it?

My answer: IT IS OKAY.

Perhaps the purpose of the teleseminar, webinar or book is NOT to get it in front of people, have people buy it, or even come (to the webinar or teleseminar) or read it (the book).

Let me give you an example: When I go somewhere to speak I might speak in front of 100 people.

That isn’t very many people!  I don’t want to get on a plane, take about a week from my schedule (a trip can take a week… 2 travel days, the day of the presentation, the prep before and the catchup after) to get in front of 100 people – especially if I do that for FREE! (I usually waive my fee to job clubs)

No money (or, the opportunity to make a sale, but I’m usually not even going to break even), all that time, for only 100 people?

That’s not entirely why I do it.

Would I do it if it were 10 people?  I did that before (even though I was told there would be 100 people there).

Where is the value?

Here’s the value… and this is important for you as a solopreneur to know, and it is important for you as a job seeker to know:

The value is in the pre- and post- marketing.

The group who has 100 people coming… they might have an email list of about 4,000 – 10,000 people.

I want (them) to TALK ABOUT me, my message, and my trip.  I want them to email their group twice before I come, and twice after I’ve left.

In each email message I want a link to JibberJobber (the best and most important career management and job search organizer out there) and my LinkedIn book (linking to Amazon and/or my LinkedIn blog).

I know have given this job club organizer something to say, about me, to his/her audience.

And in addition to the 100 people who actually come, I’ll get four touch-points to the 4,000 people on the list.  That will result in:

• book sales,
• JibberJobber signups,
• more evangelists talking about me,
• curiosity and branding.

Is THAT worth it?

Shooting an email out to 4,000 people randomly is not a big deal. It would likely have a negative impact.

But for the TRUSTED organizer to shoot the email out, and have them say something like “ JibberJobber is the best and most important career management and job search organizer out there,” is really, really, really valuable.

My point is, I’ve given them something to talk about.

What can YOU give your network to talk about?

What I’ve learned is it can’t be one single thing or event.

Think of something you can do monthly, or every other month, that they can say “oh, that sounds cool.  And I’ll tell my friends about it…”

Last week a JibberJobber user told us some of his email2log emails where NOT becoming Log Entries.  We paused everything and looked for the bug.

I hated this bug. This is one of the main reasons people upgrade, and I want people to feel confident using JibberJobber.  If the trust level goes down, people use it less, and don’t want to upgrade.

I loathed this bug. So we stopped other stuff to look for what we knew would be an elusive, or what I used to call a “ghost” bug.

When something happens like this we typically ask the user a number of questions to understand exactly what they did when the error occurred.  This includes what browser are you on (most problems are with Internet Explorer users.  There’s a reason tech savvy people call Internet Explorer -> Internet EXPLODER), Mac or PC, etc. We’re trying to figure out where the root problem is.

It could be anywhere from your seat (that is, YOU (aka, user error)) to your mouse configuration to your internet speed or connection to your OS or browser.  It could have to do with the points of the internet between you and the server and back to you.  It could have to do with our server, whether the hardware or the system load or, what we can easiest find and fix, software logic on our end.

There are easily a dozen potential points of failure… finding the culprit is part of a process that can be tedious, especially if we focus too much time in the wrong place.

Think about this in your job search.  Think about you (unemployed) and getting a job (the end result).  Where are the “points of failure?”

You could have the most amazing background, resume, and even interviewing skills, but if you have bed head, wrinkled clothes and bad breath you might not have any luck getting jobs or introductions to network contacts.

You could pay thousands of dollars for a great resume but be a complete jerk who no one wants to be around, work with or talk to.

Or, you could be the most amazing person around with a horrid resume because you refuse to pay a few hundred dollars for a resume expert (aka, your personal marketing expert) to make your resume match your awesomeness.

See the different points of failure in your job search?

Here’s what you need to do:

1. Identify the points of failure in your job search. I listed a half dozen above.  If you are in a job club you can probably sit with your peers and list 100 points of failure in a job search.
2. Make sure you are not focusing on the wrong one(s). You can spend weeks and months focusing on the wrong issue.  You might think throwing money at one point of failure will make up for deficiency in another.  If you can’t identify the point of failure that you need to work on (I’m talking about root issues, not symptoms) you will always be stuck, and get frustrated that what you are focusing on is not altering the results!

Here’s an example of job seekers focusing on the wrong thing.  As I travel and speak at job clubs across the U.S., I find lots of people who are completely hung up about age discrimination.  They are focusing on this barrier that they have little control over, and blaming their failed job search on age discrimination.

At the same time they are ignoring other things that are more likely their real point of failure.

I know age discrimination is a problem – I’ve written about it regularly.  I talk about it regularly.  But you need to step back and see if there are other problems that you need to address, and that you have influence over.

There are old people getting good jobs, right?  Maybe your problem has more to do with a different point of failure than something easy to blame (as real and as frustrating as it is).

In closing, I’m embarrassed to say that we even had this issue with my favorite JibberJobber feature.  It has really been bugging me since we found out about it. But late last night when my developer reported that he found and fixed it (and, he fixed the root issue by writing a filter to NOT let anything go to the spam box anymore), I slept really, really good last night!

What point of failure are you not figuring out?

On Friday we talked about Wayne’s dilemma of having a system and process but not getting results.

There were amazing, awesome comments helping him.

Yesterday we talked about what I would do to get informational interviews.  Wayne had some good thoughts in the comments.

As I was reading the comments, and writing a response to his comment, I thought about the power of introductions, and why they are so powerful.  Other comments on Friday alluded to this, but let me take a swing at it.

Introductions are so powerful because an introduction is accompanied by the trust the other parties have.

In other words, if YOU ask me for an introduction to someone, that someone will TRUST me and my relationship with them, and you benefit from that.

I want to write about eight more paragraphs, but think about that last line.  Actually, let me write it again:

In other words, if YOU ask me for an introduction to someone, that someone will TRUST me and my relationship with them, and you benefit from that.

YOU become the beneficiary of the relationship, and my branding, that I’ve nurtured over time.

What do you think?

If I’m right, does that encourage you to ask for more introductions?

This is a follow-up post to Friday’s Help: How can this job seeker get results from his phone calls and emails?

There are awesome, excellent comments in that post from job seekers and career experts.  A lot of the comments have the same theme.

Take some time and read through Wayne’s process and then read through the comments, suggestions and advice.  Wayne is a smart guy and the fact that he’s got this process (a) documented and (b) that he does it is pretty amazing.  The comments are all very, very good.

So, instead of me telling you what the others have already said in their comments, let me tell you how I ask for an informational interview.  I’ll give you two options to choose from.

I think the main thing to understand, and you get this from the comments on Friday’s post, is that you are a peer/colleague to the person you are contacting, not a needy, whiny, begging job seeker.  You bring value to the table and are not desperately hoping there’s a job offer to be had before your 20 minutes are up.  Important question: what is the objective of an informational interview?

With that in mind, here is what I most often do:

OPTION 1:

Subject: Call this week? (or, Follow-up from Friday)

Body: Hi Wayne, how’s it going?  I found you on LinkedIn and was hoping we could get on a call in the next week or two.  I’d specifically like to talk about what you think about how Obamacare is going to impact our industry.  I am hearing conflicting opinions and would love to know what you think, based on your experience and current role.

Can we get on a 20 minute call this week or next week?  Let me know if there is a time that works best for you.

(email signature - even if you have to take some stuff out or change it so it’s on-brand for this message)

Now, understand, I’m pretty casual.  If you want to beat this up in the comments, go for it.  Tell me what to do better.  Of course, understand that the example above is hypothetical (I’m not really asking anyone about Obamacare in the industry). I like how SHORT Option I is.

Here’s another style that I really like.

OPTION II:

Subject: Call on Wednesday?  (something VERY specific, and the intent is that this Subject isn’t going to cause you to delete it simply by reading the subject)

Body: Wayne, I found your LinkedIn profile while doing research in our industry. Yours kept coming up in my searches. (put this email into context… where did you find this person… which might be something like “I met you at…” or “I saw you at the ___ event….”)

I would like to get your opinion on how Obamacare is going to affect our industry. I see you have experience in a few different companies over the last 15 years in this industry and as the VP of Whatever Company, I’m guessing this has been a hot topic.   (please let the person know you aren’t going to waste 20 minutes of his life dabbling on about garbage.  Yes, I have had this happen multiple times If you can specify what you might talk about that let’s them know this is a purposeful conversation)

Can we get on a 20 minute call in the next week or two?  I have some very specific questions, and am happy to share what I’ve learned from other executives in the industry on how they are going to handle the 50-person issue. (ASK FOR IT! And notice, I snuck in some value add for the person… I don’t think it’s necessary but as an executive or strategist I always like hearing about what others in the industry are doing right or wrong.)

I look forward to hearing from you,

Email Signature… (same comments as in Option I)

What is the purpose of this call?

Is it to ask for a job?

Is it to let the person know you are ready for a transition?

NO!  The purpose is to start a professional relationship.

Some coaches will tell you that you need to have a different type of conversation, but I think you need to establish a relationship with the person first.  Once they begin to “know and trust” you, then you can have other conversations, but don’t start off needy.

Start off as a peer and colleague.  Start off as someone who has something to GIVE.  Start off as someone who they WANT to have a relationship with.

There will be a “right time” to say “you know, I’m looking at a change… who should I talk to.”  It might be at the end of the first conversation, it might not be.  But if you have a 20 minute conversation (aka, informational interview) and you don’t have a stronger relationship with that person, you’ve wasted 20 minutes.

And, you might end up on some people’s black lists.  In other words, they might think “that person is needy and wounded… I just don’t have time to help and give and save… ”

What do you think?

I recently got an email from Wayne, who is doing a lot of right things, but perplexed that his outbound communication attempts aren’t getting the results he wants.

What would you recommend?  Leave your advice in the comments below.  I’ll answer with my ideas on Monday’s blog post:

I have a question about not getting a return phone call from a potential  networking contact after 5 or 6 tries. The following is my approach:

1.  I make a call during off hours (to ensure voicemail) letting the individual know about my purpose (evaluating some career options) and I wish to expand my network with other experienced professionals through a brief meeting. I also mention that they should expect a follow-up letter in the mail.

2.  The letter (see below) goes out 2 days before the call via normal mail, with the intent that it arrive not more than 2 days after my initial voicemail call.

3.  I then begin following up the letter and initial call with other calls (almost always getting voicemails) asking them if they have received the letter and would it be possible to spend a few minutes with them. If it is a VM, I leave my name and number and ask them to call back.

4.  A couple of times when I have received a call back, people pay no attention to the networking aspect and probe me on what I am looking for re employment

5.  After 5 or 6 tries using this method, I switch to something else (e-mail if possible)

I can only assume that something is either wrong in this process or I am missing something because activity (meetings) have been painfully slow to come my way.

Here’s the letter he sends (see #2, above).  This is with a nice letterhead with all the contact info:

Dear

My name is Wayne ———- and I left you a telephone message recently with respect to connecting with you on a professional level. I am an executive in the ————— business, formerly with —————-, and I am evaluating career opportunities.

I am seeking to expand my network and I would like an opportunity to meet with you in order for you to get to know me.

I am not expecting you to know of a job available for me although that would be nice. Rather, it is to ask you, professional to professional, if you would be willing to look over a list of target companies when we meet and perhaps share some of your knowledge base on a few of them.

My tactic is to connect with professionals in the industry with the goal of becoming “top of mind”, partly in the event you may require industry information from me , but also to seek out the right ————- professionals to network with. As a result of these, and other initiatives, should a career opportunity open up in the future within our industry, my expectation is that I will be thought of first.

I would very much prefer to meet with you in person for 20 or 30 minutes within the next few weeks. May I suggest the following dates and times for a face to face meeting but please suggest alternate dates if they are not suitable to your schedule: ….. ( dates and times)

Sincerely,

Alright smart people, what do you think?  What would you tell Wayne?

And Wayne, thank you for letting me share this with the world. I hope the answers in the comments will be helpful to you and many others!

Lately I’ve been adding new Contacts to JibberJobber via email.  It’s one of the coolest features we have.  I simply find someone I want to put in my system, send them an email, bcc my ultra-secretive email address, and if the person isn’t in my database it will be added (along with the email contents, as the first Log Entry).

If you don’t know what I’m talking about (a) you are missing out and (b) you need to watch the video on this post (Email2Log – here is Part 3 where I talk about how to do this).

Anyway, back to how I find that person.  I’ll email them but I keep their LinkedIn Profile up so I can grab their picture, title, location, etc.  When I create the Contact record using Email2Log I am only adding the first name, last name and email address.

Normally my Contacts List Panel is ordered so I see the most recent Contacts I’ve entered at the top of the list.  But sometimes it is not ordered like that… and sometimes I feel it takes to long to come up and then reorder, or clear a filtered search or something like that (yes, I’m that impatient).

I have found a better place to find the new Contact.

Instead of going to the Contact List Panel I mouse over Reports and then click on the Log Entries and Action Items Report.

Anytime you use Email2Log you are creating a Log Entry, so it will show up in that report (which is a List Panel).

I have this report ordered so that I see the latest Log Entries or Action Items at the top.  I simply come to this report and look to see if the email is on the top.  I am showing the Contacts column (if you don’t see it, click on the manage columns icon and add it), and I simply click on the person’s name and it takes me to their Detail Page.

The Email2Log is on a 5 minute cycle, so it might take a few minutes before it shows up, but this is my fastest way to getting to that newly created Contact record so I can put more details on the record. For some reason I like doing it this way rather than going through the Contact List Panel.

Cool, huh?

If a friend came to you today and asked you for help, and you could help them, would you?

Imagine this is someone that is a good friend, or someone you want to be a good friend.

Would you help them?

What if they are more of an acquaintance, but they asked you for something you could do, and it wouldn’t be a significant inconvenience to you.

WOULD YOU HELP THEM?

I am guessing that the people who read my blog WOULD indeed help.

Why aren’t you helping them RIGHT NOW?

Because they haven’t asked you. You aren’t aware of what they need.  You don’t know what would be important to them.  You think they are fine.

Folks, that is exactly what your friends and acquaintances think of you right now.

They don’t know how to help you.  They don’t know what you need or want.  They think you are fine today.  They don’t hear from you and they think you are busy doing your thing.

All the while you are sitting there wishing, hoping for some help.

Here’s my challenge for today: Ask someone for something.

I’m not talking about asking for a handout, or begging.  I’m talking about COMMUNICATING how someone can help you.

You can ask for:

• An introduction
• Advice or information
• Someone to help you do something (not reviewing your resume, unless they are a professional resume writer)
• Feedback on your elevator pitch
• An informational interview (never ask for an “informational interview”
• _________?

We’re much better at giving help than asking for help, but we need to get better at asking for help.

So… that’s my challenge to you.  Ask someone for help.  Today!

Or it

On Friday morning after surgery the nurse kept bugging me to breathe. I think he was holding my hand or patting my arm.

That was so annoying.

My wife was also encouraging me to breathe.  To make it worse, I had to breathe through my nose… so when I kept dozing off and breathing through my mouth they would bug me, er, wake me, and remind me to breathe through my nose (since that is where the oxygen tube was).

So very annoying. I just wanted to rest.

Here’s the analogy:

In my job search I was told I had to network.  People all around, and books, and websites… everyone was like “network!  It’s how you find a job!”

I didn’t want to network.  And it was annoying to hear this continual chant (network! network!).

And then I realized I was networking wrong (without a purpose or system) and I was told to network with purpose (a la “Never Eat Alone”).

I really just wanted to mope while my resume and job applications would do the hard work for me.

But that wasn’t the right thing for me to do.  It was as ineffective as breathing through my mouth right after surgery.  The actions where there, but it wouldn’t get oxygen in my body.

I know networking is hard.  It’s not the funnest thing you can think of doing.

But it’s the thing that will move you to the next level.  For me, breathing right and getting oxygen meant I could go home.

For you, networking right could mean you get out of unemployment.

It’s worth it… I’m telling you… NETWORK!

Remember the JibberJobber theme for 2012?  It’s all about your communication.

I am rereading Mark LeBlanc’s brilliant little book titled Growing Your Business.  On page 15 he says “…selling is nothing more than a communication process.”

Let me rephrase that for job seekers:

Selling yourself is nothing more than a communication process.

The communication comes in many ways, including what comes out of your mouth.

How are you doing selling yourself?

In other words, how are you doing communicating?

Or more scary:

What are you communicating?