23. January 2008 by Pat.

‘Prospecting’ is an independent, distinct function from sales. Its purpose is to separate the wheat from the chaff prior to expending sales and marketing cost - leaving you with quality, qualified leads to enter the sales process. A better class of prospecting results in dramatic improvements in your prospects-to-sales conversion rate.

Quality is more important than quantity; it costs to take a prospect through the sales process. Each meeting, each telephone call has an associated cost. It is therefore vital to invest time into researching your market sweet spots and ensure you are pursuing prospects with both a reason and inclination to buy your product or service. Avoid wasting time on those prospects where you have few case studies and those lacking in sufficient ‘pain’, motive or capacity to buy. Use a script as the framework for your call to determine which key benefits have the most appeal and which qualifying questions get the best response. Get straight to the point and filter out time-wasters, focus on the cream. Once you establish that the prospect would benefit or perceives significant benefit by conducting business with you, make him aware of how - maximising your efforts here improves the effectiveness of sales visits.

There is no rush to corner or push the prospect immediately for a face to face visit; subtlety pays dividends here so be proactive and build up their interest by sending some info and follow it up with a call- then, when you are certain there is real interest, they have a budget and you have access to a decision maker, ask for an appointment. Trying to convert a lukewarm prospect may result in a hasty appointment being made only for the prospect to later cancel - wasting your valuable selling time.

Avoid filling up your pipeline with weak, unqualified prospects - even if your sales performance is looking a bit slim. Ask yourself: I am speaking to a professional with the ability to buy - can he make the final decision and move the buying process forward? Can he access funds that have not been allocated or budgeted for?

Remember that prospecting is not about selling but research and investigation. Free up your pipeline by being honest about which prospects are worth investing time and energy in.

Top Tips
• Remember: quality over quantity - the value of an organisation comes from its customer base.
• Focus on why customers might use your product and how it will benefit them.
• Identify organisational problems that you have solved really well in the past. How did they impact on the customer? Why did the buyer choose your product/service?
• Identify a list of similar organisations.
• Next, sketch out a plan to contact them - e.g. through referrals, networking, direct via telephone, direct mail.
• Always ask for referrals when customers are happy.
• Publish your list of prospects so that others can help.

Questioning Skills
Polished pitches and killer closes will rarely get you the sale as your spiel needs to be tailored to the prospect - simply launching into a presentation extolling the virtues of your product or service will more often than not miss the mark as it does not address the issues most relevant to the prospect.
Put simply: you cannot convince the prospect of your product or service’s value if you don’t know what is of value to him.
Failing to address his wants and needs deprive him of a compelling reason to buy. The easiest way to find out what is important to him is to ask appropriate questions.
The best type of questions are open-ended (starting with why/what/where/why/when and how) as they encourage the prospect to open up and share information about his specific, highly individual needs or those areas of service which are most important or could be improved on. Pay close attention as, if you ask the right questions in a friendly tone, the prospect will give you all the information you need to close him. If you are not getting the information you want or it is too vague, be direct and ask him outright what exactly it is he is looking for.
The right questions allow you to determine whether the prospect would benefit from your product or service, has a budget and is able to make a buying decision. In short, questioning is vital in helping sales people avoid the time wasting pursuit of poor prospects who are unable or unwilling to commit. See your role as an equal partner to the buyer - valuable in helping him navigate through the buying process with your questions providing clarification and direction.
Distinguish yourself from the competition by taking the time to learn about your prospect through questioning - it will give him compelling reasons to do business with you and provide you with all the selling points needed to act as his trusted advisor and close professionally.

Top Tips
• Asking questions helps to focus your pitch on the prospect’s perspective and circumstances:
• Their current reality - what is going on in their job, department etc;
• Their reasons for change -recent events that prompted them to seek out new ways of doing things;
• The repercussions of inaction - what happens if they do nothing or stick with the same supplier;
• The return on investment - what do they gain by going with your product or service.
• Questions can be open or closed - use open questions to solicit information and discover the prospect’s hot buttons.
• Closed questions have specific answers and can be used to direct the conversation or confirm

Posted in Home Businesses | Print | No Comments »

2. January 2008 by Pat.

Operating A Home-Based Business If you have a home-based business or are considering starting one up here is some practical information and advice that should make being your own boss the success you thought it would be.

1. Hire independent contractors to save on payroll expenses, medical, dental benefits, liability insurance and retirement. Most independent contractors are accustomed to paying for their own medical, dental and other insurance expenses. Operating a business completely alone is never advisable, a partner or freelance contractor can help develop profit-generating ideas, just by having someone to talk to and listen.

2. Become literate in Internet marketing strategies. This would include having a website built with e-commerce. Home-based business owners often under estimate the importance of learning how the Internet works and how best to profit from it.

3. Collaborate with another home-based business and promote a specific event that will benefit both ventures. Maybe a hair stylist and a massage therapist can sponsor a demonstration in a hotel small meeting room and split the cost. The collaboration may involve more vendors with relationships, like a beauty supply retailer and a make-up artist. Working with other vendors who you do not compete with gives each an opportunity to benefit from the goodwill of the other vendors.

4. Expand your targeted market. Lets say you are providing a product or service to adult women 18 to 30. Easily you can market to the mothers of 18 to 30 year old women. Look for ways to offer additional services to your existing clients for a reduced price 5. Guess speaking and free demonstration events can give home-based business owners an unexpected way to sell more of your products or services in a most cost effective way.

6. Newsletters are a great business builder and clients can download them from your website instead of incurring the cost of printing.

7. Home-based business owners consider expanding; buy a larger home for more separation between family and business, especially if your business venture has generated robust profits.

8. Consider franchising your home-based business success. Viable franchise alternatives do not exclude successful home-based business ventures. If you can develop a successful and profitable home-based business other people will be interested.

9. Professionalism is important in any business. Home-based business ventures must strive to provide excellence in customer service and customer relations, even more so than a business that operates outside of the home.

10. Insurance is very important, make sure your home-based business venture is insured for foreseeable challenges.

Posted in Home Businesses | Print | No Comments »

26. December 2007 by Pat.

What is momentum? Webster Dictionary says momentum is the “impetus of a moving object.” And we are the moving object! In our business, we must remain focused on moving forward toward our identified goals. Owning a business comes with ups and downs, yet the more momentum you expect of yourself, the more “ups” and less “downs.”When we allow ourselves to remain stagnant within our business system, productivity slows down and we become frustrated. We, as the CEO’s of our businesses are the only ones in control of our productivity. I am sure everyone reading this article desires high productivity. Then take a stand for yourself and keep up the momentum.

Once your business plan is in place, follow it! Take the necessary steps to accomplish given tasks, on a daily basis and move on. Never sit on a decision. Successful leaders make decisions quickly and keep up the momentum.

“The difference between great people and everyone else is that great people create their lives actively, while everyone else is created by their lives, passively waiting to see where life takes them next. The difference between the two is the difference between living fully and just existing.” Michael E. Gerber Author of The E-Myth Revisited

Whether you have been running your business for a lifetime or just starting out, the buck stops with YOU and YOU are the driving force toward your desire for success. Continue to uphold your aspirations for accomplishing your objective, believe in ability to succeed and send those positive vibrations into the universe…they will come back to you…tenfold!

Posted in Home Businesses | Print | No Comments »

8. December 2007 by Pat.

Putting up a home-based business is never easy. From planning to advertising, every aspect requires your attention. Here are ten tips that will help you on your quest to make your home-based business a success.

1. Keep tight with your schedule. Working from home is powerful - but taking a nap in the middle of the day is more alluring. Setting a tight schedule for your whole day is critical.

2. Have an office area. Home based-business does not mean you have to work on your dining table or kitchen sink. Dedicate an area solely for office work and nothing else.

3. Be professional. Dress and act as if you are inside the office and just at home when it is time for work. Be up and ready by office hours - being late or drunk is not an excuse even if it is a home-based business.

4. Advertise. People still need to know that your home-based business exists. Even if you have a website, who would know it exists if not for traditional advertising means? Be creative on leveraging traditional advertising methods such as pamphlet distribution, commercial ads, attendance to trade symposiums, and the like.

5. Familiarize yourself with tax laws. Consult with an accountant or financial professional if you are not familiar with the accompanying legal obligations and taxation calendar when running a business.

6. Check with your zoning commission. Make sure that your home-based business abides with existing zoning laws for certain classes of businesses; else consider another location where your type of business would be allowed.

7. Have a sensible business plan. Have specific financial and strategic targets for your home-based business for specific periods of time. Let these targets be milestones for your business to achieve.

8. Get on the Web. The Internet is a great equalizer for home-based businesses and large enterprises. Do not just provide information about your business or marketing blitz on your website - use it primarily to sell!

9. Do your research. Know your business, know your competition, and improve on your business offerings. “Make a better mousetrap, and the world would make a beaten path to your door” - get started on knowing and building that better mousetrap. There are plenty of avenues for research such as workshops, interviews as well as the Internet.

10. Do not get discouraged. Running a home-based business requires intestinal fortitude and the will to move on despite a disappointing starting period.. Hang in there and do all that you can to make your business the success you know it can be.

Finally, have your home-based business registered with the HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) within the next 3 months to avoid a £100 fine. You may also need to file Form CWF1 with the tax office to inform the HMRC that you are operating as a business and have the appropriate taxes processed right away.

Posted in Home Businesses | Print | No Comments »

15. October 2007 by Pat.

Show Me The Money! Have you constantly read posters and signs that read ” Make 1 Million In 30 Days!!!”. If you haven’t well I have and I am sick and tired of it. It’s about time this work from home companies put up or shut up. Now I am not knocking every work from home company, there are many great ones out there. What I am knocking is the fly by night companies who are just looking to rip people off. Before you join or buy into any work from home company there are some basic steps you should take. I call them the Show Me The Money steps.

So here we go. First you want to do a background check on the company. How long has the company been around? Does the CEO have a good reputation or is he a crooked con artist? What are people saying about the company? One thing to remember is some people will always have a bad impression on these work from home companies. So take everything you hear, bad and good, with a grain of salt. And do not judge on other people’s results because they may or may not have skills which you have.

Next what is the training like? Will they teach you how to build your business? Or will they leave you high and dry once they have your money? Talk to people within the company, your support system is key! Most people are just starting a home based business so the help is vital. If they do not get good training or have a support system in place they will fail.

Lastly do you have the money and the time to build a business? This is also a very important question as well because no matter what anyone tells you building a business does require time and money. Now if you have lots of spare cash you can always hire someone to get a lot of the work done for you. But if you are short on cash then you will have to devote a larger portion of your time. Which can be tough if you have a demanding job and a family to support.

So these are just a few things to think over before joining a work from home business. Remember though the main purpose of any business is to “Show Me The Money! “.

Posted in Home Businesses | Print | No Comments »

10. October 2007 by Pat.

Let’s get to the point straight! This is the real secrets to work from home success that are presenting right before you which makes my upline a multi-millionaire not once but six times before the age of thirty. You may think that this is a JOKE! Well, I can’t stop you from thinking this way. But what I am to reveal next may be a life-changing experience for you.

The secrets to work from home success is something which I am sharing with you because it works for me too and I believe that success should not be kept within oneself. The first success secret to work from home business is to Dream Big! Well, anyone dreams. Whether you are dreaming big or small, it takes the same energy.. So why not dream a BIG one!!! Always challenge yourself continuously how you can think bigger. This is the first strategy which my upline adopts and it is a very powerful. Though a multi-millionaire, he is continuously thinking of ways to think big. And now, he is not only helping himself but many to attain million dollars mark through personal development. The only reason you can’t have something in life is because you think you are not capable of owing it.

Secondly, being an expert is critical in your success in work from home business. Aim to become the top 1% of a particular subject area. Let’s say you want to make your mark in internet marketing but how are you going to make yourself an expert! Perhaps you are thinking of at least a 10 years time frame to acquire an expert status. Well, you are wrong! To become an expert, all you need is to read at least 5 books or attend 5 seminars or trainings on that subject area. Instead of reading the book only, go through as if you have to give a training after reading. As long as you have more knowledge than the other person, then you can be an expert to that person.

Thirdly, your success in work from home business requires you to create a game plan. A game plan is goal setting. Instead of goal setting, I like to call it goal getting because most people set goals but few realise the goals. These are the three MUST process to realise whatever goals you are setting. They are: (1) Fix a deadline to every goal. (2) Figure out your purpose behind your goal. (3) This is also the fourth strategy which is to take massive action plan.

In order to build a successful work from home business, you need to take massive action meaning taking responsible of your own goals. If you can, write your down your members’ goals as well and hold them accountable too. Always keep the goals in front of you. Taking massive action produces massive result. Not only accountable to yourself, you have to work hard to build your knowledge level. Successful do what unsuccessful refuse to do and Successful get what unsuccessful people can’t get!

The fifth secret strategy requires you to build your leadership. This ties in with strategy on being an expert. Always be a leader which every other leaders want to follow. Remember! Every rises and falls on leadership.

The sixth strategy is to build your vision. Your vision is truly where you expect yourself to be. You can build vision through (1) what other people says about you. (2) experiences you have in life. (3) what you say and what you think about yourself. In short, you must become the person before you experience the result! This is the power of subconscious mind which is much more powerful than your conscious mind.

And the last but not the least is to take 100% responsibility of yourself. Everything in life you are responsible and because of that, you have the power to change other people life. Make an impact to the world by sharing with the world your success. By following these 7 secret strategies, you will attain success from any work from home business.

Posted in Home Businesses | Print | No Comments »

8. October 2007 by Pat.

Everyone says they want to make a lot of money. If you ask a hundred people on the street, “Do you want to get rich?” - they’ll all say, “sure!” And as you know, there are many different ways to get rich and there are many experts out there who claim they can help you get rich. I go to the bookstores quite a bit and see all the books on financial independence.

Most of those books are very disappointing to me because the authors idea of building wealth is all about trying to live frugally, saving your money, and investing it wisely. Some of this is great advice, but it’s NOT what you’re about to read in this article! You see, I don’t believe in “cost cutting your way to prosperity”. Living frugally and saving your money has little appeal to me… and that’s not how I made millions of dollars… nor did any of my friends!

The way we became super rich is to go into a lucrative business for ourselves and then to focus all of our time and energy on making as much money as we can. That’s what this article is all about. Saving money and living frugally has its place… After all, let’s say you save a dollar a day, put it in a shoebox and take it to the bank every month. Then every few months you take that money and put it into some kind of mutual fund that gains an average of ten percent interest…”How much money would you have?” The answer may shock you! You see, within thirty years, you’ll have over sixty seven thousand dollars!

This is the most non-risk way to make money. After all, the stock market has averaged about ten percent a year for the last 50 years. So in this example, you leave your dollar a day in some fairly conservative mutual fund for thirty years and you will have almost seventy thousand dollars! All the books on how to become financially independent by saving money and living frugally hold no real appeal to me.

The only way that I know how to teach you how to get rich is the same way that I have gotten rich, and that is through business. THIS IS THE EXCITING WAY TO GET RICH! Just focus on becoming self-employed and try to make as much money as you can in the fastest period of time. That’s it! When the smoke clears, you will have made millions of dollars! Do this for enough years and you’ll wake up one morning and realize that you are a multimillionaire!

I run into many people who want to make millions of dollars…but they are afraid of being self-employed. To them, there is really no other way for them to do it. You see, although there are corporate jobs that pay huge amounts of money (there are people who have became multi-millionaires because of all the stock options they received) as many 5 of these stocks they received with their job were basically worthless at the time but the companies gave it to them. These stocks were an added benefit they received as part of their pay… Then when the company went public, these people woke up one morning and were suddenly multi-millionaires!

Make no mistake, living frugally and saving money for many decades can definitely make you a millionaire… But if you want to make the most money in the shortest period of time, you must commit yourself to becoming self-employed!

Posted in Home Businesses | Print | No Comments »

2. October 2007 by Pat.

Copyright © 2003 Priya Shah

Duplication is one of the most important concepts in Network Marketing.

It is the network marketer’s ultimate dream to develop a system that can be replicated by anyone with average intelligence, just by following the exact methods passed on from one generation to another.

But the fact is that we’re all very unique individuals with very different qualities and talents.

So should we really force ourselves and our downline to become clones, all mouthing the same scripts, whether we mean it or not? I don’t think so.

In fact I believe its one of the main reasons that so many people drop out of this business - because the methods used by their upline do not complement their unique personality and character traits.

I truly believe that everyone can be a winner - but not by blindly following in the footsteps of our “mentors.” You will never be successful if you are not comfortable with doing what it takes.

Here are a few tips that might help to overcome this problem.

1. Learn the Basic Skills

We all need to go to school to learn the basic skills necessary to find our rightful place in society.

So if you intend to do business online, you WILL need to acquire a few basic skills in internet marketing - using the software you need, writing ads, designing a simple website, writing articles, publishing a newsletter.

These are the A-B-Cs of marketing that you MUST learn if you want to survive online.

As a network marketer, you will also need to develop a winning attitude and to believe in your own ability to succeed.

But HOW you apply these new-found skills or attitudes may be completely different from the way your mentor or upline applies them. And that’s the way it should be.

2. Celebrate Your Uniqueness

Your personality is a combination of your own life experiences, education and outlook on life. These are things that can never be duplicated from person to person.

Instead of being ashamed of your past lifestyle or failures, share them with your prospects and customers. Get personal and let them know where you’re coming from.

Frank Garon, who makes over $130,000 a year, revels in being known as a ‘former New Jersey truck driver.’ Tom ‘Big Al’ Schreiter’s revelations on his attempts to lose weight get more reader responses than any other section of his newsletter.

Sharing that bit of their personality helped them create empathy, an image of them in the minds of others, and made thousands of people trust them enough to join their business.

3. Be Yourself

Because marketing is all about building relationships, you should let your personality come through in your communications, so you can build trust and network with like-minded people.

If you force yourself to become a clone of someone else, no matter how successful they are, you will always sound insincere and that will put people off.

People are more likely to do business with someone they know and trust. Or with someone who forges an emotional bond with them.

Be sincere, let them know something about you that they can empathize with and you’re on your way to building a relationship.

So throw away those scripts. Or read the best ones and make them your own. Rewrite them to complement the way you would normally speak or interact with people.

You can always try to duplicate a system, a script, or even success. But the only thing that can ever really be duplicated is “Uniqueness.”

Posted in Home Businesses | Print | No Comments »