Can Your Job Be Summarized in a Manual?

Gary North explains that he ". . . really liked [Seth Godin's] chapter on résumés. He says that résumés are dead ends. They are scanned by software today. Nobody gets a decent job because of a good résumé. Résumés are pro forma. Hiring is not based on finding the best résumé. He says your career performance must be your résumé. Your website must be your résumé. You have to have something that you can put in a personal letter that is so powerful that nobody looks at your résumé. If you rely on a résumé, you might as well pack it in now."

North writes, "Now white-collar workers are going to face this kind of competition. So, Godin is correct: you have to be able to perform at such a level that a piece of software cannot compete against you. You should master software, not be replaced by it. You should use the software to become a top-flight performer. But you had better be beyond the next programmer's ability to write a program that will do whatever it is that you do.

If there is a job manual, the programmer has a target. He knows what is required. All he has to do is produce software that will enable some low-level employee to do the work that a more expensive employee has been doing. If there is a manual, there is an opportunity for a programmer to make a lot of money. There is also a way for the employer to cut expenses by buying a piece of software and training a low-salary employee to use it." 

Gary North ends by explaining that "Above all, you must make certain that whatever it is you do cannot be summarized in a manual."

How to Achieve Customer Loyalty

Gary North has an answer:

1. Top-flight performance -- far above the closest competitor.

2. Systematic innovation.

3. Re-selling constantly: "We're the best--here's why."

4. Customer service.

5. A systematic program of word-of-mouth.

6. Participation in the group, e.g., Harley Owners Group (HOG).

Shadoe Stevens from Federated!!!

I enjoy these Shadoe Stevens commercials more today than I did when they ran back in the early 80s. 

Can't Get a Job? Start a Business.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/new-grads-start-a-business-if-you-cant-find-a-job-2015-05-20

Start your own business. If you can’t get a job, think of a market niche and start your own business. With the Internet, it’s easier than ever before, and there’s nothing like the satisfaction of being your own boss. One eminent economist I know quit his day job and started Bagel Day, a company in Spencerville, Md., that delivers bagels once a week to offices in the Washington, D.C., area. He never looked back and earned a chapter in “Freakonomics.”

Also: The states with the most job openings for college graduates

Check the licensing requirements before you start. Some states require them for certain occupations — designed to keep out new entrants such as yourself. If you don’t live in Florida, Nevada, Louisiana or the District of Columbia, which require a license, you could start an interior-design business. If you don’t live in Louisiana, you could start a florist business. You can become a tree trimmer without a license in 40 states.

With promising new sharing-economy services, you can either work full time for yourself, or supplement your income by working flexible, part-time hours. Have a car? Why not drive for ride-sharing companies such as Uber or Lyft for a few hours on your commute home. Wondering what to do with that spare bedroom in your new apartment? Airbnb allows you to rent that out to travelers to help you pay your rent. Did your mother teach you how to cook a family favorite? You can earn money by cooking meals for others in your community on Feastly or EatWith.

The advantage of starting your own business is that you are your own boss, and you can set your own schedule. You don’t have to worry about dress. You can keep all net income. The disadvantage is that when there is no net income, you don’t have a salary. Minimum-wage requirements don’t apply to the self-employed: The Labor Department is not going to arrest you for paying yourself too little.

Grads, you’re starting at a disadvantage. America is in fiscal trouble and you’re being asked to shoulder the burden. You’re being asked to pay for retirement programs that might not be there when you retire, and higher health-insurance premiums to subsidize those who often have higher incomes and wealth. About three-quarters of you have college loans, and in 2014, total debt per borrower was $27,000, according to the New York Federal Reserve.

Still, you have to move forward. If you follow my five tips, you will get a first job, and then a better one. Email me (with correct grammar and spelling) and let me know how it’s worked out for you.

Bob Bly on Not Doing It Yourself . . . 

Dear Direct Response Letter Subscriber: It's no secret that whether around the house or in my business, I am no fan of do-it-yourself. From tax return preparation to web site design, I would much rather hire a professional -- for several reasons. First, the pro will do it much better than I would. If they could not, I would hire someone else who could. Second, the pro will do it faster than I can, because she has done it dozens or hundreds of times before. Third, using the pro saves me time and actually makes me money by allowing me to focus on my core business activities: researching, writing, and thinking for my clients. The late, great direct mail guru Dick Benson had a similar attitude. He said to do only what you do best in-house, and outsource everything else. When freelance copywriters ask me what software or templates to use in building their web sites, I tell them, "Stop wasting your time and hire a professional web site designer!" My go-to web designer (see my P.S.) tells clients who come to her after trying to design their own site themselves the following story: "When we bought our first house, we had a minor leak, and my husband went to Home Depot and bought, in his words, a 'Mamma wrench.' The thing was huge. "After the flood was cleaned up, the plumber said to him, 'I love guys like you.'" Amy and I had a similar situation. We hired JL, a lanky, gray-haired tile guy who had 40 years of experience to retile our bathroom. Amy started to tell him the 'right' way to tile based on an episode of This Old House she had watched. JL turned to her and said kindly, "Miss, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing." The experienced vendor has been doing the task you need done for years or decades. What gives you the illusion that you can do it as well or as fast? I haven't mowed grass or raked leaves on our lawn in decades. The reason is simple arithmetic: I earn per hour 10 times what my leaf guy charges. Every hour I pay him $25, I can be at my desk earning $250 or more per hour. Also, raking leaves bores the bejesus out of me, as do bookkeeping, tax preparation, programming (and I have forgotten most of my FORTRAN and BASIC), and a dozen other tasks. Outsourcing helps me avoid boredom and have fun doing what I love to do, which is writing. Sincerely, Bob Bly P.S. This is my go-to vendor for web site design (not for my info product landing pages, which Filipino Web Masters does for me, but for company web sites for my clients): www.WebDevelopersStudio.com

Bob Bly Copywriter / Consultant 31 Cheyenne Dr. Montville, NJ 07045 Phone 973-263-0562 Fax 973-263-0613 www.bly.com

Read Harry Browne's Book, The Secret of Selling Anything

Robert Wenzel writes:  

Yesterday, I exchanged emails with the EPJ reader that caused me to write the post, How to Get a Wall Street Job in One Hour.

The post was about how he was able to get a job in one hour on Wall Street, after much frustration, by following the sales techniques outlined by Harry Browne that are referenced in the post.

Since that post, as I just learned, he has switched jobs and is now with one of the most prestigious firms on Wall Street, with a job that most who want a career on Wall Street would kill for.

I congratulated him about his new position and in his email response he wrote:

 I noticed a while back that  Harry Browne's book The Secret of Selling ‎Anything is still a top seller‎ over at EPJ. I should note that my recent switch was also a 1 hour meeting and then straight to offer. I know of no other person who broke in this way. If any of your readers haven't taken the short time to read Browne's book, they really ought to.  Network, network, network. 

Uber Success