Copyright © Greg Millican
http://www.OnlineProfitsForLife.comWhat type of business you operate from the home is totally up to you, but there are certain things that you will need to do to help insure its success. While visions of living large comes immediately to mind for many who choose to run their own home-based business, they often forget that it is a business. Running a home business often gives people the misunderstanding that they can dictate every part of their operation and while there are many aspects of a home business in which they are completely in charge, customers and clients will also have input on many functions.
The first thing needed to run a successful home business is a set schedule. It may be easy to stay up late to watch a movie and repeatedly hit the snooze button on your alarm clock, but when dealing with clients over the phone you really do not want them to think their early morning phone call rousted you from a sound sleep. While having a lot of free time may be appealing and taking naps in the middle of the day may be attractive, keeping regular hours is important to any business.
Make sure your office is only used as an office. In addition to the tax benefits of carving out a space used strictly for work, you will also have the feeling when you walk into the room in the morning that it is time to go to work. Similarly, when the day is over and you leave the office you need to feel as though you have gone home for the day. Just as you want to keep family distractions out of the office, you need to keep work distractions out of the rest of the house.
Being professional in all business dealings when in your home office will help preserve your image as a business owner. If you cannot afford a separate telephone line for the business, during your normal business hours answer the phone in a professional manner.
Unless your business is the field of dreams, simply building it will not guarantee customers will show up. Advertising and marketing are essential to any business, even those run exclusively online. Chances are there is no sign in front of your home that indicates you are open for business, inviting passers-by to stop in and see what you have to offer. The only way anyone knows you are there is through advertising.
Build a website, even if you will not be conducting any business online. It can serve as your web-based sales pamphlet and include information about you, your experience and your business. Including prominent contact information on the first page of your website is a key to obtaining more business, but you should also have a contact form available for people to simply send in a request for information or for answering questions.
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Greg Millican is the director of the Online Profits Group, bringing
the best home based business ideas and
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Literally hundreds of business (probably more like thousands) are started every day, and the majority of them fail. Why? In general, the owner started the business with a plan, a good or service that he or she researched and found would be successful, had some capital behind them and were very excited about "taking on the world". So why do they so often fail? This article begins to explore why some business people succeed and other fail.
Through some research, I've found that there are generally three general categories that can be used to describe the successful and the unsuccessful businesses.
1. The people behind the business are failures.
Now, this sounds harsh, but if you have never experienced success in your working life, you give up after a short time, were only in the business for a quick buck, have a tendency to try something and as soon as it gets "boring" or "too hard" you move on to something else, chances are you will fail at your business too.
2. The people behind the business are successful.
These people have the ability to turn what they do into a success, through hard work and dedication. Their definition of success is that they are able to put food on the table, pay their bills and go on a nice holiday with their partner once in a while. This is a definition of success (they are still in business, aren't they?). However, they usually work ridiculous hours for what reward they can get and are rarely home to enjoy those rewards anyway.
3. The people behind the business are enormously successful.
These are people that books are written about, or are spoken about in hushed and reverent tones. They become millionaires and live lives that others only dream about.
So, what is the difference? Well, between group 1 and groups 2 and 3, the differences are generally obvious- motivation, perseverence, an ability to deal with failure and patience. However, identifying what sets group 3 apart from group 2 is a little more intricate.
One major difference I've found is diversification. What is diversification? Channeling any spare cash into the business to help it grow, or into other businesses that will also bring in money. They are usually content to wait for the wealth for a short time, instead concentrating on building the business so that the rewards, when they come, are much bigger and more valuable.
However, there is only one thing that most business people want to buy more than anything else, and it is something that only REAL money can buy - TIME.
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Copyright © Greg Millican
http://www.OnlineProfitsForLife.comAll business owners are eventually confronted with a serious dilemma -- how to advertise, in which medium, and which is the best deal for each dollar spent.
Do newspaper ads outpull radio spots -- or is the power of television theonly way to go? The answer is different for each business, each situation,each location and each product.
The following are the pros and cons of the two biggest media - TV and Radio. Knowing these can helpyou decide which medium is right for advertising your product.
RADIO
The good:
* Radio offers a wide array of formats which can reach listeners during a
specific state of mind, which can complement a specific advertising
message. Many people listen to radio while driving to and from work, other
listen in the evening while relaxing next to a cozy fire.
* Delivers your message to everyone in the room or car at the same time.
* In fast. Your ad could be heard the next day if production is available,
ad copy is written and studio time is available.
* Radio advertising is intrusive -- it butts in on your listening, and your
only option is to listen or change the channel, (or shut it off!)
* Reaches a national, regional or local audience.
* Can be effectively targeted to consumer segments, such as teen-agers vs.
seniors, or men vs. women.
* Can be repeated often, thus driving the message home. Once again,
repetition is the heart of effective advertising.
* Radio ads can be heard 24 hours a day.
* Radio can reach people as they are on their way to the store. Messages
delivered just prior to actual shopping are very powerful.
* Tends to be cheaper per announcement than either TV or print, and in fact, is probably the most cost efficient of all media.
* Uses "theater of the mind." Radio uses voice and sound effects to conjour
up images in the listener's mind by engaging the human imagination. This
can be more powerful than any pre-developed TV image or still photograph.
* Reaches people who do not like to read newspaper or magazine, or people
who do not view outdoor mediums, such as billboards, and those who do not
like TV.
The Bad:
* Most people have the radio on "for noise." That is, they are usually
otherwise engaged with something while listening, and often are only
half-listening.
* Repetition is more important to overcome general lack of attention on
behalf of the listener, and thus, you have to spend more for more spots,
which can make up for the lower cost.
* Makes it difficult for the listener to take physical action as a result
of the advertising message. For example, most listeners do not have a pen
in hand when they hear an 800 number to call or an address to remember.
* You generally need more up-front money to buy up the large number of
spots you need to get the job done.
* Is not visual, and many people retain better what they can see than what
they hear. Also does not move, another aspect of capturing individual
attention.
TELEVISION
The Good:
* Is usually in vivid exciting color, and color is a prime motivator of the
human mind.
* Uses all elements of sight, sound and movement at once to form a powerful
package that hits on all level of human senses (except touch and smell).
* Can deliver your message to all people in a room simultaneously.
* Is fast, but not as fast as newspaper or radio because it tends to
require more production.
* Like radio it is intrusive. The customer does not have to seek out the
ad, like they must to find a movie listing or a rummage sale. The ad comes
to the viewer.
* Available nationally, regionally, or locally.
* Television ads can be purchased to focus on concentrated geographical
areas, especially with the advent of cable.
* Has a wide variety of programming to match the nature or subject matter
of your ad. Want to sell rock-n-roll CDs? Buy ads during American Idol or MTV. Want to sell feminine hygiene products? Buy time during Grey's Anatomy.
* TV has more reach than any other medium in terms of all segments of
society. Just about everyone watches TV, but not everyone reads newspapers
or magazines.
* Is good for repetition of ads.
* TV can deliver your ad at any time of the day, 24 hours a day.
* You can get an exclusive, that is, your ad need not compete with a
clutter of other ads -- but you may have to pay dearly for it.
* Tends to be more cost efficient in terms of number of responses it
produces compared to dollars invested.
* Is probably best for reaching those people who tend not to use any other
form of media.
The Bad:
* Most often is very cluttered. your commercial may be sandwiched deep
within a string of other commercials, which have long since caused the
viewer to head to the refrigerator. Also weakens long-term memory of your
product message.
* Is sometimes hard to get. There are usually a limited number of TV spots
available, and you may not get the program you want.
* Is perhaps the most expensive. There are a lot of production costs
related to TV advertising.
* May be less demographically selective as some other media forms, although
cable TV has helped in this category.
* Your audience can fluctuate widely. If 10,000 people see your ad one
night, a mere 100 might see it the next if a high-interest program airs on
another channel.
* TV is cost-inefficient when you are after highly focused target markets.
* VCRs, DVD Recorders and TiVo are helping TV ads get beyond the "invisible ink" problem of broadcast media. A taped program may be viewed again and again -- on the other hand, your commercial may be fast forwarded.
There you go - a comprehensive summary of the pros and cons of Radio versus TV advertising. Next edition will compare Newspapers and Magazines. Stay tuned.
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http://www.OnlineProfitsForLife.com-----------------------------------------------------------------
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Copyright © Greg Millican
http://www.OnlineProfitsForLife.comOne of the most common causes of failures of work at home businesses is the fact the person operating the business should never have started in the first place. Not everyone has the dedication and, more importantly, the discipline needed to run their own business out of their home and will quickly find that setting their own hours and being at home all day, everyday is the rosy picture painted by the stories about self-employment.
Running your own business involves someone to handle sales, production, orders, billing and all of the other departments necessary to keep a business operating. When you first start out in a home business, the people that do the work will most likely be you and it will not take long to realize just how many hours are required to get everything done.
Then there's the promise that often comes with home business opportunities about having the time and money to spend on vacations and having more time with the family. While the business is in its infancy, that is just not going to happen. There will be time spent with the family, but usually it is while you remind them that you are working and need to be left alone. The biggest adjustment when you start a home-based business is having family and friends understand that while you are at home, you are still working.
If your new business can be done completely from home, it is better to have a separate office area in which to work. An area that is off limits to other family members during your business hours, during which you can concentrate on the task at hand without interruption. One suggestion made by successful home business operators is to get a watchdog to sit at the door of your office to keep interruptions to a minimum. While this tip is given in jest, it is important to make sure your home office is treated as though you were working for someone else.
With most work at home businesses, you can set your own hours and, if possible, it will make your home life easier if you establish work hours around your family's schedule. If there are hours when no one else is home, that should be time in which the bulk of your work is done.
You have probably heard the stories about people working at home in their pajamas and while this opportunity may be available, it probably isn't a good idea. You will need to establish your work schedule, just as you would if someone else was writing your checks and then work your schedule. Your clients or customers are paying you to deliver a product or service in a timely manner and you will have to present professionalism to yourself as well as potential customers. By being at work when you are scheduled, you can get the promised work done on time and gain new clients based on your reputation.
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Tips For Internet MarketingCopyright © Greg Millican
http://www.OnlineProfitsForLife.comInternet marketing is a fairly new area in the marketing field. Marketing websites is close to marketing for other products and services. If you are new in the Internet marketing field there are some tips to assist you. We are going to use this article to examine those aids.
It is advisable not to use additional products and services to increase your sales. Instead of increasing the quantity of products or services, you would do better to increase the variety of different marketing methods. By doing this, only a small part of the total business is affected if one product declines or a marketing response drops.
Be sure to remember that customers are also prospects. You need to stay in contact with them. Try to find or develop other products or services that they can use. Return customers are easier to make a sale to than new customers.
Avoid making exaggerated claims, even if they are true. Bold claims create doubt in potential customer’s minds and jeopardize sales. It is better to bring those bold claims down to believable levels. Numerical claims should be expressed as odd numbers with decimals or factions.
When developing offers for your business, create them in sets of four or five at a time. They should also have expiration dates. With expiration dates you can replace the expired one with a new offer and deadline. With a series of offers you can constantly recycle through them. It is also possible to create an irresistible offer by combining a discount price and a set of valuable bonuses in the same offer.
You may need to change your market if you are attracting prospects that don’t have or can’t get the money to buy your product or service. You should target prospects that have an intense desire for the benefits of your products or services. You also need to target those that can afford your products or services.
By offering an exclusive benefit to your customers, this benefit will help sales. The benefit should be something that your competitors can’t or won’t offer. A good example of this would be your personal cell phone or home phone numbers. A lot of business owner’s don’t want to be that accessible.
Advertising copy should be written like the message was written specifically for each reader. This type of copy seems to produce great responses. This can be accomplished by making the copy be written to just one person instead of a group of people. You also might want to write in a less formal, more personal style.
The majority of sales are not made on the first contact. You need to develop a method to capture and save names and contact information of prospects. By doing this you can follow up with them periodically. Sometimes a gentle coaching is all that is needed to make a sale.
About the Author:-----------------------------------------------------------------
To find the best home based business ideas and
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