Work At Home Business Options

Archive for September, 2010

During the cold winter months, I spend a lot of time in my kitchen baking. One of the things I love to bake is a variety of homemade banana breads and this particular recipe is very easy to make. The banana bread comes out with a sweet taste that is super moist thanks to the addition of the pineapple.

Pineapple Banana Bread Recipe

3 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 c. oil
2 c. bananas, mashed
8 oz. can of crushed pineapple
*optional* chopped pecans or walnuts

Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl, set aside. Mix remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Add dry ingredients and mix. Grease and flour 2 loaf pans. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 50-60 minutes or until done.

Note: If you want them to come out nice and brown, try baking your bread in silicone bakeware.

If you have any family recipes that you would like to share with us & our readers, let us know :)

One of the things that can destroy your blog and your blogging business reputation is to post negative comments onto your blog about another blogger and/or their blog.

Even if you don’t mention the person’s name or their blogs name, this does indeed reflect poorly onto you. By bashing other business people and their blogs on your own web site shows that you too can be unprofessional. If someone angers you or posts something that you don’t like, you should be the professional and just walk away.

These days as I make my daily blog rounds I often see various types of blog bashing going on and it really irks me to see it. If you have a problem with a person, a business or something on their blog, you should walk away or address it with that person in private. No one wants to read bashing and negativity on a person’s blog.

Shelly

Are you planning a Birthday Party for your small child? Looking for some creative places on where to hold the party that young children will love? If so, I got some great ideas to share with you! Some of these ideas are low cost places and other’s are more expensive. Most of these places are great unisex places but a few are more geared towards boys or girls.

Before you try to find a place to hold the Birthday Party, you will want to come up with the guest list first, as the places you contact will ask you how many will be attending and that will include your adult chaperons too. They will also ask you about the food, will you be providing it or will you need it catered by them?

Once you find the perfect location to hold the party, you can then work on picking out a theme and purchasing all of the food and supplies that you will need. A piece of advice, always plan for a few extra guests when making your reservations and purchasing your supplies!

My Top Places On Where To Hold A Party List

1. Your Home (always works well if you have space and a backyard)
2. Bowling Alley
3. Salon or Day Spa
4. Pottery, Arts and Crafts Studios
5. Horse and Pony Stables (for horseback riding)
6. Snack Food Factory (a lot of them have children’s parties with factory tours available)
7. Zoo, Aquarium or Local Farm
8. Circus or Hire A Clown To Attend Home Party
9. Ice Skating, Roller Skating Rink or Ski Lodge
10. Movie Theater for Private Showing
11. Sporting Event or Athletic Arena (football, baseball, hockey, basketball, etc.)
12. Music Concert (geared towards children of course)
13. Puppet Theater (for a Puppet Show)
14. Local Outdoor Park, Picnic Area or Beach
15. Cooking & Baking at local Culinary School or Bakery (kids love to cook and bake)
16. Tea Party (at a local tea house)
17. Restaurants (if you child has a favorite place that they like to eat, contact them to arrange a party)
18. Outdoor Camping (with plenty of adult supervision)
19. Miniature Golf
20. Arcade and Game Center, Amusement Parks
21. Nature Science Center or Museums
22. Airports (usually your smaller community airports allow parties)
23. Music Recording Studios
24. Ballet and Gymnastic Studios
25. Local Fishery (for boy’s fishing party)
26. Local Speedway or Racing Facility
27. Train Stations or Train Museums (boys love trains!)
28. Boating Facilities (near big lakes, rivers and oceans)
29. Rock Climbing Facility
30. Pet Shop, Pet Rescue Group Facility or Shelter

This article was written by Shelly Hill, copyright 2011, All Rights Reserved.

How To Suceed as A Home Party Sales Consultant – Tips on Marketing, Party Themes & Game Ideas
By Sarah Makowsky

You went to a home show not expecting to buy much, but then you fell in love with the products, signed some papers, and WHAM you are now the proud owner of a home business. When you wake up the morning after the party, you may feel like you are waking up with a hang over as you wonder, “what have I done?!?” Especially when you try to muster up the enthusiasm to explain the new business venture that you’ve signed up for to your not so enthusiastic and down right unimpressed husband.

If your husband’s cynicism has you second guessing your decision, rest assured you have made a good choice. You are in the right place at the right time. With the fast paced stressful lifestyles of today, many people turn to the internet for after hours shopping from home. Another side effect of today’s hectic lifestyle is that it leaves women disconnected and longing for girlfriend time. So a home party show fills two modern needs: shopping and girlfriend time. It is a concept that was destined to succeed. Maybe that is why the direct party home sales industry is growing so rapidly. According to the IRS tax records from 2005, an estimated 13.3 million people nationwide and over 47.3 million people worldwide that have decided to enter the home party direct sales industry.

It seems like a new direct sale business opens every day. It used to be that Tupperware was in a league of its own and the Tupperware parties were pretty much the only home party company on the scene. But those days of dominance are gone. Tupperware began breaking off into many different subsidiaries set up to target diverse markets. Other companies ran to get in the game.

Now there are companies that specialize in everything from spa, make-up, home specialty products, children’s books, scrapbooking, stamping and so much more. If you can dream it, there is probably already a direct sale company that already sells it. All of this makes it easier than ever to find a company (or several companies) that sell products you love. Becoming a consultant for the company gives you a great opportunity to get the products at great discounts. Plus when your friends and family love it too, you have a great opportunity for part time income.

So even if the fast talking home party consultant that signed you up started to make you feel like a used car buyer with her smooth talking well rehearsed speech about how rosy things will be for you and how much money you will make with her company, don’t feel like you were duped. The truth is, if you are careful and do your research so you can avoid falling into common pitfalls, you can get a lot for a very low cash investment. This book will give you all kinds of tips and suggestions for managing your time wisely and making the most of your business in a short time. Most important, it will give you the tools you need to advertise yourself and your business with enthusiasm.

You were smart to enter this booming market. Sales are setting new records every year. New people are constantly signing up. There are so many opportunities for you if you know how to take advantage of them. So where do you begin? Get new leads with these theme & booking ideas:

Sneak Preview: If someone is interested in finding out more about your products, invite them over for a one-on-one preview of your products. After you’ve shown her all your products, offer a package deal that is too good to pass up! For instance you may put together a group of 10 bestsellers and offer it at a discount. This is not as much as your new consultant bundle that she would get if she becomes a consultant. You do not want her to feel like all you are interested in doing here is sign her up! You really want to generate interest in your products, so just put together a few things that may add up to about $60 or $70 to thank her and get her hooked on your favorite products.

Nights Too Busy to Party: Do a quick get-together over brunch! Bagels, donuts, a fresh pot of coffee and me! Perfect for a Saturday or Sunday morning. In an hour or two your party will be complete and the rest of the day is yours! Each guest who brings a goodie to share will receive a free gift.

Book To Look: Give everyone an envelope that says book to look on the outside and tell everyone that they can open it at the end of the demonstration if they plan on booking a party. Inside I put either coupons or gift certificates for them to use at their show. Everyone is usually dying to see what they receive so they book a show just to see what they get.

Make your parties fun so others want to book with these game ideas:

Get To Know Each Other Game: This game makes a nice icebreaker, especially if most of the guests do not know each other. It can also provide you some clues about who may be a potential prospect. Pass around a bag of M&Ms. Tell everyone to take as many as they would like. Quickly ask them to count the number of candies in their hand. Each person then takes a turn standing up and telling as many things about themselves and their family as they have M&M.s. Of course no one is allowed to eat their M&Ms until they have had their turn.

Purse Scavenger Hunt or Let’s Make a Deal: Remember that old game show, Let’s Make a Deal? At the end of every show, Monty Hall would give audience members money for a specific unusual item. This is the same idea. Divide guests into teams of two or three, giving them a list of slightly unusual items, including a few “why in the world would you carry that in a purse?” items. Assign points to each item based on the likelihood that someone will have it. (a lipstick carries 10 points, a can opener 90 points). The team with the most points is the winner.

Replace It Game: Give each guest an index card. Ask each guest to write down an appliance, piece of furniture or other thing in their home that they would like to replace. Ask them to list 5 or 6 reasons why they would like to get rid of it. When they have all finished their lists, have them cross out the item to replace and put in the name of their husband (or their significant other). Now have each of them read their cards one person at a time. They have to say, “I want to get rid of _______ (Ron, Tim, Bill), because he is, and then list the five reasons. Example: Couch. 1. Old. 2. Ugly. 3. Too Small. 4. Wrong Color. 5. Stinks. Now have them change couch to their husband’s name and when they read it, it goes like this: I want to get rid of Ron because he is old, ugly he’s to small, he’s the wrong color and he stinks.

Visit http://www.homebusinessmakeover.com for a great selection of tips and products that will help you work more efficiently. We offer a huge selection of cute, catchy & professional templates full of EVERYTHING you need to make your life a little easier! We offer customized marketing items and templates for flyers, handouts, business cards, thank you notes, incentive plans, hostess helpers, client loyalty plans, exciting party themes, and fun new games to jazz up your home business. Plus our bookkeeping & inventory management spreadsheets will store all your critical information like cash flow, inventory & events in one spot!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sarah_Makowsky

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What Can We All Learn from Network Marketing? Seven Lessons for Every Business
By Scott Allen

Network marketing, or multi-level marketing, is one of the fastest-growing business models of the past few decades. Between 1993 and 2003, total direct selling revenues grew by 7.1% annually, dramatically above the rate of growth of the economy — and of total retail sales (according to the Direct Selling Association).

The most prominent examples of direct selling companies include Amway, Avon, Mary Kay, Nu Skin, and Herbalife, which recently went public. In 2003, U.S. total direct selling sales totaled more than $29 billion, or almost 1% of the over $3,397 billion for total U.S. retail sales (U.S. Census Bureau).

Any business model that has achieved this kind of success probably has lessons that all business people can learn from. We define this family of business models as a method of distribution in which people are paid for sales volume generated by people they have recruited into the distribution network. 20% of American adults reported they are now (6%) or have been (14%) a direct selling representative — defined as “the sale of a consumer product or service, person-to-person, away from a fixed retail location.” In 2000, 55% of American adults reported having, at some time, purchased goods or services from a direct selling representative.

A significant number of network marketers have negative experiences with the industry. That is why 70% of all people who have ever been a direct selling representative are no longer in the industry. For the purposes of this column, we will not go into the challenges and problems in the network marketing model. There are plenty of Web sites on that topic.

We all work for ourselves. Gone are the days of being a “company man” — your career is your business. Multi-level marketing just makes that explicit. Yet one of the things that makes the sector most attractive, the low barrier to entry, also creates some its greatest dangers. Many people get into it without the necessary skills to run a successful business.

We are primarily interested in what lessons all business people can learn from successful network marketing practices. We recently interviewed some of the industry’s top experts and found seven lessons that all sales and marketing professionals can use to be more effective, regardless of their industry:

Every business is a relationship-based business

So says John Milton Fogg, founding editor of Networking Times, author of The Greatest Networker in the World, and one of the most successful teachers of network marketing. You cannot sell an inferior product with a superior relationship, but you need at least a functional relationship to sell your product. That is particularly apparent in multi-level marketing, an industry built around belly-to-belly sales.

Think analytically about your network

Shaul Gabbay, in his book Social Capital in the Creation of Financial Capital: The Case of Network Marketing, reports that the fastest-rising group of entrepreneurs [of the direct selling representatives whom he studied] were those who had initial weak ties to dense networks. In other words, successful salespeople penetrate an untouched market, and then work to gain a high market share in that market. This is easier to do if that untouched market is highly dense; everyone in it knows all the players. Why? Because word of mouth in that type of network will spread more rapidly about the value of your product or service. This principle is particularly evident in network marketing, an industry where “networks go to work.” However, the same idea applies to almost any business.

Create a community around your product

One of the great ironies of the software business is that not only do many software companies outsource their development off shore; many also outsource their customer support to their own customers! When Best Software encourages you to visit their user forums to discuss your issues in using Act! software, that is a very cheap way for Best to support their product. Multi-level marketing companies rely almost exclusively on their communities for sales, support, follow-up, and recruiting.

Leverage the unleveraged

In 2002, 79.9% of the direct selling sales force was female. 56% completed only a partial college education, technical or trade school, or have only a high school education. This sales force looks very unlike the traditional American corporate sales force, which typically is much more male and has a higher level of education. However, the direct selling sales force looks just like their customers. People can be very effective salespeople when selling to their own community, because the common culture and interests create a foundation to build strong relationships more quickly.

Build a relationship first

“Internet marketers and network marketers share a common, terminal disease,” Fogg says. “If you think of the whole process like dating, we bring someone to our Web site, and then we ask them to have sex immediately. There has to be some courtship first.” One of the delicate aspects of network marketing is that people leverage their personal relationships to sell a product. Although that leverage makes some people queasy, the success of the network marketing model shows that many people do comfortably build multiplex relationships: Their friends are their customers, and vice versa. With delicacy, you can do the same thing.

Not everyone is a prospect

One mistake some network marketers make, as do many other sales people and marketers, is thinking of everyone they meet as a prospect. In network marketing, this is known as the “Three-Foot Rule”, i.e., anyone within three feet of you is a prospect. But top network marketers don’t do this. Max Steingart, creator of the “Success Online” training course for network marketers, says that it’s not just about figuring out when to make your pitch, but even if to make your pitch. “You just build relationships with a lot of people. Some will become prospects and some won’t,” he says. “There’s no timetable. If the time is right, you’ll know.”

Use online networks

The network marketing industry is a particularly good industry for leveraging online networks. Steingart teaches people how to “make the world your warm market,” specifically by using online networks. He reports that when he instant-messages someone to start a conversation about potentially joining his distribution network, 50% of the people he contacts will respond to the conversation. More and more sales and marketing professionals will use online networks to accelerate their sales.

What else can traditional businesses learn from the best practices of successful network marketers? We welcome your comments and feedback.

David Teten and Scott Allen are coauthors of The Virtual Handshake: Opening Doors and Closing Deals Online, the first business guide to sales, recruiting, and business acceleration with online networks, and joint contributors to TheVirtualHandshake.com resource site. They write a monthly column about online networks for FastCompany.com, where this article originally appeared.

David Teten is CEO of Nitron Advisors, an investment research firm which provides institutional investors and law firms with direct access to frontline industry experts. To participate in paid consulting opportunities, join Nitron’s Circle of Experts. Scott Allen is the About.com Entrepreneurs Guide, providing free resources and guidance to help entrepreneurs as they start and grow their business.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Scott_Allen

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Often times you will encounter various bloggers who want to exchange blog links and/or blog buttons with you and your blog. It is important to put up their link/button as soon as possible and it’s equally important to make sure your link/button is up on their site in a reasonable amount of time.

The most important thing is to schedule 30 minutes once a month to check out the links and buttons on your blog to make sure your link/button is still on their site. Why you might ask?

There are unreputable bloggers out there who will put your link/button up on their site and then in a few weeks or months they will remove it. They do this so they can build up their link count and they don’t notify you of the change because they don’t want to lose the incoming link to their blog. I think this is a very poor way to build up links and it’s a shady practice.

To protect yourself, get into the habit of checking out all of your links and buttons that you exchanged with others once a month. Remove any dead links or any links from sites that have removed your button/link. Don’t give others free links & advertising if they are not doing the same for you.