Author Archive
Looks Can Be Deceiving …
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You just never know what goes on behind closed doors. This looks peaceful enough, but on the other side is a waiting room full of angry patients. Some having been waiting for 2 1/2 hours. No way to run any business, especially a home business!
Differenciate Your Home Business From Your Competitors
Posted by: | CommentsIn the past when the economy was going strong it often seemed easy to make money, no matter what business you were in or whether you were were a home based business or not. There may have been lots of competition, but there were also lots of customers. Companies with poor customer service or bad products still made money and for many it was in spite of themselves.
That was yesterday. Now it’s today and it’s totally different.
The customers that are still buying are being much more choosy. They’re looking more closely at the products, pricing, terms, and customer service.
This is actually good news for you.
Why? Because it means if you focus on being excellent at what you do, you can attract and keep the customers that are buying.
It also means that competitors who’ve given any particular type of business a bad name, or caused other troubles, won’t be around much longer.
We’re already seeing this: In the housing market, the brokers who are still active are the ones who know what they’re doing. They know the market and are providing great customer service.
Brokers who didn’t return phone calls or find homes for clients are mostly gone and that trend is true for other industries, too.
Right now is the time to review your home business.
- Are you providing what your customers want?
- Is your customer service at the level that would make you want to do business with your company?
- Are you finding ways to connect with your customers so you know what’s working and what’s not?
Home based businesses have an advantage.
Most of us are small and that means we have close contact with our customers and work well with them.
It also means we can make whatever changes are needed … no layers of management.
It also means that if we don’t give customers a reasons to buy from us, then blame is on us alone. The buck stops here.
Give your customers a reason to do business with you and make them want to keep coming back. You can be the best and eliminate the competition simply by giving your customers what they want.
NOW is the time to make your home business stand out!
Using What You Have in Your Home Business – Making It Work
Posted by: | CommentsWe have a ritual for doing our weekly shopping and make a game of it. It’s a way for us to be out together, not doing business, having fun, and getting an errand done at the same time.
There are 6 different stores we shop in and they are all in an easy route around us so we’re never going out of our way to get to one of them.
Part of the game is finding the deals on what we need for the week. It’s all about spending less. This is a strategy to use for your home business as well as your weekly household shopping. Most stores send out weekly fliers so you can pre-shop for almost anything.
I go through the fliers first and find which store has the best prices on what we need. Because of the way we shop, eat, and live, my list of needs is usually pretty short but the fliers always steer me to the store we’re going to visit.
One of the stores on the route always has a clearance section in the meat department; the meat they need to sell that day. There’s nothing wrong with any of it. They just have to move it that day or it will go to the trash as spoilage.
We don’t go into this particular store just to look at the clearance meat but when we’re do stop there we always look at what the butcher has put on clearance.
One day we were there and found a number of packages of chicken wings, all identical except that two were marked at 50% off and the rest were marked at 30% off. Naturally we asked the butcher about the difference.
His comment? Laughing, he told us, and this is the whole point of the story:
"I ran out of 50% discount stickers. I even had to pull the ones I found off other packages. I had hundreds of the others so I just used them. I had to make it work so I used what I had. Just tell the cashier to give you the 50% discount on the ones you buy and she can call me if she needs to."
No matter what you home business is, what your office set-up is, or how you manage your time, things always happen to create less-than-perfect situations. You will have to do whatever it takes to achieve the results you want.
Like the butcher who used a lesser discount to move his clearance inventory, you will need to refine the skill of improvising and sometimes using what you have on hand to achieve your results. It may not be the best solution for you, but it will keep your home business moving forward.
Note: Our postal worker isn’t happy with us. He wants us to stop the junk mail but we actually welcome it. So, oh, well. He’s going to have to keep delivering.
Also, remember that asking for additional discounts is a habit you want to acquire. If you don’t ask, you certainly won’t get. And if you do ask, all they can do is say, "No!"
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Brian Tracy’s Seven Cs of Success for Your Home Based Business
Posted by: | CommentsBrian Tracy is a well known and highly respected motivator. He speaks and writes about success. Millions of people have learned from him and use his principles in their own lives. After studying top achievers and peak performers for over 25 years, Tracy came up with what he calls the Seven C’s of Success … the skills and characteristics mastered by those men and women:
Competence – You can’t climb to the next rung on the ladder until you are excellent at what you do now.
Constraints – Eighty percent of all obstacles to success come from within. Find out what is constraining in you or your company and deal with it.
Creativity – Flood your life with ideas from many sources. Creativity needs to be exercised like a muscle, if you don’t use it you’ll lose it.
Courage – Most in demand and least in supply, courage is the willingness to do the things you know are right
Continuous learning – Read, at the very least, one book a week on business to keep you miles ahead of the competition. And just as you eat and bathe, organize your time so you spend 30 minutes a day exploring e-mail, sending messages, going through web sites, because like exercise, it’s the only way you can keep on top of technology. If you get away from it, you’ll lose your edge.
Acres of Diamonds in Your Home Based Business
Posted by: | CommentsHave you ever read the story "Acres of Diamonds" by Russell Conwell? If not, the story has a powerful message and I suggest you pick up a copy from our Resources Page.
The short version of the story is that a man leaves home and travels the world to find his fortune. He traveled all over never finding the riches he was searching for. He came home penniless and died a pauper. Meanwhile, in the back yard of the house he’d sold to chase his fortune was one of the richest diamond mines ever discovered.
He never looked in his own back yard.
Recently a friend told me the results of an interesting survey:
The people surveyed were prospects for a high end product . The question they were asked was about how the salespeople had followed up after they’d said they wanted to think about the purchase before actually buying.
The overwhelming response was that the salesperson hadn’t followed up at all.
The people were also asked if they would have purchased the product if they had been contacted and overwhelmingly they said, "yes."
Business owners often complain about not being able to find qualified buyers. Yet this survey shows that many sales are lost because of no follow up.
Money and resources had already been spent to find the prospects who wanted to think about it before buying but they were allowed to slip away.
The salespeople (in the case of the survey) were off spending more money to find more leads.
The diamond mine in their back yard (their database) was ignored. This company operated under an assumption that the qualified buyers were in the outside world.
Are you effectively mining your database? It’s easier and more cost effective to sell to someone who already knows, likes, and trusts you.
The lesson: Look in your backyard before traveling the world.
Home Based Businesses and Web 2.0
Posted by: | CommentsYour Home Based Business and Technology
Posted by: | CommentsSuccess in your home based business can be easier if you use the technology available to help you.
Computers have leveled the playing field in business. You no longer need a billion dollar advertising budget to compete with the big boys.
What you need is the knowledge of the tools available to you through in internet PLUS knowledge of the programs and platforms that can put your business in front of more potential customers for your product or service.
The first thing you need is a web presence. If you don’t have a web site, get one! We are operating in a global market and more and more people are spending more and more time online. Billions of dollars are being spent by consumers on line. If you’re not online, you’re missing opportunities.
Unless you already have the skill, don’t try to build the site yourself. Hire somebody who knows what they’re doing.
Get yourself a blog and use it for your business. Make sure you use it to post relevant information that’s interesting and of value to your customers and potential customers.
Remember, your blog and your website are extensions of you and your business. People are going to be getting to know you and will be making decisions about whether they want to do business with you based on what they see on line. Make sure you are presenting the image you want people to see.
Netiquette Tips for Homepreneurs – Part 2
Posted by: | CommentsIn my last post I gave you the first 10 of the 22 Rules for using email. Of course, you only need to follow them if you want your email messages to be read.
Here are the final 12 of the email rules you need to know:
11. Don’t Send Attachments Whenever Possible
There are so many versions of common computer programs and not everybody is literate with computers. Attachments can be challenging just in getting them open and can spread viruses. There is also a likelihood the files will become corrupted in transit and be unusable anyway. Whenever possible, send information in the body of the email.
12. Don’t Use Special Graphics Or Formatting
Not all email users have the ability to see what you’ve created. Using a color for your text other than black can also make your message difficult to read. There are people who are color blind and colors show differently on different monitors. Black on white is absolutely the easiest to read. Graphics can also slow down the sending and receiving process.
13. Don’t Use Background Color Or Images
Like graphics and special formatting, while they might make your email look pretty, what it really does is make it more difficult for your readers to read your message. the ABSOLUTE EASIEST text for people to read is black on white, using upper and lower cases appropriately.
14. Eliminate What Comes After Your Response
Unless necessary to your response, delete old messages and signatures from the email you send. It makes your response cleaner and faster to send and receive.
15. Check Your Spelling
Nothing can block an easy read like misspelled words. Use your spell checker and have a dictionary handy.
16. Learn Your Grammar
English teachers probably cringe with emails. Learn at least the basics so your message flows.
17. Don’t Send Spam
Spam is considered to be anything sent that’s unsolicited. No doubt you’ve been a victim of it. Don’t become and abuser.
18. Acknowledge Receipt Of Email
Return Receipt is not reliable. Many people choose not to notify the sender. It can also be an annoyance to the receiver of your message when the Return Receipt window pops up. Be considerate to your sender and if a response is indicated or seemingly expected, respond.
19. Be Careful What You Say
While email feels light, easy, and informal, it’s permanent. Your email can be printed, circulated, shared, forwarded, …. Make sure what you write is not something you don’t want made public.
20. Ignore Chain Mail, Jokes, and Petitions
Often these are hoaxes. Even if they’re not, most people don’t like receiving them. Don’t forward them unless they seem relevant and then be sure it’s relevant to the people you forward to. If you do choose to forward one of these items, check it out first on Truth or Fiction or Urban Legends.
21. Respond Timely
While immediate response is unrealistic, make a policy to respond to emails within a specific amount of time and let your customers, clients, friends, and family know what that is. Don’t become a slave to your computer by thinking you have to respond sooner than is comfortable for you.
22. First Impressions Are Everything…And You Only Get One Chance
You will be judged by the quality of your writing. If it doesn’t matter to you, don’t change a thing. If you want to be taken seriously, pay attention and take the extra 30-seconds to make sure your email presents the image of you and/or your company you want it to. are the final 12 of the rules you need to know.
Netiquette Tips for Homepreneurs – Part 1
Posted by: | CommentsBecoming a Savvy Email User
Email is more and more becoming the accepted form of communication in business and in our personal lives. It’s a wonderfully convenient way for people to keep in touch. However, the drawbacks are great and can be very annoying.
When somebody sends an email, there’s now an expectation that it be answered almost instantaneously. We’re moving more and more into instant gratification and this is not good for stress reduction.
As a group, we have also moved away from writing notes and letters so our writing skills are not polished. People are lazy in their writing of email thinking the informality lets them off the hook when it comes to form, grammar, and spelling. Not true! It’s probably more important now than ever to be clear, concise, and precise in our written communication. Once you hit the send button it’s too late.
The goal of being a savvy email user is to make it easy for your reader(s) to read and respond to your message. You’ve been on the receiving end of emails that didn’t make it easy and you know what annoys you. If that’s true, you can bet the same thing annoys a lot of other people.
Here are the first 10 of the Top Twenty-Two Rules For the Savvy Email User:
1. Don’t Use All CAPS
This is difficult to read. We are conditioned to upper and lower case letters and the flow of our reading is slowed when reading text in all CAPS. And, by email standards, using all CAPS is the equivalent of shouting at the top of your lungs.
2. Don’t Use All Small Letters
Similar to all CAPS, our conditioning for reading includes both upper and lower case letters. Further, it’s bad form to eliminate the capital letters that begin sentences and proper nouns.
3. Identify Yourself As The Sender
We’re all getting spammed with unwanted and unsolicited email. It’s become more and more the practice for people to automatically trash emails when they don’t recognize the sender’s name. Your email address is not enough. Not everybody knows you by your email address.
4. State Your Topic
Don’t keep your recipient guessing about why you’re sending them mail. Be concise in your description and ALWAYS fill in the subject line before sending so your receiver has some idea of what your email’s about. Keep it short, 35 characters.
5. Use The K.I.SS. Principle — Keep It Simple
In our hurry up world, people aren’t interested in reading long emails. Ideally, you want your email to fill no more than one screen.
6. Make Longer Emails "Chunky"
When a longer email is required, break it into separate, shorter paragraphs. People are daunted by screens full of solid text. White space makes it easier for people to get through.
7. Keep Your Body Text Lines Short
Bearing in mind all the differences there are in the email programs people use, we want to play to the lowest common denominator of your readers. That just means that you want to be sure your email is easy to read. It’s hard for people to read very long lines of text so you want to be sure what they see on their computer monitor is short lines. To that end, make sure you make your body text lines are no longer than 55-60 characters. That means using hard returns to go to the next line.
8. Use The BCC Option When Sending A Message To Multiple People
It’s a matter of having a clean email and of protecting the privacy of the recipients. If you don’t use the BCC option, all recipients addresses are visible to all the rest and, besides having to scroll through them to get to the message, it makes the addresses available to other recipients for potential spam and unsolicited emails.
9. Get Rid Of The Trash When Forwarding Emails
When you forward messages, something we do often, get rid of all that comes before the information you want to pass on. If you been on the receiving end of an email that’s been forwarded multiple times, you know how annoying it can be to have to scroll through all the garbage. Don’t make your recipients have to do it.
10. Respond To Messages So Your Response Can Be Easily Read
Don’t scroll to the bottom of a page and type your response there. The person waiting for your answer already knows the questions. Respond either at the top of the email, before the original message, or within the body of the original message by setting your response off from the body with symbols and/or spaces.
In my next post I will give you the final 12 rules…
Something for the Home Business Owner to Laugh About
Posted by: | CommentsHard as it might be to believe, the following really happened. I got these from a friend. Yes, you will roll your eyes. Be thankful it’s not you: As a home based business owner, you have to be smarter than this!
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Some guy bought a new fridge for his house. To get rid of his old fridge, he put it in his front yard and hung a sign on it saying: ‘Free to good home. You want it, you take it.’ For three days the fridge sat there without even one person looking twice at it. He eventually decided that people were too un-trusting of this deal. It looked too good to be true, so he changed the sign to read: ‘Fridge for sale – $50.’
The next day someone stole it!
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One day I was walking down the beach with some friends when someone shouted, "Look at that dead bird!" Someone looked up at the sky and said, "where?"
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While looking at a house, my brother asked the estate agent which direction was north because, he explained, he didn’t want the sun waking him up every morning. She asked, "Does the sun rise in the north?" When my brother explained that the sun rises in the east, and has for sometime, she shook her head and said, "Oh, I don’t keep up with that stuff."
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My colleague and I were eating our lunch in our cafeteria, when we overheard one of the administrative assistants talking about the sunburn she got on her weekend drive to the beach. She drove down in a convertible, but didn’t think she’d get sunburned because the car was moving.
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My sister has a lifesaving tool in her car it’s designed to cut through a seat belt if she gets trapped She keeps it in the trunk…
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My friends and I were on a Lager run and noticed that the cases were discounted 10%. Since it was a big party, we bought 2 cases. The cashier multiplied 2 times 10% and gave us a 20% discount….
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I couldn’t find my luggage at the airport baggage area. So I went to the lost luggage office and told the woman there that my bags never showed up. She smiled and told me not to worry because she was a trained professional and I was in good hands. "Now," she asked me, "Has your plane arrived yet?"
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While working at a pizza parlour I observed a man ordering a small pizza to go. He appeared to be alone and the cook asked him if he would like it cut into 4 pieces or 6. He thought about it for some time before responding. "Just cut it into 4 pieces. I don’t think I’m hungry enough to eat 6 pieces."
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And the topper?
From "Who Wants to Be A Millionaire", the contestant was asked "What is George W. Bush’s first name?" Not only did the contestant get it wrong but so did 42% of the audience!