Work At Home Business Options

Archive for January, 2012

6 Email Marketing Tips that Build Trust & Increase Sales by Ms. Liz

Having an opt-in email list is more than just sending subscribers your newsletters, tips, promotions and sales letters; it’s about establishing a positive relationship with your readers. People rarely buy from those they don’t trust but by fostering fond relationships with your subscribers you’re increasing their confidence in you which in turn will dramatically increase sales.

Here are 6 tips that will create reader confidence, build lasting relationships with your subscribers, lessen your opt-out rate and best of all, boost sales.

Tip #1 – Set Expectations for Your Subscribers

Be clear about what your subscribers are signing up for. That means telling them exactly what kind of emails they’ll get such as a newsletter, tips, ecourse, special report, etc. Also specify how often they can expect an email. Also, for easy recognition it’s a good idea to indicate what email address your emails will be coming from.

Tip #2 – Help Viewers Learn About You

Before asking for a sign-up, direct your viewers to your personal page where they can learn about you and your business. Share some personal trivia about yourself and include some pictures and a personal signature. Let your visitors see and relate to the ‘real’ you. The more they come to know and like you the more trust they will bestow in you.

Tip #3 – Respect your Subscribers Time

Your subscribers granted you permission to email them; this is a privilege, not a right so respect that. Send them only information and content that relates to what they signed up for. Introduce new products gradually. Sending blatant sales pitches are a sure way to increase opt-outs.

It’s also important to note that even though it may not be costing your subscribers money to opt-in to your list, it is costing them time to open your emails, read them and take action. Keeping your content relevant and to the point is recognizing that their time is valuable and they will appreciate that.

Tip #4 – Email on a Consistent Basis

Never flood your email subscribers in box, but don’t ignore them either. When you get a new subscriber send them a welcome letter but don’t wait a month or more to send them their next email. People subscribe to things all the time, so without consistent communication they often forget they signed up. Waiting long between emails increases the chance they’ll opt-out or worse yet, hit the spam button. Instead, use a good email autoresponder and send messages consistently.

Tip #5 – Always provide an Unsubscribe Option

No one wants subscribers to opt-out but you must give your subscribers the option. It not only shows your professionalism it also indicates that you’re a legitimate business and not a spammer. Use the double opt-in feature provided with most email autoresponders, it will considerably reduce the number of unsubscribes.

Tip #6 – Promote Less and Help More

People don’t like to be sold to; they like to buy on their own terms. Before they buy they need reasons, benefits and most importantly, trust in who they’re purchasing from. The “buy this because I like it” approach rarely woks and will annoy your readers.

If you have a product to sell use a slow paced approach by demonstrating how your product will benefit your viewers. A subscriber is not likely to stick around if they see you as someone only interested in making a quick sale. Your subscribers have come to you as a resource for help and information so be respectful of that. The more you help them, the more they will see you as genuine resource, then when the time comes for them to buy; they will look to you first.

In summary, don’t target your subscriber list as a way to make money, instead focus on building a strong relationship with them. Treat your subscribers well and they will treat you well.

Check in with Elizabeth for More Free Yet Dynamic Email Marketing Tips that will instantly boost sales no matter what size email list you have.

Article Source: WAHM Articles

How Do I Keep My Parties From Canceling? by D.L. Mayer

The goal of almost every Party Plan consultant is to fill their calendars. After all, the best place to sell your products and book more parties is at a party. But getting those dates filled is only the first step. They only count if they hold.

The best maxim for this situation is “the best defense is a good offense.” And in the case of Party Plan businesses, it’s all in the hostess coaching. Hostesses find all sorts of reasons to cancel. Some are, of course, legitimate. In those cases, she most likely will reschedule. But some just aren’t. I think the most unreasonable one I have ever received was the “I have company coming in, and I have a doctor’s appointment (lucky her to get a doctor’s appointment on a Friday night!).” It would be better to never hear the lame excuses, so how do we avoid them? Why do hostesses cancel? Let’s look at three different reasons hostesses cancel and what we can do about them.

1. She procrastinated sending out invitations.

Although she may never admit it, your hostess will usually cancel if she has not sent out invitations. It is easier to not have you show up then to only have one or two people there. This is actually one of the easier situations to avoid. Many companies train their consultants to send out invitations for their hostess. This is a great service for your hostess and a great marketing tool for you. If you don’t already, offer to send out invitations as a way to save your hostess time and money (the cost of stamps). You can accomplish several things just for the cost of stamps by doing this. First, you know the invitations were sent. Second, you can increase her party attendance. Get the hostess to make her last minute calls by telling her that you numbered five of the invitations. If she finds the people with the numbered invitations, she’ll receive a prize at the party. Third, you can follow up with all the people who didn’t attend and possibly increase your party sales or bookings. Usually only 25% to 50% of invited guests actually attend. If you don’t have the guest list, you’ve missed out on reaching half her guests.

2. She is no longer excited about the party.

Hostesses can loose their enthusiasm for your party for a couple of reasons. Aside from life just getting in the way, there are usually two main reasons for this. First, the party is just booked too far out. The more time in between her party and the one she attended, the more likely she is to forget why she booked it in the first place. It is usually a good rule of thumb to book your parties no more than three to six weeks out. Keep them close to keep them booked. The second reason she looses her interest is because you are not excited. One of the biggest complaints hostesses have about their party reps is that they were not contacted enough. Of course, when you’re on the rep’s end of the phone, it can sometimes feel like you’re pestering them. But in this case, less is not more. Keeping in contact with your hostess does not mean that you have to call them. Be creative about keeping in touch. Aim to contact her four times before her party date. Send her a thank you note for booking the party (with your business card on a magnet so she doesn’t loose your contact info). Email her to ask for the guest list. Call her to let her know the invitations were sent out. Send her a postcard reminding her of the date and time. Call her the week of her party to remind her to make her last minute phone calls. This scenario is especially important if you have to book the parties farther out. People appreciate good customer service. And the more contact you have with her, the better chance you’ll have of catching a scheduling problem early.

3. She doesn’t respect you as a business.

Although it’s blunt, it’s the truth. Unfortunately, many people view Party Plan businesses as a hobby. It isn’t a real job. You just do it to get free or discounted products. Because they think this way, they don’t see it as being any real problem to cancel on you. This issue can be difficult to tackle because it requires you to change your perspective on your business. First, make sure you treat your business as a business. Nobody can respect you, if you don’t respect yourself. Along the same lines, you must think highly of yourself and what you have to offer. And (hardest of all) you cannot always be available. Oh, I know. Easy for me to say. But consider the psychology behind the statement “you always want what you can’t have.” If you are always available, bending over backwards to meet the needs of your clients’ schedules, how can they possibly respect you. If she knows that she can cancel this weekend’s party and you’ll have another weekend available for her, what is her incentive to keep her party on the original date? You just cannot act desperate no matter how many dates you don’t have on the books. The crazy thing is, the more in demand you appear to be, the more in demand you will be. When a hostess is ready to book her party, offer her a choice of two or three of the next dates you want to fill. If she suggests or even demands something else, simply let her know that date is not available. You don’t have to explain why. Then, to show just how busy you are, you can offer to see if one of your co-workers has that date available. (Can you hear her gasping? Who ever heard of a consultant giving away parties?) Most hostesses will want to book with the rep they know, so they will pick one of your dates. If not, this is a great way to help new recruits fill their calendars. You still benefit from the party. But if you are so booked that you will offer to give away a party, you will be more attractive as a rep. Everyone will want you to do their shows. They will also see you as more successful and will be more interested in joining your team. And soon, you will be as busy as you claim to be.

Cancellations are somewhat inevitable in the direct sales business. These steps can help you to minimize your cancellations, so you can better build an income you can depend on. Please email me with your success stories!

Deanna Mayer is the stay at home mother of two. When she isn’t carting her boys around their Denver suburb, she is busy building her ideal career at www.itvventures.com/dlm . She is currently launching her newest product line, Naked Minerals, the first 100% pure pressed mineral cosmetics. 
Article Source: WAHM Articles

Do You Need More Bookings? If so, check out that site!

Home Based, Work At Home, WAHM, Direct Sales, Home Party Business Owners – Get Organized! by Deb Bixler

The New Year is a time when home party business consultants can revamp their office and add some new organizational techniques to their home business business systems. The classic New Year’s resolution is a perfect excuse to add some new systems to your direct selling office management repetoire.

Becoming More Organized in Party Plan Businesses Next Year

The old year is almost over and the new year is right around the corner. Time to think about a New Year?s resolution or two. If you own a home party business, one of the most common resolutions is to become more organized in the new year. Party plan office organization is one of the best things you can do for your business and your stress level!

As a home based business business owner, it is important to think of January as ?Get Organized Month.? WAHM Business owners often get so busy and consumed by the actual operation of their business that organization begins to crumble and things start to get messy. Use the start of 2012 to get your business organized.

Get Your Party Plan Business Organized In New Year

* Create a WAHM business plan. Every business needs one to succeed. Even if you already have a business plan, the start of a new year is the ideal time to revise the old one. A business plan is the outline for your business and should incorporate all aspects of your business.

* Create a filing system for all your papers and documents. If you already have a filing system, the new year marks a great time to clean it out. Your filing should consist of papers that require immediate action, papers that are important but are not of immediate concern, important documents, reference materials, and stuff you should have thrown out a long time ago. Throw that old junk out!

* For all your papers that you need for reference, create an easy to use system. Many business owners spend an inordinate amount of time looking for information or documents. Start the new year by organizing these papers and you?ll save tons of time during the remainder of the year.

* Go through all your papers, documents, and materials one more time. A large percentage of all saved materials are never used again. When people clean out their closets, they apply the rule that if it hasn?t been worn during the past year, it can be eliminated. This rule works for much of your paperwork, though there are obviously some documents you will need as long as you are in business.

When you take the time to clean house you will be more effective in the new year. All businesses are a work in progress and yours should be no exception. A short afternoon of office re-organization will kick your WAHM business off on a good trackfor the new year.

When you incorporate these home party and other home party
business tips into your business you will create a consistent income year round. Learn more direct sales business success systems that work for all companies at: http://www.CreateACashFlowShow.com

Article Source: WAHM Articles

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The holidays are finally over so it’s time to get back down to business and January is the perfect time for you to buckle down & get busy building your direct sales home business!

The majority of direct sales companies launch all kinds of great booking incentives for the month of January each & every year and it is YOUR JOB to use those booking incentives to fill up your January and February booking calendar.

A lot of companies will offer double host rewards, extra 1/2 price off items, attendance specials and other great deals to get people to book parties during the month of January. In addition, they often offer deep discounts and unbeatable deals to guests/customers who attend those booked parties!

Let’s get busy today calling up all of your past party hosts and asking them to book a party right away! They can call up those they want to invite or send them email invitations to the party. You can plan and get a party onto the books and ready to go in just one week. Trust me, it can be done! 

You also want to call up potential hosts who have been dragging their feet in booking a party with you and let them know about all those great booking incentives you have going on for the month. While you are at it let them know about the customer sales deals too…give it all to them and “rev them up” for a party booking! Make sure you sound super excited when speaking to them so that your excitement becomes contagious and they catch it!

If you work hard this first week in January lining up bookings/datings for the month of January that will carry you over into February and March because you will get bookings from those January parties to feed the next 2 months on your calendar.

So what are you waiting for? Time to get busy, make those calls and book those parties!!!

Do You Need More Bookings? If so, check out that site!

Even though this article is geared towards those of you who still work outside the home with an in-office career…I still wanted to post it as it has some awesome tips that you can use now until you transition to a work at home position or telecommuting position. ~ Shelly

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New Year’s Career Resolutions

10 Resolutions to advance your career in 2012

New York – Creating career resolutions are a critical component for your success, and a new year brings new opportunities.  Julie Redfield, talent management expert at PA Consulting Group, offers the following New Year’s career resolutions to take on in 2012 to help advance your career: 

1.    Build my professional network: reconnect with school friends, prior employers and others in my profession. You never know where that next opportunity will come from!
2.    Identify a mentor, at least two levels up from me, and ask them for career advice. (People love being asked for their opinion, and often mentors will open up doors for you)
3.    Clarify my priorities and 2012 objectives with my boss. Ask what a “great” performance would look like for me.
4.    Identify one person in the office that I don’t know, and make an effort to get to know them and learn what their career aspirations are.
5.    Make sure my boss knows my career aspirations.
6.    Dress like I’m the CEO. (You always want to dress for the job you want to have.)
7.    Set a daily list of priorities for myself.
8.    Ask my boss every Monday what’s on his or her worry list, and offer my help.
9.    Give at least one person a genuine compliment every day. Be specific with what I appreciate about that person.
10.    Rather than join in the water cooler conversation about something negative, I’m going to ask people what they are going to do about solving the problem.

Julie Redfield is a talent management expert at PA Consulting Group. She brings crisp clear solutions to complex people issues, combining the human perspective with sound business practices, preparing companies to have the right people ready for the right roles at the right time. She brings a commercial focus to the HR function by having it motivate and engage employees, focus on business outcomes and drive bottom line growth.

About PA Consulting Group

PA Consulting Group is a leading management and IT consulting and technology firm. Independent and employee-owned, PA Consulting operates globally in more than 30 countries and transforms the performance of major organizations in both private and public sectors. From initial idea generation and strategy development through to detailed implementation, PA Consulting delivers significant and tangible results. PA Consulting has outstanding technology development capability; a unique breadth of skills from strategy to performance improvement, HR to IT; and strong expertise in communications, defense, energy, financial services, government and public services, healthcare and manufacturing.  For more information about PA Consulting Group, please visit www.paconsulting.com.