Tuesday 22 April 2008

Help In Choosing A Home Based Opportunity

The dream to work from home is one that drives hundreds of people towards leaving unpleasant jobs for the prospect of golden opportunities. You have probably seen the advertisements on television as well as the displays online offering home based opportunities. Many of these opportunities are legitimate and really can provide you with more time, money and freedom than the average outside work. There are however some schemes or scams that are very appealing with the get rich quick advertising. So how do you choose a job at home with only a minimum amount of information from a commercial or ad?

There is help in choosing a home based opportunity. You simply have to be smart and be patient in order to find a golden home based business opportunity. Do some personal research about the business or company that you are interested in. This is a must to prove to you that this is a legitimate business and not simply another Internet scam. Look for the BBB symbol and other protection emblems. Feel free to contact these firms and confirm the legitimacy. This is not a hassle as this is what these programs are available for, your protection. Once you feel confident your job choice is true and legit than you can continue on with the directions provided by the company for employment.

Many times there are small fees in the beginning of a home business online. There may be an annual membership fee or a starter fee for online training courses. You may have to purchase a beginner merchandise stock if working in sales. These areas of cost are not uncommon. There are some businesses however that have no start up fee and you are only required to have basic office equipment. This equipment can include a phone, computer, Internet connection, printer and or fax. This is your general home office equipment that can be used for several if not all Internet home business opportunities. Thankfully many Americans have a basic home office pre-existing in their homes and there is no need to spend money at start up.

Once you have your equipment and fees together than you can begin training and be well on your way to a new career. Now you no longer have a career with the hassles of commuting back and forth from home to your office. Your home is now your office. No worries about an inconvenient schedule as you set the time frame for your hours to fit your daily lifestyle. This is excellent for students or couples with children. This allows you a more enjoyable work experience, which leads to better focus at work and better job performance. Everyone wins in the end. It is estimated that in ten years more than half of the United States will be employed in the home through an Internet based business. If opportunities continue to grow and home businesses flourish this number is certain to increase to numbers that we cannot even imagine. Begin on the road to fulfilment and success today by beginning your search for your dream job via an Internet home based opportunity.

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Monday 21 April 2008

Internet Marketing Now Top Marketing Choice

The marketing field has now opened up to include Internet marketing. Internet marketing is similar to marketing for other products or services. For those who are new to the Internet marketing field there are some simple ideas to help make it easier for you. We will explore those ideas in this article.

If you already have a business up and running and are looking for ways to increase business, it is not always best to add more products or services to your business. Maybe you need to change your marketing ideas and procedures rather than adding new products or services. A change to your marketing ideas can be easier on your budget than increasing products or services. It is much quicker to change marketing plans.

Always remember that customers can also be prospective customers. A smart business owner needs to stay in contact with former clients. By adding additional products or services you can have an opening to add these for former customers. It also easier to make sales to those with whom you have worked before.

When planning your marketing pitches make sure you do not use exaggerated claims. People have a tendency to shy away from advertisements that make bold claims. When this happens sales do not happen. It is better to bring your claims down to believable levels. In the same line of thinking, numerical claims are best expressed with odd numbers that have decimals or fractions.

A really good idea when developing marketing claims, come up with several at the same time. This series of marketing ideas should have different expiration dates. This allows you to run them one after another, giving you a new offer on a timeline. You can also keep customers coming back to see what new offer you are currently running. You can keep recycling them without having to come up with new marketing ideas every month or so. If one of the offers doesn’t have the desired outcome you can always pull it and put up a new offer. This style of marketing gives you the freedom to offer discounts and bonuses at the same time.

If you find you are not attracting the type of clients that you want to attract, you might need to change your marketing style. It is important to attract clients that will benefit from your product or service. You also need to attract clients that can afford your product. It may take several tries before you find the exact marketing idea that works for your company.

An offer with an exclusive benefit to your customers will help your sales. This benefit should be something that your competition can’t or won’t offer them. A good example of this could be your e-mail address or cell phone number. A number of business owners do not want to be that accessible to their customers.

The majority of first contacts do not result in a sale. Your internet marketing plan should include a way to capture prospective clients’ names and contact information. This allows you to be able to contact them at a future date. These contacts are sure to let you make sales at some point. Different marketing ideas are available so you don’t have to stick with one and allows you to change them as needed.

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Sunday 20 April 2008

Internet marketing and you

Today may be the day that you decide to start your own internet marketing business. What better way to become your own boss than by using a simple tool that many people have in their own homes. Your computer and internet service could possibly make you more money than you realized. You can do so much more with it than just sitting around shopping or emailing your friends and relatives that live on the other side of the country. You can become your own boss and work a schedule that is flexible enough to accomplish all of those tasks in your life that must be attended to.

Selling products or services over the internet has become a favourite past-time for many people across the globe. Internet marketing is a great way to make a little extra cash, but those that have the dedication and motivation can make it a full time job. Never giving up is the key to making your new internet marketing career a complete success. You will become discouraged and upset occasionally. You may wonder why you bother to keep the company up and running, if you haven’t made a sale in a while. Finding new ways to keep your self motivated can help you when you are down.

It may be helpful to think artistically and create new websites for your company. You can be as creative and colourful as you want to be with your own website. You may like bold colours and very simple, straight lines or you may find pastel colours and abstract designs suit you best. Which ever direction that you choose to go in, you will know that your websites are your own and you can take pride in knowing that you made all of the decisions on how your web pages look. Be sure to include all of the necessary information, but provide an email address for those clients who would like to ask you a little bit more information that would help them make a decision on whether or not to purchase an item through your company.

Remember to respond quickly and thoroughly. A client may lose interest in your company if they have to wait for a response. It may be beneficial to set up a few specific times of the day where you reply to emails and phone calls without interruptions. This will help you focus on the responses and your clients will feel that you are interested in earning their business.

When selling online your website is the face of your company to many potential clients. Having attention drawing pictures and updating your site frequently can help them to realize that you do in fact care about your site and want to have a company that is well organized. Having a home office that is organized can help you in the long run as well. You may need to be able to pull previous orders within a moments notice, and you should not have to search around your desk to find those. Having them organized alphabetically or by month can help to save you time, and will essentially save you money.

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Saturday 19 April 2008

Determining How Much Room Your Home Business Needs

Before jumping right into a home business, think about how much available space you have in your home that can be dedicated to the business. Many home businesses can get by with very little in the way of floor space and if you do not expect a lot of foot traffic, essentially performing your work on the internet, then you probably do not need a lot of floor space to provide a good working environment.

On the other hand, you do not want your home office space to be so cluttered with your business equipment and supplies that there is not enough room to change your mind. Working in a confined area can be very frustrating and can quickly take the allure off the notion of working at home. Many people really like to spread out while they work and others are happy with just enough space to hold what they need, but whichever personality you have, the space needs to be neat, clean and organized.

You do not always have to settle for the smallest room in the house if you are planning to isolate your office from the rest of the house, nor should you chase everyone out of the family room so you can have a bigger desk and way more file cabinets than you will ever use. Get out your pencil, paper and measuring tape and make a drawing of what your ideal home office space should look like and then adjust it to fit into the available area of the house. It is never a good idea to use the kitchen table as your home office desk, but if you have to use the kitchen, find another table that fits so you don't end up with food stains on your work.

As a general rule you will need a desk, typically about four-feet long along with a chair in order to work comfortably in your new home office. A single filing cabinet for your record keeping may also have a top large enough to hold your computer's printer, fax machine or other type of office equipment, requiring no additional floor space. You will also need a trashcan and a shredder, but finding a shredder that fits on top of the trashcan also saves space and you can find something else to do with all of your empty coffee cups.

Depending on your type of business, you may have a need for a larger table on which to layout larger projects. However, unless it will be used on a daily basis, you can find other accommodations when it is needed. Using the kitchen table once in a while is not forbidden, provided you clean it up before dinnertime.

Realistically, an eight-foot square room may be all you need, but after a few days it may feel more like serving a sentence than going to work. You will want it to be open and airy, but put any windows to the side or behind your chair to minimize distractions. Additionally, never, ever, not ever should you use any additional office space for storage. Once boxes of junk are put in place, they are going to be there for the long haul.

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Friday 18 April 2008

Honest Communication Helps People Development

It is a tough world out there and unfortunately many individuals think a lot more of their skills than they are really worth. In most cases, it is not their fault as their shortcomings have been overlooked so as not to hurt anyone's feelings, but in reality by not being upfront and honest with them about their performance, they simply do not know any better.

The majority of employees simply want three things out of their job. Fair pay, training for the job they are expected to perform and feedback about how well they are doing their job. Evaluating someone's job performance can be a stressful experience not only for the employee but also for the business owner or supervisor. If performance reviews are given annually, there should be no surprises at the end of the day. Consistent communication throughout the year should have provided the employee with specific things they need to do better so when evaluation day rolls around they have a good idea of what to expect.

If the supervisor goes the entire year without offering any corrective measures needed, or praise for doing a good job, the employee is going to believe they are performing at least up to expected standards. If they walk into an evaluation and find out you are not happy with their work, you will drastically undercut their morale. They have gone a year not knowing if they were underperforming or overachieving and waiting until the last minute is not going to do much for employee retention.

That is not to say you need to sit down with the employee every month, or even every quarter, but if an issues comes up it should be addressed immediately. Yelling and screaming is never the right way to handle an employee discipline issue, but sitting with the employee in a private setting, where their co-workers cannot see or hear what is going on, explain how the associate's behavior, attitude, productivity or whatever the issue is affecting the company as a whole.

The supervisor should never attack a person with phrases beginning with the word 'you.' Instead, all problems need to be addressed by focusing on the problem and not the person. When it comes to offering praise or thank you's those should be done in front of their peers, and as often as it is deserved. Over praising one employee may make others believe they are the favorite and can spark charges of favoritism.

Bad behavior breeds bad behavior and you have one employee that is constantly slacking off or late for work and nothing is done, not only will that employee believe their behavior is acceptable, other employees, who may have never had a problem, will begin to resent the person getting away with their actions, you for allowing them to get away with it and themselves, for continuing to do their best with no apparent rewards. All of your employees need to know that anything that affects the business negatively will result in consequences to equal the affect on the business.

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Tuesday 15 April 2008

Finding A Free Work From Home Position

When you are ready to make a decision that is going to affect the rest of your life, you may want to think about finding a free work from home position. This position will allow you to finally be able to work on your own. Finding a free work from home position is a dream for a lot of people because it will be the one way that you have to take control over when you work, where you work, and how much money you are able to make. Many people look for a free work from home position that will benefit them in this way, because they know that this is the type of position that they will be the best with. For many, a true free work from home job is one that will take advantage of the skills that they might have, and one that will allow them to blossom by doing things that they might not otherwise do.

There are several ways to find that perfect free work from home job that you might desire. First of all, you want to think about the various things that you are good at. Do you have any hobbies that you might be able to turn into a free work from home position? Remember that the best of the free work from home jobs are going to be jobs that you are able to do already – so they should be jobs that you already know how to do and that will help you take advantage of the things that you are already good at. You want to be sure that you explore this line of thinking first, so that you know what you are doing and that you are able to make the most out of your situation.

Next, you want to look into other hobbies that you might have, which you might not have even though about having to do with your free work from home job. Remember that if you have something that you enjoy, such as animals or knitting, this hobby can be turned into a lucrative free work from home job if you know how to do it and if you are willing to work hard at it. Therefore, you should take a look at the various things that you know you will be good at, and see if you can find one of the free work from home jobs that will best work for you.

Finally, you want to think about the ways that you can put your hobbies together with the things that you are good at, and see if you can make a job out of these things. Remember that this isn't always the easiest thing to do, but often it can be the one way that you have to make sure that you are able to get the right type of free work from home position for your needs. In fact, this can be the best chance that you have to be really successful, so you should give it a try and see where it leads you.

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Monday 14 April 2008

Free Work From Home Jobs

Many people hit the work from home job market thinking that they will make as much money as possible in the fastest time possible. However, this is often not the case as they end up side tracked by various jobs that ask them to pay money. Many people run businesses that have workers paying money for the work that they do. It is important, when you are on the job hunt, to find free work from home jobs that are out there. There are lots of them, you just have to know where to look.

First of all, you should know that most of the real work form home jobs are free work from home jobs. If you are finding jobs that ask you to spend money on them or that have many different fees that are associated with the job, you should keep on looking. The best of the work from home jobs are going to be jobs that you are actually able to do on your own and that you do not have to pay for. When something is not a free work from home jobs it is usually someone else's great business idea, and they are going to be the ones that are making the money and not you.

In order to find free work from home jobs the first thing that you should do is focus on real companies. Be sure that as you are looking for free work from home jobs, you are researching any of the companies that come up. Be sure that you are only going with the companies that have the best ratings and the best history. This will help you to make sure that you are finding the free work from home jobs and not the jobs that are going to cost you money. It is very important that you are able to do this because it can be the best way that you have to really get enjoyment out of the entire situation.

Also you want to be sure that as you are finding free work from home jobs you are reading the information that comes with them very closely. This information will give you lots of good ideas about whether or not the job is really free work from home jobs or not. You want to be sure that as you are finding jobs you are reading all of the information and that you are sticking only with the jobs that really make sense to you. Don’t be sidetracked by jobs that aren't going to be good for you. Stick with the jobs that will help you succeed and that will make a difference in your life. Remember that you shouldn't have to pay to work, so be sure that you find free work from home jobs that work for you. This is the best way that you have of actually being able to stay on top of things and getting your own life in order.

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Sunday 13 April 2008

Owning Your Own Business

When you work a job 40 hours a week at a business or corporation outside of your home, you may find that by Wednesday, you have become burnt out on your job. It becomes harder to concentrate and you spend half of your day staring at the clock and wishing it was 5 o’clock already. You find yourself trying to find ways to get away from your desk and to take up as much time as you can. Perhaps it is time to get away from your regular day job and embark on a new career. Owning your own business can make you feel more fulfilled and you may be excited about going to work again.

A key factor in being your own boss is deciding what type of business that you would like to run. This must be something that you personally find intriguing and want to spend time working on. If you are not passionate about the type of business that you run, you will find yourself feeling the same way about your own company that you felt about the day job that you just left. Starting a new company will take time and money, but you will be rewarded once you have been able to get your company off of the ground.

Focusing on an area where you have had previous experience or a skill, talent or hobby that you have can help to make starting your own business a little easier. It will help you to perform the necessary work functions for your work, without struggling to learn a whole new set of tasks. While you may find that you need to brush up on some aspects of your business, such as web page programming or learning new developments, you may often find a web site that offers information such as a tutorial or web classes to help you learn all that you can to perform those important tasks.

Opening a business that is in demand is a great option too. It allows you to quickly get on your feet financially and not have times that business slows down. However, if you do have a company that does have its peak and valley sale times, use that time to expand your business and perhaps add or remove parts of the business that you feel would help to make a change for the better. These are the times that you should run trials periods for new products or services that you have been considering for a while. These can also be great times of the year to take that much needed vacation that you have been putting off while you started your new business venture.

Owning your own business that is truly your passion can help you stay motivated and keep you energized about where your business will go in the future. Keeping a level head and staying organized will give you a chance to improve your life and bring in those needed profits.

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Saturday 12 April 2008

Do Not Let Fraud Ruin Your Bank Account

Do Not Let Fraud Ruin Your Bank Account

When you are looking for a way to make money online, you should make sure you have your fraud detectors on full alert when you read through any proposals being presented. In most instances, it should be pretty easy to figure out if someone is trying to rip you off. Just remember the old advice that if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is. So when those unsolicited offers drop into your email promising exorbitant amounts of income for only a few hours work a week, chances are it is a scam just to separate you from your money.

Some of the red flags to watch for are the type of proposal being made. Offers that say you have nothing to do to start earning big money immediately, will come with a cost. You will have to pay for someone else to set up your business and heck, all you have to do is keep sending in the monthly fees and you can earn money off all income received from your website. Wait. They forgot to mention that if you do not advertise your site no one will know about it and you cannot make any money if you have no sales.

Look for contact information before clicking on any links that take you from the main page. If the online business offers you a phone number and a name, do not hesitate to call and ask for that person. While it could be single line into someone's basement, at least it is contact information. However, if the call is answered in an unprofessional manner you may be better off apologizing for calling a wrong number and hanging up. Some legitimate businesses do work from their homes, after all that is what you are hoping to do, and if a child answers do not ask for mom or dad, ask for the name on the website.

Look at the testimonials that are bound to be included on any website offering a chance to make a lot of money. They are usually tucked in between the pictures of a mansion and a new car or two, supposedly of the person that sent you the email. Just remember, you can take your digital camera on a road trip to an upper class neighborhood and take pictures of cars and houses. Be skeptical about investing in an online business opportunity and do some research.

Run the business name through a couple of search engines. Chances are, if it is not a legitimate offer, there will be a few pages that show up of complaints from others that lost money investing in a scam. The company may claim the complaints are from disgruntled people who were too lazy to spend even a few hours a week working in the business, but a reasonably intelligent person can read through several complaints and see a pattern develop. By using due diligence in your research of companies offering business opportunities you can limit the opportunities of someone else of getting their hand on your wallet.

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Friday 11 April 2008

Distractions Can Sink Your Home Business

Persons working at a home business have a better chance of success if they can learn to close their eyes and ears to anyone and anything in the home that detracts their focus from the task at hand. When you work for someone else, in their place of business, chances are there is not going to be a television you can watch whenever you feel like it, and while there might be a radio available, in is probably playing in the background causing no distraction to your ability to get your work done.

Your work outside the home probably is not constantly interrupted by a spouse or child, unless you have a really tolerant boss and from your desk you most likely cannot see dirty dishes in the sink, or a pile of laundry that needs doing and will not notice the grass has grown in the past few days and needs cutting again. While working at home does have many advantages, it is also rife with distractions that can take the focus off of the task at end and toss a torpedo into the heart of your work world.

The first few months, not days or weeks, but months of working at home are going to be filled with distractions, especially if you have a spouse that works outside the home. It will take them some time to realize that yes, you are at home all day but you are working and no, you do not have time to run the vacuum cleaner no matter who is expected to arrive for dinner. If you want to do this while taking a break or having lunch, that is OK, but putting your work aside to take care of a household chore can set a dangerous precedent for the future.

Establishing a work schedule is a must for any business owner and even more important when running a home business. Even if you seldom see any customers or clients in your home office, you still have to maintain a semblance of professionalism. The idea of sleeping in and sitting down at your desk at the crack of noon in your favourite pyjamas or sweat pants may be inviting, but it does little to improve your self-discipline. Besides, there may be something on television you want to watch that night and nothing will get done in your business.

When you accept work from clients you are making them a promise that it will be done in a timely manner. Some of the most successful home business operators still set their alarm clock, get up, get dressed and go to work at the same time every day. This will set the personal tone for your business and will lead to a better chance of success. If you allow all the little household chores to come between you and your work, the house may be spotless…especially for the next occupants after you get kicked out for not being able to pay the rent or mortgage.

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Tuesday 8 April 2008

Developing Time Management Skills Can Improve Productivity

This article explores the idea of how developing time management skills can improve productivity in a business. One of the most common complaints shared by owners of businesses of any size is the lack of time. There never seems to be enough time to get everything done in a day and tomorrow starts with a negative time balance the minute they walk in the door in the morning. However, one of the things many business owners seem to forget is that they own their time and if it is wasted, it can be blamed on no one but themselves.

Owners with employees have the opportunity to share some of the workload but for one reason or another are reluctant to do so. The easiest method to determine if they are getting the most out of their effort is to calculate how much their time is worth and then look at the work they are performing to decide if they are overpaying to get many of the tasks completed. For example, a business owner paying themselves $50,000 a year, if calculated at 40 hours per week, would be paying $25 an hour for their labour.

Everyone knows they will probably make less and work many more hours when they first start their business, but for the sake of round numbers, $25 an hour will be used. If you are the one putting all the files away, writing letters and making trips to the post office you are paying a premium wage for someone to do basic clerical duties. Besides, would not the talents of the business owner be better served looking for new business prospects and working on developing new angles for the business?

Of course, business owners that have no employees will simply be doing everything anyway, and making the compatible earnings for all the tasks they perform, but this is just an example of how business owners sometimes allow routine jobs to get in the way of aggressively seeking new income streams. Other ways a business owner, or a supervisor allows themselves to be sidetracked is by allowing other people to delegate up within the organization.

For example, a subordinate or employee walks in and complains they are having trouble finding information on a certain subject, some supervisors simply tell them they'll find it and let them know when they have it. Now, the task assigned to this person now becomes the responsibility of the supervisor, adding to their already filled plate. Additionally, that employee, being dedicated to their job with an understanding of follow up returns later to ask how the search for the information is coming along.

What should have happened, is the business owner or supervisor should have made a suggestion on where to look for the information instead of allowing that responsibility to fall onto their back. Suggest places to look and have them get back to them on their continued progress. As a business owner, developing time management skills can improve productivity because asking for guidance of the boss is one thing but manipulating employees can often eat chunks of the boss's time by delegating upwards in the chain unless the business owner is adept at recognising this.

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Monday 7 April 2008

Working From Home: Data Entry Job

The majority of people are always ready and willing to consider working from home. And why not? Working from home provides the perfect opportunity to provide for yourself on your terms. You can make the same type of money that you are currently making, working wherever you work, and you can also make your own hours and decide when you do want to work.

When you are doing a data entry job at home, you may discover that you have more time to do the kinds of things that you love to do, and more time to be with the people that you want to be with. While people would be delighted to find jobs like data entry jobs at home, the trick is knowing where to find them, and knowing which ones are going to be most suitable for your needs. This can be something that is tricky, but if you know how to proceed it you will find that you can end up being successful at it.

The first thing that you should remember about data entry jobs at home is that you want to do your research before you start. Remember that many times some offers look like good data entry jobs at home, but end up being scams or things that are designed to take your money. You want to be certain that the data entry jobs at home that you are choosing are going to be jobs that fit who you are and that fit what you think that you can accomplish in your life. Be sure that the data entry jobs at home that you are able to pick are really going to be the best jobs for your needs, and that they are not going to be scams.

There are several ways to make sure that you aren't finding scams. First of all, you can do some of your own research on the company and on the particular job. This will give you a good idea of what you are looking for and whether or not the job is what you need it to be. When it comes right down to it, people who have been scammed might be likely to talk about it, so if you find someone who is willing to talk they will tell you what you need to know. Also, you can find out a lot about the history by doing your own research like this. Remember that this is the best way for you to proceed, so you should do the research that you need to do right away. This can help you figure out what you want to accomplish with your working from home data entry job. It can also help you avoid scams. After you have researched the jobs that you are looking for, you can feel free to decide which ones will be best for you. Then, you can decide which jobs you want to take.

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Sunday 6 April 2008

Hoping For The Best Can Kill A Good Home Business

When opportunity knocks and no one answers the door, it will move on to the next door until it finds someone home. That does not mean you have to open the door every time an offer comes knocking, as some of them are only looking for a way to get in the house and starting looking for things to walk out with. You will have to be choosey about who you allow in, but you have to at least answer the door once in awhile in order to see if the opportunity is right for you.

However, as home business owner if you are looking at your dwindling bank account and are filled with hope that something is going to show up soon, the next knock may be another bill collector looking for money. In order for anything to make a difference in your business you have to make it happen. It is only in fairytales that bags of money appear on your doorstep and when apples fall from the tree they stay on the ground. Wishing will not make it so.

New home business owners, especially those that have left a job to strike out on their own often do not realize how much prospecting they will have to do to some with enough work to make a living. When they hit the road on sales calls, they are not only selling their products or services, they are selling themselves, just like the original door-to-door sales persons. This is especially true if your home business is based online as there is no eye contact and no firm handshake with which to judge a person's integrity.

If your potential customers do not perceive an honest effort to garner their business they will likely head to another website that make them feel like their business will be appreciated. While testimonials can help people decide if your offerings are legitimate, and may even sway their decision, they have to be real. All legitimate online businesses will make the persons that submitted references for their business available to new prospects. Otherwise, most people will presume they are either paid testimonials or ones they made up from people they have never met.

Desperation is usually what prompts an otherwise honest business to skimp a little on details or fudge some of the facts in order to attract new customers. All of this typically comes on the heels of hope that never produced any positive results for the business. You will have to dig deep in some cases in order to find your customers or clients. Like most businesses in any industry, they did not become successful by accident or by sitting by the door hoping customers came to them.

Sitting in front of the computer screen hoping for clients to send an email will not make them come. However, since you are just sitting there doing nothing else important, do some research about who can use your services and why they should choose you. Then, go out and find them and let them know you are there to help.

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Saturday 5 April 2008

Cover Letter: More than Simple “Hello”

Despite the fact the ideal cover letter is short and brief, it is far more than a simple “hello.” This for a couple of reasons, first, the cover letter contains more than just a greeting and introduction, not to mention the fact that the structure is complex while coming across natural in expression. This suggests that an ideal — nay, winning—cover letter cannot be ‘whipped out’ and requires practice to get it right. Many applicants, though having an impressive résumé, lost out on employment due to a sloppy, ineffective or slipshod cover letter, which is the very first thing the potential human resources interviewer reads of an applicant. If the cover letter doesn’t catch the attention of the employer, the résumé certainly won’t.

As for its format and content—and, yes, there are several variations—the cover letter typically consists of either three or four short-to-medium-sized paragraphs, the last being the smallest. The first paragraph contains the “hello” along with some reason why the applicant was attracted to the company in question (which is why applicants should research the company beforehand to know something about it), such as an achievement or its level of integrity. This not only introduces the applicant, but it does so in the context of an knowledgeable and interested profession who is making an immediate attempt to fuse her or himself in with the company in some way that will show the employer how the applicant would benefit the company to which she or he is applying. Employers are looking for this, and so addressing this major point in some unique or colourful way right off-the-bat will catch the reviewer’s eye. First impressions are the strongest, as the saying goes.

The second paragraph of the cover letter delineates, or summarizes, the applicants qualifications without reiterating that which is provided in the résumé (that document speaks for itself). This paragraph either quickly outlines specific information from the résumé that pertains to the particular job in question, or it casually mentions something regarding personal qualifications that isn’t showcased in the résumé. Sometime both can be done. Extensive details are to be left out, of course (leave that for the interview), lest the applicant puts the reviewer to sleep, and that would not be good at all. Applicants should get right to the point but be light hearted yet professional, human and not robotic.

Finally the last paragraph (if only three are written) is the sign-off, which is why it is usually the smallest paragraph of the entire document. Here, the occupant thanks the reader for her or his time and acknowledges a follow-up to the initial submission or application, which is acceptable because it reflects an ongoing interest in the company and job in question. Also, the applicant can acceptably confirm calling for setting up a possible interview for some point in the near future. This isn’t at all pushy; on the contrary, it is assertive and reflects confidence and a positive attitude, both of which are very appealing to a prospective employer or interviewer. The applicant should always end the paragraph with a polite “Thank You” and then cordially sign off.

The cover letter is a crucial document and must be crafted with insight and care. This will show through, and it will weigh heavily toward a state of acceptance and employment.

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Friday 4 April 2008

Cover Letter Examples: “The Corporate Housewife” and “The First-Time Retail Manager”

Cover letters are written in many variations, depending not only the job to which they address, but also on the applicant and that applicant’s particular set of skills and background. For this reason, no two cover letters are exactly alike (aside from difference in wording); each cover letter is as unique as the applicant who writes it.

Below are two examples of cover letters. They are different from one another to illustrate diversity, which falls in line with their primary purpose: to briefly and colorfully reflect the individuality of the person that each is supposed to represent. Neither is an actual cover letter; no real people were used in the making of these, but examples do illustrate how cover letters are generally constructed and appear on the printed page.


Example: The Corporate House Wife

Re: Forster’s Foods, Inc
1227 West Janson Street
Lawndale, CA 90260

To whom it may concern:

As a house wife who has created entire meals for several public and private events, including weddings and community gatherings, I own several of your recipe books, including Creating a Feast on a Shoestring and Professional Recipes for the Home Cook. I use them all the time and have both saved money on food deals and received plenty of raving reviews on my preparations.

In recent years I have provided a service for community organizations and even began my own private enterprise that has offered both cooking meals and self-made recipe books. Because of this, I have a familiarity with various types of food, American and cultural. I also have been praised for my recipes, and have a working knowledge of how to run a business. In light of this, I feel that I would be ideal for the position of recipe writing for Forster’s Foods.

If you’re interested in setting up an interview so we can talk, please feel free to contact me at your convenience. I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Barbara Hope


Enclosed: résumé and three recipe samples


Example: First-Time Retail Manager

Re: Donello’s Deli Mart, Inc.
489 Ridgeway Passage
Jasper, FA 32052

To whom it may concern:

I have shopped at Donello’s for several years, primarily because of the extremely reasonable prices and the fact that the food is always fresh and newly prepared, but I have found the service to be A-1, as those who work there have always greated me with a cheery voice and warm smile. I was not surprised to learn about the awards the store has won for its quality foods and innovative creations.

My eight years in retail as a clerk and food prep cook has taught me a lot about the business, and I feel right at home in such an atmosphere. I have no managerial experience, but I am presently going for my MBA and would like to get my feet wet. My passion for foods and my desire to someday own my own business would make me a great choice for the manager’s position at Donello’s.

If you would like to set up an appointment so we could meet, I would be happy to do so. Please contact me at your earliest opportunity. Thank you.

Best Regards,

Jeffery Tatum


Enclosed: 1 résumé and 1 copy of transcripts

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Wednesday 2 April 2008

Cover Letter Examples: “The Bank Supervisor” and “The College Graduate”

The variety of possible cover letters examples is too broad to allow a description of each one. As a matter of fact, each cover letter is a unique, one-of-a-kind sample of individuality, just like each of the applicants who write them. That is the point, since the cover letter’s main purpose is to showcase that human individuality, so the parallel is not surprising.

Two example of cover letters follow. The diversity is apparent, as it should be, so they cannot necessarily be compared on every level; the respective backgrounds, interests and insights showcased by each applicant makes each cover letter an example of itself. These are completely fabricated, so the people illustrated do not reflect actual persons living or dead, but their construction and visual depiction offer readers and idea of what cover letter are supposed to look like.

Example: The Bank Supervisor

Re: Eastern National Bank Headquarters
33783 Maximilian Drive
Albany, NY 12207

To whom it may concern:

I have watched the growth of Eastern National Bank ever since its inception twenty years ago, and I must say its achievements have astounded me. The stocks in which it has invested, such as the Astro Oil, Inc., have allowed this bank to increase its capital beyond that of many of its competitors.

During my time as the assistant supervisor at American One Banking and Trust, my dedication to excellence and insight into finance growth have helped the bank increase its stock options five-fold, which in turn provided fellow bank employees an increase in salary that served as an incentive for greater work performance.

In general, my eighteen years experience as a clerk, compounded by an MBA offer further evidence that I am qualified for the position of supervisor at Eastern National.

If it should be the case that you are interested in conducting an interview with me, I welcome you call. Please contact as you see fit. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Robert Hargrove


Enclosed: résumé and 1 copy of MBA degree certification


Example: The College Graduate

Re: Sunshine Florists, Inc..
122 Hanson Street
Royal Oak, MI 48058

To whom it may concern:

I like the floral arrangements that you provide at your store, along with the stylish patio décor. Such a variety appeals to me because I am interested in lands-scape design. The pelican water fountain in particular is like one I have never seen before at any florist shop. I can see that you are head-and-tails above the rest.

My high grades in college show that I am knowledgeable and appreciate the importance of landscape design, as that was my major. I love working with flowers, as I am colour co-ordinated and find them calming. Because of my knowledge and deep interest, I feel that I would be an asset to the store.

Please call me if you’d like any further information. I would be happy to provide you whatever you need. Perhaps we can schedule an interview in the near future. I would be very glad to hear from you soon. Thank you.

Truly Yours,

Stephanie Wyndotte


Enclosed: 1 résumé and 1 copy of transcripts

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Tuesday 1 April 2008

Exploring Customer Retention

Retention is tough enough with your employees, but it can be even tougher with your customers. Luring them in the door with special offers and ridiculously low prices might bring them in the first time, but continuing that trend can take a chunk out of your bottom line profits. Exploring customer retention means finding ways of convincing your customers that your business is worth returning to and any good experience they had will have to be repeated.

The catch phrase in the business world is say what you are going to do and then do what you say plays a crucial role in retaining customer loyalty. It goes further for more people than prices. Reduced prices on products and services might bring a few people in from your competitors, but if they left their old source based on price, they will leave you if they can find the same thing cheaper somewhere else. Considering that pricing and quality of many products are going to be very similar for the different outlets, bringing customers back will require offering one thing better then everyone else…service.

To better understand the concept, you have to know what customer service really is and it can mean different things to different people. To some customers, good customer service means they can enter your establishment, get what they want and get out in as little time as possible. Others want a grand selection of common items while for others, having the business owner treat them like a king or Queen is more important than the quality of the products and low prices. They are willing to pay extra for the personal service. Then there are those who do not want to be bothered while they look around.

The key to good customer service is being able to recognize the type of customer you are dealing with every time one walks through the door. If you are busy trying to help someone who does not want your help for instance, the customer that wants you to fawn over them may feel neglected and head somewhere else to have their ego stroked. Of course, if you have two of these personalities in your business at the same time, you are in trouble.

Let’s say you do not offer services to the public, you will still have customers or clients for whom you perform different functions and if you promise something will be done at a certain time, make sure that you can deliver else the likelihood is high that you will lose the customer or client. You will need to be careful when accepting projects to make sure you can meet their deadlines as having to go back and tell them you are going to be late, may cause the project to be the last one you ever do for them.

Hitting deadlines are not only good for business but also necessary, but if you finish a project early it is nothing to be ashamed of. Go ahead and send it in when you get done and the client may actually appreciate having their project completed ahead of schedule.

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