CAREER MARKETING VIA "CHINESE WATER TORTURE" (July/August 2002 Issue)

You've probably heard the story of the prankster who, when Beethoven was sleeping upstairs, went down to the pianoforte and played a chord progression that ended just shy of the final "Do" on the scale. As the story goes, Beethoven was so unsettled by this unresolved musical "question" that he finally stormed down the stairs, sat down at the piano, and played the final chord himself. He couldn't rest until that musical "question" was "answered"!

While that story may be apocryphal, it illustrates the fact that there's only so long people can tolerate any kind of annoying "noise" (or "lack of resolution") in their lives without suffering. Like the constant drip, drip, drip of water in Chinese Water Torture eventually makes its victims desperate, one day the stress of that constant present noise prompts its "victim" takes action.

But what if you could turn that tension around and use it as a positive force? What if you could exert your own special kind of "Chinese Water Torture"—by doing your own persistent, steady "drip, drip, drip" campaign—and gain more clients? Now, don't be alarmed. This form of "torture" isn't violent; in fact, it's nothing more terrifying than mailing out a monthly newsletter.

Why is this "drip" campaign a good idea? Because you never know when someone
will need or want career counseling. In our gut-it-out culture, people seem to expect "pain" as a part of their careers, and it's amazing how much pain some people will live with day to day in that area of their lives. But eventually there comes a time when even the most stoic of us says, "Enough":
--The boss yells one too many times, or . . .
--A new boss comes in who doesn't like us (and, we suspect, is just looking for a legally "clear" time to wield the axe), or . . .
--We may be hearing rumors of a takeover or buyout of our company, and we worry about our security when and if that happens, or . . .
--A friend may get a great job, and we find ourselves thinking, "Wish there was something that good out there for me!"

When prospects find themselves in those kinds of potentially painful scenarios, they start to notice career-advice advertising like never before. If you doubt this principle, think of the last time you were in the market for a car. Prior to that, thousands of car ads washed over you week after week, unseen and unheard. But the moment you made up your mind you needed a vehicle, suddenly you were aware of car advertising everywhere, and you paid attention to it.

The same goes true for a skilled "drip" approach of a monthly newsletter. The newsletter I recommend includes several kinds of "mini-drops" to reinforce our message. Here are four of them.

Testimonial Success Letters. Nothing is as contagious as success, and we all tend to believe in a product or service more if other people have tried it and liked it first. So be sure to feature your clients' testimonials every time. Looking at those, the prospect will think, "Hey, I want one of those great jobs, too."

A short article (600 words or so) with a "Career Tip" that a prospect can use right away. The prospect starts thinking, "Hey, that idea helped me . . . I should call up these guys and see if they can help me even more."

An invitation to a Career Action Planning (CAP) session, an initial consultation offered at a nominal cost. A prospect will look at your invitation as a bargain—along the lines of, "Hmm—for only $95, they can get to the root of any career problem and design a way to solve it? Wow! How can I lose?" (The answer, of course, is that the client can't!)

Referrals. Thanking people who've referred clients to you can get a prospect thinking, "Wow, everybody's sending their friends to see these guys. Maybe there's something there for me." (Or, "Maybe I should refer my friend.")

In short, a newsletter "drip" campaign can be compared to viewing a parade through a window. There may be thousands of people in that parade, but only a few dozen are visible in the "window" at any given time. A monthly newsletter "covers" the whole parade; when the prospect is in your "window," they'll read your material and call you.

And how does a drip campaign pay off? Various ways. For example, I had a client with whom I worked 6 years ago (and sent 72 newsletters to over that time!) One day, he called me and said, "I've been made program chairman for the American Quality Society, and I thought they would really appreciate a presentation about how to achieve more career security in troubled times." From that speech, I got 100 more people for my mailing list, one CAP session immediately, and a free "rubber chicken" dinner!

Another client was a sharp young man who got caught in one too many rounds of "last hired, first fired" from various high-tech companies as they suffered the effects of recession. After his third layoff in as many years, he finally called us and said, "I can't stand it anymore. I've been thinking of calling you guys for ten months, but I kept wanting to do it myself. Then I saw that letter from the guy who's been through the same nonsense I've had to put up with, and I thought, maybe they can help me." He became a client and made a great job move. Remember—the Grand Canyon, one of the wonders of the world, was created by the action of thousands of drops of water. So heed Mother Nature's sign and learn how to do a good "drip" campaign of your own . . . and you'll create "wonders" for your private practice.

Jack Chapman is author of:
Negotiating Your Salary: How to Make $1000 a Minute
He is a career consultant in private practice and runs ongoing support and training teleconference sessions for career consultants in private practice.
He can be reached at 847-251-4727 or jkchapman@aol.com.