Work At Home Business Options

Posts Tagged ‘Work At Home & Jobs’

I firmly believe in the power of networking as I have seen first hand how this has helped me grow professionally and personally. You need to be consistent with your networking efforts and this holds true for both online and offline networking.

There are a few basic tips you should remember when it comes to networking and they are as follows:

1. Networking is not about selling your business or products to
everyone you meet.

2. Don’t come on too strong the first time you meet new people.

3. Share about yourself, not just your business. “People do business
with people they trust and people they have gotten to know.”

4. Ask people what they do and invite them to share about themselves
and their business.

5. Listen more than you talk and ask questions that will get people
talking — not just a yes or no answer.

6. Make notes on things people have that might be useful to
yourself or others.

*tip* I keep index cards on business contacts in a file box. I will write down information about this business contact on the index cards.

7. Find common ground with the person you’re getting to know. “People
do business with people just like them.”

8. If asked what you do don’t give someone a long sales pitch. Keep
it short and informative. If they want to know more they will ask.

9. Always tell the person you were talking with it was a pleasure
meeting them and ask if it is ok if you add them to your contact
list.

10. Ask for their business card — that way you can be sure that there
will be follow up. You can exchange cards if you wish but always get
their card or if online, their email or IM name. Ask permission to
contact them again.

This article is copyright 2008 by Shelly Hill, All Rights Reserved. This article can not be reprinted without Shelly’s permission and/or proper credit with live links given to the author who wrote the content who is Shelly Hill.

Today I would like to share a home business tip with you that I feel is very important…especially if you are networking and/or doing business online.

When online, you will come across many self-professed work at home experts and guru’s but you need to be careful in who you trust.

I have been networking and working online for 14 years and I can personally tell you that I have run into way too many to count folks who claim to be an expert in home business, business coaching, training, etc. Most of these times, these folks have had NO professional training and ‘think’ that after 1-2 years of running a home business, that it qualifies them to be an expert. As you can see…it is a big problem online.

My tip & advice to you today is this…if you are thinking about buying someone’s ebook, coaching or training services, you really need to check this person out. Ask them for references, educational/training background etc. You can not take their word on it nor can you figure out if they are legit or not.

Anyone can make a name for themself online…good or bad and when it’s bad…it takes some time to come out.

So always proceed with caution & ask for references and check them out before signing up or purchasing anything from home business guru’s or self-proclaimed experts.

Shelly

What is a Virtual Assistant? by D. L. Willms

A virtual assistant, or VA, is an administrative rofessional who outsources his or her administrative talents and experience to small business, individuals and corporations for a long or short-term period. Most virtual assistants have several years of experience in the corporate world, and bring to their business the training and experience accumulated during those years. Many administrators who leave the corporate world to start their own virtual assistant business do so because they are motivated to achieve and want to influence how their talents are used and developed. Virtual assistants are known for continually developing their administrative skills, business knowledge, and keeping up with leading edge technology to provide you, the client, with professional and reliable virtual service.

Virtual Assistants In Business

Virtual assistants are not employees. VAs are small business owners who work with you to support your business goals and needs. When you contract a virtual assistant, you receive expert and flexible administrative support, provided through popular and leading edge technology. VAs are business owners themselves and understand why you and your business need professional, timely, reasonably priced service. Because the client’s satisfaction is key to the success of a virtual assistant business, you can expect solid and reliable performance on a continuing basis.

Though virtual assistants can be engaged for an occasional project, their potential is best realized in ongoing business relationships with their clients. Over time, your virtual assistant will become more familiar with the workings of your business, so he or she can better support you and add to your success.

History of Virtual Assistants

The history of virtual assistants, as they are defined today, is only a few years old. Though “work-at-home secretaries” existed in the 1980s, the technology was not available for the industry to be truly virtual. The true virtual assistant began to emerge in 1995, after the explosive growth of the World Wide Web (WWW) in the mid-1990s. Through the Internet, faxes, and the telephone, these pioneers proved time and again that they could fully support their clientele virtually, from their home offices.

Virtual Assistants Today

The virtual assistant industry continues to grow by leaps and bounds. The many small businesses and entrepreneurs of today’s business world have found virtual assistants to be an invaluable resource.

Virtual assistants have come a long way from being “work at home” secretaries. They can be writers, proofreaders, editors, database creators, researchers, marketers, web designers … The list of possibilities is as diverse as the people who enter the VA industry. Business owners and independent professionals are realizing they no longer have to do everything on their own and are hiring virtual assistants to take care of tasks they no longer have time for, or that they don’t enjoy doing.

Where Is The VA Industry Going?

At one time, a common question was, “What’s a virtual assistant?” Now people are asking, “Who’s your virtual assistant?”

The current trend in business outsourcing means that the role of virtual assistants will become more significant in the future. As technology develops and business need grows, a virtual assistant may become a vital part of every successful business.

D. L. Willms works from her home as a virtual assistant. Visit her blog Virtual Assistant Resources to find virtual assistant articles, tools, news and resources.

Article Source: WAHM Articles

As a home business owner myself, I can tell you that I absolutely hate it when I get a business phone call before 8am or after 9pm EST.

What I have learnt over the years is that you should never make any type of customer/business phone calls to a persons home before 8am or after 9pm unless you have that customer/clients permission to do so.

It is perfectly fine for you to accept phone calls any time of the day or night that you see fit…but it’s not okay to call people up at inappropriate times because it ‘fits’ into your business schedule.

Furthermore, If you don’t know the time zone that your customer/client lives in…then your best bet is to try to call mid-day or early evening your time…that way you are not calling too early in the morning or too late at night in their particular time zone. (North America Time Zones)

Nothing will irritate a customer/client more than being waken from bed at 7am to take your call.

When making business calls, use common sense.

Shelly

Here are some recommendations in keeping your computer safe while you’re on the Internet.

If you like to use Internet Explorer 7, make sure your security settings in Internet Options are at it safest. Follow these steps:

Click on Tools then Internet Options
Click on the Security tab, then click on Custom Level

You will see: Active X Control and Plug-ins
The following should be Disabled

Automatic prompting for ActiveX controls
Binary and script behaviors
Download signed ActiveX controls
Download unsigned ActiveX controls
Initialize and script ActiveX controls not marked as safe

Scroll down to Downloads
Automatic prompting for file downloads – Disable

Enable Pop Up Blocker

Scroll down to Scripting
Allow paste operations via script – Disable

Click OK, when done to save the changes.

I recommend using Firefox for your browsing needs. It’s a great standalone and safer browser than Internet Explorer. There are different themes and extensions which you can use to customize it to your needs. You can even view sites in IE with Firefox by downloading the IE extension.

Some telecommuting companies specifically ask for Internet Explorer so make sure you don’t completely get rid of this browser.

Each time you visit a website, a cookie is installed on your computer. There’s nothing wrong with it, but there is a concern for Internet privacy since it can be used to track your browsing behaviour.

Here are my recommended and basic software to download. All are free.

CCleaner – It’s a quick click of a button to delete your online activities. It clears cookies, Internet history, temporary files and more.

Pop Up Stopper – For Internet Explorer you can use Panicware Pop Up Stopper. Although your computer already comes with a pop up blocker, it doesn’t hurt to use two. In Firefox, I recommend downloading the Ad Block Plus extension.

Spyware Blaster – Works like an anti-virus program, but it’s an anti-spyware program. It prevents the installation of spyware and other potentially unwanted software.

Zone Alarm Free or Pro – Depending on your needs. The free firewall version works very well.

AVG Free – Free antivirus program. Other popular free antivirus programs are Avast and Avira.

Some other recommended sites to bookmark are:

Trend Micro – It is a free online scan for viruses and spyware.

PC Pit Stop – Free computer checkup and diagnostics can help you detect and fix many common PC problems.

Shields Up! – Internet connection security for Windows users.

When it comes to using proper business phone etiquette, I am really amazed at how many people don’t practice good etiquette when making their phone calls.

When you are on the phone making business calls, you need to remember to always act and speak like a professional.

Here are a few tips:

1. When making your calls, your customer deserves your undivided attention. Customers don’t need to hear screaming kids in the background, your dishwasher, vacuum cleaner and other ‘distractions’ that are going on. Try to make your calls when the house is quiet and when you can give your customer 100% of your attention.

2. When making business calls, keep your personal life out of it. No one needs to hear about your fight with the neighbor, problems your kids are having at school and so forth. Business is business…your phone call should stay on topic and be about business.

3. Be courteous at all times. I always start out my phone calls by introducing myself to the person I am speaking to and I ask them if this is a good time to talk. If not, I ask when I should return the call. If so, I let them know upfront why I am calling. I don’t string them along for an hour and then deliver my sales pitch. You should never be rude, obnoxious or in a foul mood when making your calls. Before ending your call, you should always thank the person for their time and for taking the call. If its a sales call, you want your customer to know that you appreciate them, their business and respect their time.

These are just a few tips on proper business phone etiquette, there are many more! When making your business calls, you need to always be the professional.

Shelly