5 TIPS for Home-Based Business Entrepreneurs
By Dave Blake | July 31, 2007
Have you ever heard that only a small part (5%) of ‘all’ Home-Based Business entrepreneurs achieve success?
Do an online research on your favorite Search Engine and you will understand what I mean.
In this article I’m going to show you the KEY to Home-Based Business entrepreneurs success; you’ll find out what makes an entrepreneur succesful in the home-based business field.
Below are 5 TIPS for Home-Based Business Entrepreneurs:
1. It’s their mindset that brings success
Serious entrepreneurs have ‘programmed’ their mind to succeed no matter what. They don’t lack focus on their home-based business and let nobody stop their plans in achieving what they want.
They know what they want and they have the DESIRE to succeed. If you don’t know exactly what you want when it comes your home-based business, think about it again and re-consider your plans, what you want to achieve, a get-rick-quick or a profitable, long term business.
2. It’s their start-up plan that brings success
Smart entrepreneurs know that it takes time to set-up and grow a profitable home-based business. They plan to succeed. They have a start-up plan that might fail but they never give up and start again with a better plan.
Serious entrepreneurs know that it takes discipline and time to build a strong and solid home-based business, which delivers ongoing income through many years to come.
3. It’s their initial RESEARCH that brings success
Smart and serious entrepreneurs know the importance of market research. They know that in order, for a home-based business to succeed, they have to research their target market (their potential customers) and study their competitors.
Research your target market and study your competitors in order to have a long-term, profitable home-based business.
Know what your customers want and give it to them. Keep an eye on your competitors, study their offer(s) and make sure you come up with a better deal than them.
4. It’s their marketing strategy that brings success
Study each successful entrepreneur in your marketing field and you’ll notice how they market online / offline.
Each of them have their own ‘unique’ marketing strategy but they use the same basic principles.
Don’t re-invent the wheel. Use the main marketing concepts that are proven to work but try to improve and adjust them to your own situation. Make them work for your home-based business. Make your offer better and unique than your competitiors if you want to WIN in this business, or simply quit (I know that’s no what you really want!)
5. It’s their investment that brings success
Smart entrepreneurs know that the KEY is to work SMART, not hard. If you don’t have the required skills to develop a NEW marketing tactic for your home-based business why not hire a consultant who knows his stuff?
If you have ‘enough’ money why not invest in someone who can help you grow your home-based business and give me something to work at too?
What is more valuable to you, your time or your money?
A serious entrepreneur is ready to invest (both time and money). He knows that he will build a long-term successful business for him and the one he loves (friends, family, children, etc.)
The final (or first?) STEP you need to take in order to succeed is to act (take ACTION!). Yes, put into practice what I have told you above (the 5 TIPS for Home-Based Business Entrepreneurs) and you’ll succeed, no matter what. Trust me!
Topics: Success | No Comments »
A Rough Guide to Everyday Mental Calculation!
By Dave Blake | July 30, 2007
We all need to check a bill from time to time.
The problem is, how do you do it when you’re in a rush, when you’re under pressure, and when you don’t have a calculator handy?
Actually, it’s not at all difficult if you know what to look for. Here’s how to do it…
Example 1 ———
Suppose you are ordering some building supplies and you want to check that the price is about right before you open your check book.
You order 213 posts at $5.85 per post.
These numbers can be approximated to 200 posts at $6 per post.
Multiplying 200 and 6 is easy: the expected bill should be about $1200.
Basically you just look at the figures and round them to the nearest convenient unit. (That’s why we approximated $5.85 to $6).
Example 2 ———
Similarly for 330 pieces of turf @ 65 cents each, just find 300 × 70 = 21000 cents = $210.
— TIP ————————————————–
When multiplying numbers ending in zeros e.g. 10 x 100 = 1000: you always end up with the number of zeros added. So 1000 x 30,000 = 30,000,000 (7 zeros)
— TIP ————————————————–
Example 3 ———
If there are more items in the bill you can still get a rough answer:
62 planks @ $2.85 each, 28 joists @ $6.99 each. Nails: $8
Get 60 × 3 = 180 for the planks, and 30 × 7 = 210 for the joists. The nails are $8, let’s say $10.
So the rough total is: 180 + 210 + 10 = $400
Now who needs a calculator?
Topics: Strategy | No Comments »
5 Tips for Customizing your Resume
By Dave Blake | July 29, 2007
Gone are the days of the bland, generic one-page resume. Employers these days are more impressed by a resume that is customized and they tend to give jobs to interviewees that have a bit of knowledge about the company.
By doing your research, you’re showing initiative, which impresses potential employers. It will also help you decide whether or not you would feel comfortable working for the company, and would fit in with others at the office and the overall atmosphere.
Researching the company can also help you ace the dreaded job interview, since it will give you an idea of what you want to communicate, and how you can incorporate that sentiment into the company philosophy.
Overall, it will decrease stress levels because you’re already just a bit more prepared than the average applicant. So relax… and start your research!
Here are five tips to customizing your resume:
1- Visit the company’s website: read past the obvious introductory pieces. Pay special attention to the layout and design- they should give clues as to the type of company it is. If possible, familiarize yourself with the key players in the company.
2- Go beyond the company site: Google the company name, and read some of the recent news articles, annual reports or any other relevant information you can find.
3- Seek out the competitors: talk to anyone you know who works for one of the competitors to find out how your potential employer is viewed in their industry.
4- Inquire around the water cooler: ask your friends and co-workers what they know about the company.
5- Pick up the phone: call the company, and ask the receptionist their views on the company, including dress code, organization, leadership style, and overall office atmosphere.
Topics: Networking | No Comments »
15 Ways Salespeople Can Get Motivated
By Dave Blake | July 28, 2007
First, recognize that motivation is an inside job. The word motivate means to impel, inspire, hope, stimulate, incite, propel, spur, goad, move, induce, prompt, instigate, fire, provoke, actuate, cause, egg on, drive, excite, and to trigger. Don’t wait for someone to motivate you, here are 17 ways you can motivate yourself.
1. Set daily, weekly, monthly, yearly and lifetime goals. A goal is a goal if it’s writing. Goals get you going in the direction that’s right for you.
2. Listen to a motivational tape. Record into a tape recorder your favorite quotes, anecdotes and personal success stories. Play back your tape frequently. Nothing is more motivating than the sound of your own voice. Try it!
3. Get motivated to make better telephone calls by buying Art Sobczak’s new book, “How To Sell More In Less Time With No Rejection.” To order call Art at 402-895-9399 or visit his web site www.businessbyphone.com.
4. To overachieve every quota you are given take this advice. First write yourself a check dated for 12/31/04 payable to yourself and write how much you want to earn on the amount line. Make three laminated copies and put one in your briefcase, auto console, and home office. Second, always aim higher than the quota you are given. If you adjust your aim, the results will follow.
5. Buy an inspirational book of quotations and keep it in your car. Read three quotes daily. Remember - inspirational words usually inspire us.
6. Invest 15 minutes daily to read books and articles about the selling profession. This is gourmet food for your brain. Don’t skip a day.
7. Get a mentor, preferably one outside of your company. The truly successful people never go it alone.
8. To jack-up your sales performance, prepare your own laminated cue cards. Create cue cards for making appointments, your 12 best questions, for handling the price objection, and for asking for the order. Each cue card should be prepared word-for-word. Your performances will sky-rocket.
9. Buy a composition notebook for your car. Record your successes, failures, and daily observations about your selling environment.
10. Read the “The Ancient Scrolls” an inspiring book by Tim Connor. To order call 800-222-9070 or e-mail him at Tim@TimConnor.com.
11. To get motivated about improving your personal financial situation, set a personal net worth goal and write it on a spread sheet, then review it monthly. Self worth increases proportionately with net worth.
12. Tell your family if you achieve 110% or more of your annual sales quota - you’ll take them anywhere they want to go on vacation.
13. Tell your family when you reach a new monthly sales record milestone, you’ll take them out to celebrate.
14. Select one song that really gets you moving and play it every morning as you back out of your driveway.
15. Make a dinner date with your spouse tonight then go some place special.
Every day is a great day, especially if you don’t see your name in the obituary section of the paper.
When you’re motivated you can make every day a masterpiece.
Topics: Motivation | No Comments »
3 Simple Keys Will Make Your Customers Stick
By Dave Blake | July 27, 2007
Do you spend a lot of time and energy courting prospective new customers, hoping to pump up your bottom line? If so, you’re probably missing an untapped source of sales that exists right inside your company — there’s truth in the statement that your customer list is your most valuable asset.
There’s a gold mine of opportunities to make easier sales and create a loyal following of customers that will return time and again by using your existing customer base to grow your sales. But when I ask small business owners what action they are taking to keep in touch with current customers, the answer is normally “we don’t.”
How do you turn a pile of dusty invoices and sales receipts into profit generators for your business? How can you create loyal customers who will return time and again to increase your small business bottom line? There are three keys to creating customer loyalty.
1. Know Who They Are
Do you? Compile and maintain a list of your customers. Track their habits. Monitor your list so you know when they are doing business with you differently. Then ask why.
2. Know What They’re Worth
I overheard a remark the other day. It was, “Oh, that lady. I barely pay attention to her. She comes in twice a week, but only spends about five dollars. What a waste of my time.” Have you had the same thought about any of your customers? Before you dismiss the customer that only spends five dollars, take a look at her long-term value. How often does she purchase over time? How many people does she refer to you that have the same spending habits? A $5 customer can really be worth over $50,000 in the long term and should be treated like a queen.
3. Take Action
Your customers are busy people. They need to be reminded that you exist and how you can eliminate their pain (wants or needs). Have you ever received mail from a company and decided to save it so you could “check them out later?” Then you find that piece of mail in your “to do” stack months later and realize you never contacted them. Your customers do that too. You have to remind them. Often.
Customer loyalty is not rocket science. But it does take consistent effort. Over 90% of small business owners are letting money walk out the door of their business each and every day. Are you one of them?
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