work from home
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NOW IS A GREAT TIME START A HOME BUSINESS AND WORK FROM HOME!
Would you like to work from home — but don’t know where to start? What are the best tools & tips to start a home business, and how do I get started? It is a question that a lot of people these days are asking these days. Therefore, I have compiled a shortlist of no- or low-cost tools to use to start a home business using network marketing and social media marketing. And tools to keep it growing!
These tools can help you start a home business, to build an online presence, and connect, then follow up with prospects. They will help you stay organized and focused on time management, and eventually help you train others who join your business.
Your Online Presence
Social media is your friendly, no-cost place to start. When you work from home and you start a home business, you don’t necessarily need a business page. And I am not suggesting that you turn your FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, TWITTER and YOUTUBE sites into mega spammy sales pages. In this business, you are selling the “sizzle”, not the steak. That is to say… you are selling the benefits of your home-based business — both product and opportunity.
For instance, if your business is health…. you may want to have a lot of posts with happy healthy people. You will want to show yourself having a fun happy life as a benefit of working at home. If a benefit is being able to travel, or stay at home with the family… show those things. People generally like to do business with people they know, like and trust — so show some of your life. And then occasionally… hint about what you do.
Things to stay away from when you work from home… that is up to you. But I wouldn’t put anything on my pages that I didn’t want my mom or kids to see. And I personally try to stay away from all super controversial subjects. Any half-naked and drunk photos…. don’t really work for most business images.
You will want to have a profile photo with you in it…. and a bio that has a link to your website, or another site. Do not mention the name of your company, unless you want them to google it, and buy products –OR SIGN UP- using the links on the corporate page. Instead, you will promote to your link, especially on Instagram, where links are not live — “to find out more… click the link in the bio –@yourname”.
When you do talk about your business, keep the post short. The idea is to get them to go to another page…. so don’t give a whole pitch in your post. Build curiosity. ” Tired of the commute. Me too. But let me tell you what I found… and add the link. (For Instagram: click the link in my bio for more!) You get the picture.
Connect with Prospects
Begin by connecting with people who you feel would be a good match. Generally, they are people like ourselves. The goal is to establish a friendship first. Get to know them. One of my businesses is wine. I like to know up front if they are in an area where we can deliver. And do they look like they enjoy wine? Easy to find out — read their bio and look at their posts. Comment on a few, and like them. Then start a conversation via messenger — something like “Hey, I saw your post on dog rescue. How long have you been doing that?” Spend time with this Eventually, they will ask you what you do. And have a pre-written response saved on TRELLO (discussed later) something like: I help people develop websites and blogs to market and grow home-based businesses. What do you do?
Avoid verbally vomiting information about your business. No one likes to be cornered… and no one likes to be splattered. I keep it light and let them ask me for more information. When they do, I like to set an appointment to talk on the phone. A much better way to get to know someone. If asking for a phone awkward, and you are on FB… Ask if you can use the messenger phone. If you are unprepared for a presentation, simply say something like — I only have a couple of minutes to chat, but maybe we can set another time to go over it. Are weekdays or weekends better for you? A lot of this, I learned from ERIC WORRE — the master of network marketing. His book — GO PRO is the best $5 you will ever spend — and a must-read for anyone in this business. CLICK HERE for more about GO PRO.
Follow Up – the Name of the Game When You Work From Home
They say it takes an average of 7 different contacts before people will listen to a presentation. So be patient. But, follow up.
I have a blog. and on almost every page, it has an optin block — that says something like — for more information, fill out the form below. I use this for email marketing. (And you don’t have to have a blog to use this) Someone fills out the form and hits the submit button. And then they get a note, that says, thanks for your interest, etc.
The company that handles my “list”, that is , all the people who have signed up asking for more information, or a newsletter, or a free report… etc. is called aWeber. I find them to be both reasonably priced and professional. And, they have a 1 month FREE trial.
This system is also called an AUTORESPONDER. Someone signs up, and a letter you write goes out to them automatically. You can set up a FOLLOW UP series, based on intervals you choose. Super handy. And, send something of value, not just a sales pitch. “14 Healthy Snacks for Kids” or “Picnic Ideas for Wine Lovers” — depending on your market. You will want to bring up business, but be subtle… don’t hit them over the head with it.
OH — and to use it if you don’t have a blog — you can just go to the back office and manually add prospects into the system — individually or with a spreadsheet.
This is my number one tool for people who want to start a home business and provide excellent followup and customer service.
Start a Home Business — Then Try to Stay on Top of it All as You Work From Home!
I was recently introduced to TRELLO — and don’t know how I got along without it. Well, I do know — I used a series of notebooks, with rag-tag notes scribbled on every page, that I could never find the information for if I really needed it. It is a system much like index cards, filed on your computer into lists. Super easy to use, and to move the cards from one list to the other. A card for each person may start on the LEAD lists, and move onto the PROSPECT and then CUSTOMER lists. You make up the cards, and the categories, and assign tags, so you can sort them. Has a calendar function to set up followup, and a place for activity (calls, texts, etc). Get a Free Trello account here at TRELLO.COM
When you work from home — do yourself a favor and open a free Gmail account specifically for your business. That way your important info will not be hidden by the volumes of junk mail we all get in our personal accounts. Make it easy to remember but still unique. I have TracyWright1@gmail.com — easy to spell, people know it’s me — but I do have to explain that it is the number 1 ALL THE TIME. My other one is GypsyWineLady@Gmail.com. Much easier to say, write, and remember.
Working with Others after you Start a Home Business
Now we get to the fun part. Training and learning. For this, hands down I prefer ZOOM. Simple to use, it is an online platform for virtual meetings. There is a Free Version, which works great, or reasonably priced options if you need more space for attendees or more time for meetings. Simple to use. My 88-year-old father hosts weekly family meetings without any problems. Get a Free Zoom account here at ZOOM.US
Delegating
At some point, you will discover that you can’t do everything yourself. Either you lack a specific skill set, or you lack the time. But even General Contractors don’t build an entire house themselves, they hire out plumbers, and electricians and architects, and a whole team of specialists.
With FIVERR, you can hire for almost any business-related job. These are freelancers who specialize in certain business fields. Want a clean logo for your emails — put it out to bid and negotiate a cost. (I’ve seen them for $10) Not confident about your writing skills, they can do that, too. In short, you can use FIVERR to give you a more polished, confident look, without spending a bundle. GO HERE for MORE INFORMATION!
I hope you found these tools & tips to start a home business and work from home to be helpful. Let me know how it goes!!
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