Five Unfortunate Things You Need to Acknowledge Before Setting Out Your Computer Mending Business
November 13, 2008
It is a bold step going out on your own to become a local computer repair person. You’ll be in competition with others like you, computer shops and bigger companies who cater for your market.
Some of the most sizable challenges you’ll face notwithstanding will be when you are actually on the task. Different to what many may believe, supporting domestic and small business enterprise users is quite a great deal tougher than working in a large scale corporate environment. Here are some of the reasons why, so you can be preconditioned and be more capable - building up you a sound reputation and more word of mouth referrals.
Home and small business users can be the most problematic customers you’ll ever deal with. They will expect immense value from you and will challenge their bills unless they are 150% satisfied.
1. They will expect you to know what a problem is and how to mend it the same way they would a plumber who came round to unfreeze a drainpipe. It won’t happen all the time but once in a while expect for them to refuse to pay up for whatever time you spend ’solving what the trouble is’.
2. They don’t have the luxury of being able to trade out their computer with one from the stock room or to work on someone else’s while you work on theirs. And So when they are dead in the water, unable to work and losing money because of it - the squeeze will be on you. You will unquestionably need to be able to manage with this and get used to someone standing over your shoulder harassing you to speed up.
3. They will expect you to look at all varieties of different things aside from what you’ve booked in to see them about. If you have apportioned them a particular amount of time to do a certain task then you have to be clear at the beginning of the call. See if there is adequate time left over at the close of the call or schedule another one. The most all important thing is to state at the beginning of your call that you are there to perform a particular task. A professional looking work order will aid a great deal here.
4. They do not have standard desktop set ups with effective antivirus and policies that keep them from downloading and installing whatever they wish. This is what makes this kind of work so fascinating, and obstructive. Just think spyware, spyware spyware, be equipped for it and anticipate to see it everywhere you go.
5. They will fault you for things that have gone wrong that aren’t your error. Ever heard this phrase before?
“Well it was fine until the IT person came and today it doesn’t work (I’m not paying this account!)”
Expect this to take place a great deal. Over Again professional looking work orders and good documentation of all work carried out will be the proof you need to establish precisely what you have and haven’t done. A customer at one time phoned up and screamed at my boss right after a visit because his printer stopped working just after I left. Turns out he switched off the computer it was connected to.
Offering computer repair services to small business enterprise and home users can be a hugely rewardful experience. And of course being your own boss is as good as it gets. I trust the above points haven’t put you off, the purpose is to condition you for some of the most negative parts of the occupation.
You can protect yourself and be equipped simply by setting up an effective system of rules for work orders, call documentation and routines for certain situations. Do this and you’ll become acknowledged in your area as the go-to person and have too much work to handle.
Now go get ‘em!
Peter Webber is a freelancer IT advisor and contractor to large and small business organisations. His internet site concentrates on numerous facets of working in the IT industry in particular how to set up your home computer fixing business
A Direct Sales Business Opportunity Helps You Work At Your Own Pace
November 3, 2008
It is a good time to look into a direct sales business opportunity if working from home is your wish. There are plenty of companies presenting such opportunities to people like you and me who would like to work at our own pace and have time to spend with our families. It may sound very easy but if you are planning to start a business, you need to be prepared to put in a lot of time and effort to make it work.
How Do I Know If I Can Do It?
The best part about a direct sales business opportunity is that anyone can do it. You must find the right product to sell and sign up with the company. They will provide you with a starting kit and you will be on your way to becoming a successful entrepreneur. There will be an initial investment to make which will depend on the company you are joining and the tools they provide you with. If you do not want to put in too much money at first then look for a company with minimum investment requirements. There are so many companies offering this opportunity that you are sure to find one that suits you best.
When you decide to go with a direct sales business opportunity, you should be aware of what you have to do. You need to sell products of the company directly to consumers without operating a retail store. You will have to contact customers personally and convince them to buy your products. If you sell a product that you believe in yourself it’s a lot easier for you to convince people to buy them. Some of the popular companies you could sign up with are Tupperware, Home and Garden, and Avon.
What you earn is directly related to the effort you put in. If you think that taking up a direct sales business opportunity means that you can sit back and watch the money roll in, then you are wrong. You have to work hard for it. You are your own boss and your home is your office. You need to sell your products to as many customers as you can to earn maximum commission. The direct sales industry is expanding and you need to keep up with the times. Strong will and good communication skills are a must to succed.
IIt is also important that you choose the right product and company. You should do your research thoroughly before you decide to jump into a direct sales business opportunity. Although the opportunities may all look very attractive only a few companies can actually suit your needs. Once you have picked the right company, you will be able to earn a lot of money in the long run.
Click Here For Free Info On Direct Sales Business Opportunity
Necessary Elements for a Thriving Home Computer Fixing Business
October 22, 2008
1.Know your marketplace – home users (duh!), but seriously. Who are they? What do they do? The corporate employees will have their own remote support so you’ll be targeting the up-and-coming types (like you) and recreational computer users.
2.Know what to expect from them – what problems will they typically encounter? What should you get up to speed on so you can diagnose and repair their problems speedily and efficiently? More often than not it will be spyware related – expect to find a lot of that.
3.Know your rival – Who is doing the same, how are they doing it, how much do they bill, what services do they supply and how do they publicise? Do they have unusual publicities or bundles?
4.Professionalism is everything – you need professional appearing work orders, invoices, website, business cards and flyers that make clients take you seriously.
5.Have a powerful trade name – Now it’s time for the logo! Have a consistent brand that describes you, sticks in people’s minds and separates from the competition.
6.Get well-connected – who can help you ramp up and mature your computer repair commercial enterprise? Where are the top-grade suppliers, can you outsource and project manage the functions you don’t provide yourself? Can you rapidly refer people to non competing complimentary businesses to fulfil their needs and charge referral or finders fees?
7.Plan for development – do this from the opening. A business plan is a must and you need to be equipped to deal with having to get help when there’s too much work and budgeting to cover low periods of time. Drawing a growth and investment scheme is what will direct your business to the next plane and ensure you never have to take orders from anyone else ever again.
Home users and small businesses are in terrific need of amiable and surefooted computer pros to meet their IT demands. To actually get the most out of all the likely business you need to put on your entrepreneur cap and think in terms of opportunity - at each opportunity.
When you’re in someone’s household or office looking at their computer difficulties you’re more than just a fix it person. They’re going to enquire of you for advice on their IT strategy and will look to you to have solutions. Even if they don’t inquire, you are guaranteed to run across catastrophes ready and waiting to happen and possible improvements - so think like a adviser and don’t be scared to make recommendations.
The success of your endeavour will hinge mostly on people’s perception of you and how you guide your operation. Word of mouth advertising and recommendation is your bread and butter. Go out of your way to overdeliver and fill their wants (including the ones they don’t know about) with a well thought out pro service.
To do that you need a programme and a roadmap - commit the time early to construct a solidly set up home computer repair business and you’ll never have to work for anyone else again.
Peter Webber specialises in helping IT entrepreneurs design and establish their home computer mending business through his website which handles some facets of working in the IT industry. He is himself a freelance IT contractor and consultant.
How do you check to see if a particluar internet program will work for you?
October 19, 2008
Just for a moment I’d like you to think about the way in which you make your breakfast in the morning? I don’t suppose you throw your bacon in a bowl, pour milk on it and put it in the microwave or put your toast in a bowl and pour your cornflakes on it?
What about the petrol you put in your car? Do you just take out the fuel pump and point it in the general direction of the car and hope that most of the petrol will make it to your tank?
I trust you answered no to the questions above!
But you see, that’s exactly how some people go about finding that one business which is right for them and will make them a comfortable living.
They try one program. Pay their money and expect everything to work with absolutely no effort on their part. They start one program,but after a very short time it is not working for them so they try another, then another and so on! When nothing works immediately, they just give up, cursing their luck that they’ve found another duff program.
Then they cast about for something else. Not much thought goes into their searches. The first thing they see will do. This is the one that will make their fortune!
The more discerning person looks carefully at what is on offer. Weighs up the pros and cons. If there is a trial period or a money back guarantee, he/she takes advantage of them, just to ‘test the waters’. One thing he/she will always do is to look carefully at the different programs he/she sees. Who knows what will work for them? Which program is the one to make their fortune?
If you don’t look carefully at all the programs you come across, you can be sure that that elusive program that is right for you will be among the ones you passed over.
In today’s ‘instant gratification’ culture, there are not many people willing to spend a little extra time to really find out what is on offer. Unless something works brilliantly straight away, it must be hopeless. Unfortunately, in the real world of making money, things don’t happen as you are taught at school to believe they do.
For instance, tests at school give almost instant feed-back. And not many people fail, either. Games or shows for children on the TV give almost instant gratification and again everyone must appear to be a winner of something. The laissez-faire society where everyone is a winner…NOW, just does not prepare people for the world of internet entrepreneurship, or for that matter, the adult world in general.
By reading everything carefully you will ensure your successRead everything many times….and then read it all again. I can hear people saying, “But what’s the use of reading it over and over? I understand it the first time.”
Well, maybe you do and maybe you don’t! Read or sing this familiar song carefully.
“I love Paris in the
The Spring Time.
I love Paris in the
The fall”
How many “the”s are there and how many should there be?
Many people make a mistake, because the song is so familiar. That’s why you must read things several times to be sure you have really seen and understood what is written. Then, when you are really familiar with the contents of the program and what it can do for you, you must test it out.
All programs now must have a 30 or 60 day trial period built in, by law. I know the seller makes a big fuss about the program being so good that he/she is going to give you 30/60 days to try it out and will give you your money back. They have to, so they pretend they are being generous! Anyway, make use of the trial period and try out the programs which interest you. Really work hard and give it your best shot. If it really does not work for you, you have lost very little and have learnt a great deal about yourself and about how internet programs work. Nothing, but nothing beats hands on experience. You will be confident with a program when you have tried a number you can compare it with. You will find the right program for you…..IF you persevere!
You’ll find some of the best affiliate and other programs at: http://www.businessesandshops.fw.nu .
Some are at the top of the lists in Clickbank, some are proven programs that will make you rich. However, not all are right for everyone, so what I would urge you to do is to visit the website and look at ALL the programs there. Not just a quick glance, mind. No, you must give each program your undivided attention. Having read as much information as you can, you must then compare and contrast. Try out any trial or money back period and then, if you decide that the program is not for you, at least you have come to an informed decision and can go on to the next program with far more of an idea about what is likely to really work for you.
Be sure to try everything carefully and relax with the information and useful extras included.
My Uncle, who was a master craftsman, gave me this advice:
‘If you are making anything in wood or metal, remember to measure at least twice to every cut that you make.’
In other words once you have cut the wood or metal it can be difficult to go back. Sound advice and appropriate in the process of finding an internet business.
Make sure you check every aspect of the business before you commit any money!
Remember, an internet business is much like painting a door! If you don’t do your preparation right, the finished article will not look as good as it should. So be sure to do your preparation work as well as you possibly can and then you can sit back for a while and watch all that cash rolling in!
Good luck.
Why do You Want To Work At Home?
October 16, 2008
If you are to seriously work from home, you must be a person who is able to motivate yourself constantly. In a workplace such as an office, there is really nothing to do other than work. Yes, you can talk to co-workers and maybe dream about taking a nap, but only the “talking to co-workers” is a real option. When you are at home working, taking that nap also becomes a very doable option and things other than naps become temptations as well. Extra breaks, TV breaks, surfing the Internet, talking on the phone and all sorts of other things start to come in to play when you don’t have a structured work environment.
There are really three types of people when it comes to making money on the Internet and finding home jobs. The first kind of person is someone who has heard you can make money online and just wants to find out how to work at home and make a quick buck. This type of beginner is usually someone young or youngish and they have heard that you can make money blogging, filling out free paid surveys, or maybe even by Internet marketing. They might not have too many technical skills but they have heard that the Internet is a cash machine and they want their part of it. They might have even heard the terms “turnkey websites” and that sounds great to them. They are looking for ways to make money and preferably very easy ways to make money online.
Unfortunately for them, there is really nothing that is terribly easy and lucrative that is going to take them to the promised land as they hope. After buying some ebooks and trying some of the methods described in them, they usually end up quitting as they get frustrated with their failures. There are many legitimate ways to make money online but none of them will make you a truckload of cash without some serious effort.
The second type of person looking for ways to make money is someone trying to find legitimate work at home jobs or opportunity that is part time. This person might be a student, a mom or dad at home with the kids, or just anyone who needs and wants to make some money on the side. It might be someone who really needs more money to make ends meet or just someone who has some extra time and wants to have some savings. Being able to find work at home jobs will allow this type of person to perhaps make that extra money they want without having to commit to a real part time job arrangement. Jobs in this category include home assembly jobs, home healthcare jobs, work at home customer service jobs, data entry jobs at home, work from home typing jobs, and call center home jobs.
Being able to work from home during the hours you choose gives anybody an extra paycheck while not compromising their dignity. If times are tough and extra money is needed to make ends meet, a home job is much preferable to going out and flipping burgers at a restaurant. In fact, people who have “at home jobs” have no travel expenses and might be happy making less than minimum wage because of the convenience of it. I sort of fall into this category as I am trying to make extra money on the side but I do hope it will turn into something legitimate that I can count on in the future. Finding ways I can make money and work from home is preferable for me to being in the workplace if I can do it.
The third type of persons are those looking for full time legitimate work at home jobs that pay a full time wage. A full time wage means different things to different people of course. Some are happy with and can get by with perhaps $24,000 to $36,000 per year while many might need much more than that. The higher the wage required I would think the harder it will be for someone to find a job that pays well and allows them to work at home. Also, someone living in New York would have to make a lot more to get by than someone living in Arkansas.
Self employed people and entrepreneurs have the best shot at being able to run a business out of their homes. They can be involved in a countless number of businesses that might allow them the luxury of working at home and not have to go into a formal workplace every day. They are able to run their businesses from home much more easily now with the full blown emergence of the Internet and all the things like virtual meetings that go along with it.
How Your Dreams Can Help You Win
September 25, 2008
(How to unleash your entrepreneurial spirit)
by Muhammad Sayyid
It Always Begins As A Dream
At some point in our lives, we all have the desire for improvement. This urge may be driven by circumstances or a genuine analysis of our potential versus our reality. But taking action is not always easy. However, your dreams of a better life can become a reality only if YOU take full responsibility for making them real. You must accept a vital concept: Every man-made object in existence began as a dream. It became a solid, 3-dimensional object through action. Your dream is also subject to this rule. To realize your dreams of a better life requires a decision to go into business for yourself. Every existing business is nothing more than a dream that would not quit. Your business is no exception.
Maybe you desire to create a wonderful life for yourself and your loved ones in the near future. But you may be in a slump and need some motivation. This message will give you some insights to harness the power of your dreams. Study it as often as you need. Hopefully it will spur you on to make your dreams work for you.
Your Future Is Your Responsibility
Where do you go from here? Understand this: The life you have today is the future you worked for yesterday. Today you are constructing tomorrow’s future. Whatever your business idea, understand that YOU are THE creative force within it. YOU are creating it. YOU have to visualize how big it is going to be. YOU have to visualize how much money it is going to bring you every day, week and month for the rest of your life. YOU have to visualize what you are going to do with the money that it will provide for you and your loved ones. YOU have to decide where, when and how YOU are going to build this business. Above all, YOU decide with whom YOU will do business. This responsibility cannot be overlooked. YOUR conscious choice to start a business requires an immediate adjustment of your thinking-patterns from those of a wage-earner to that of a business-owner. Henceforth, your actions must be driven by your dreams and desires for the future you want to create. Your friends influence your dreams. Your dreams influence your actions. Your actions determine what kind of future you create. You are responsible for the environment you create around yourself and your business. You must choose companions who will assist you in realizing your dreams. Remember, you can’t soar like an eagle if you surround yourself with turkeys.
Your Money Creates Your Lifestyle
As a business owner, YOU need to understand money. Wage-earners view money as a means to pay bills. Business-people know money as a tool to buy the materials we need to create the lifestyle we want. It takes money to create the lifestyle you want. Money earned from your current job is designed only to pay last month’s bills. The money you earn from your business will pay for your future lifestyle. The realization of your dreams is totally dependent on the success of your business. That is the process you are now beginning. When you start your business or join an existing business, your signature on the dotted line means that you believe your future is worth fighting for. The question is: Will you commit yourself to overcoming the challenges (and there will be challenges!!!) that will confront you on the way to making your dreams come true?
Price Your Dream.
Your dream can never become real until you collect the physical materials to create it. Begin pricing materials as soon as possible and start collecting what you can afford. Before you know it, your dream will begin to manifest itself. Everything has a price. Begin pricing the things you desire. Create a vision board and put pictures of the things you want on it. Calculate the cost of the lifestyle you want. Put a dollar value on it. That is the financial goal of your business. Structure your business to generate that kind of money month after month, year after year for the rest of your life. Put a dollar sign on every action you take in building your business. You need to milk every dollar you can get out of your efforts. Every potential customer you contact has a dollar value. Go after high value prospects as fast as you can. Capture them first, then go after your charity cases. Discard your fears. Be decisive. Get serious about your dreams. Do not make temporary setbacks into permanent obstacles. Deal with events as they happen. Reject negative futuristic thinking. Confine negative events to the time and place of their occurrences only. Handle today’s challenges today and tomorrow’s problems tomorrow. Above all, be willing to fight until you conquer whatever negatives stand between you and the realization of your dreams.
Live In Your Dreams, Not Your Limitations
Most people discard their dreams because they think they cannot afford them. They make their present financial limitations permanent obstacles to the realization of their dreams. They are victims of poverty thinking. Instead of creating the financial structure to support their dreams, they abandon the dreams that cannot be bought with their current paychecks. As a business-owner, you must reject poverty thinking. Business people never submit to financial limitations. We persevere until we find the way to create incomes large enough to afford our dreams. We never quit moving towards the day we can realize the dream. We use whatever tools we can to keep our dreams alive. And one of the most powerful tools is visualization: seeing yourself having what you want in the future. Learn to see yourself living the life you want, having the things you want, enjoying the fruits of your labor. Allow yourself to feel the joys of being the person you are striving to be. Believe with every fiber of your being that you will have the things you are striving for. Remember that every magnificent creation of human society begins as a dream in someone’s head and becomes a material reality only because the dreamer refused to quit dreaming. Commit yourself to dedicated action to realize your dream. Committed dedication brings massive success..in time. Give yourself time to succeed. Infuse your mind with thoughts of the success you are creating for yourself and your loved ones and mentally diminish your present limitations. Today Is Only 24 Hours, Tomorrow Is Forever. You can always change your life tomorrow. Do not hold your dreams hostage to today’s temporary events and conditions. Make your dreams durable enough to endure the worst of today’s challenges.
Put Your Mind To Work For You, Not Against You
Success in business is 99% mental. If you think you can’t do something, the facts do not matter. You are your own worst nightmare. It does not matter how capable you are. If you doubt your ability to succeed, you will fail miserably. Your mind belongs to you and will work only for you. Your education and physical abilities cannot compete with your power of thought. Your mind will carry out your every thought with extreme prejudice and unerring accuracy. If you want success, it will find the ways for you to succeed and if you want failure, it will find the ways for you to fail. Your mind works only for you. Do not use it against yourself. If you put positive, success-oriented thoughts into your mind, it will find ways to make you successful. Fill your mind with visions of the lifestyle you are creating. Anticipate the joy you will bring your loved ones once you are financially capable. Give your mind food for success. Dream big and dream beautiful. Give your mind the environment you want it to create around you and it will. Make yourself failure-proof. Attitudes are contagious. Avoid negative-minded people like the plague, especially relatives. Don’t hate them. Just avoid their company until you are successful enough to show them how wrong they were. Do not let negative-minded people infect you with their defeatist attitudes or you will begin to view life like them. Misery loves company. Don’t become sympathetic for a negative-minded person. The best way to help negative-minded friends is to achieve massive success in your business and then show them how to do the same if they want to.
A Word Of Caution:
Do not waste your mind-power with thoughts of revenge against those who doubt you or belittle you. Instead concentrate on how well you will live and the looks of surprise on their faces as you drive by them in your dream car or truck. Massive Success Is The Best Revenge Ever!
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Muhammad Sayyid will soon be releasing his book “The Success Chronicles (Unleash your entreprenuerial spirit)”. He produces 2 blogs: “Sound of Success” (http://www.simplefinancialsuccess.com )and ”Computer Repair Tips” (http://muhammadsmoment.blogspot.com/)
Why Entrepreneurs are more stable then Employees
September 25, 2008
Its no secret, small businesses have significant impact on our economy. Its raining “doom and gloom” in the world of the super-huge mega-conglomerates. “The sky is falling” and we are on the verge of financial catastrophy.
Personally, I left the corporate world.. where the only real people making any money at all are at the top levels of management, and nobody from top to bottom has any significant quality of life as they devote most of their waking hours at their jobs, and miss out on the really IMPORTANT things that matter, like family time and stress reduction.
Did you know that the most common time for folks to have fatal heart attacks is on Monday Morning? Not many people are fortunate enough to really love and have passion for their jobs.. and quite literally they are killing themselves for the job, spiritually, emotionally and physically.
Last weekend, the news went from bad to worse for a few “big names” in the corporate world. We will save my opinions about the value of super large conglomerates for another day (hint: I don’t think any organization that has a legal obligation to increase shareholder value over serving customers needs by cutting costs wherever possible is good for anyone save its principles!). I could also comment on the Merril Lynch takeover and the forced restructuring of AIG in lights not shared by the media (well, guess who is in charge of the media?). Suffice it to say… we are undergoing a major and much needed market correction, and I believe at the end of the day, its actually a GOOD thing, although for the short term many “little” people without six figure salaries and healthy savings accounts are going to be suffering due to careless management and poor structuring. Lets face it, people stop being promoted when they have reached the top of their capabilities.. so its does stand to complete logic and reason that the bosses’ in ANY organization are in fact, incompetent. Often worse when they haven’t worked their way up from the bottom to the top, and skipped right into middle management with their university degree, or perhaps transfered into company B from company A and have no idea how things really WORK below and beside them.
Everyone is worried about their job stability.. like there was ever any stability in working for someone else, unless you happen to be the someone who OWNS the company.
Lets wake UP! You KNOW you can’t depend on the weather, you can’t depend on the government and you can’t depend on your employer. As a responsible adult, the ONLY person you can depend upon in this or ANY economy.. is YOURSELF!
You can depend on yourself, and in fact.. you MUST depend on yourself!
You know that in every economy, there ARE winners and loosers. The general mass population, steered into fear and mass mentality are the ones who loose out. You do NOT need to be one of them… you can take control of your own future regardless of what is happening in the economy. You can be a part of one of the largest industries in the world, that HAS grown in 2008, despite the economy and rising gas prices.
People are stressed out and miserable right now, more then EVER… people have the need to relax and recharge- they go on vacation. People always buy what they want over what they NEED.. so it makes absolute sense for those people to be able to buy travel at true wholesale, rock bottom prices. The home based travel business industry is BOOMING, because not only can our product provide people with the travel they WANT, but the security that they NEED! Its a fact, that dispite the “doom and gloom” in the media about the economy, over 300 Million Americans travel over the summer of 2008.
Look into the future, and it looks bright for the SMART people, the self reliant entrepreneurs that help other people solve their problems, and give them a powerful, positive vehicle for hope and change in hard times.. AND helps business owners do their part to stimulate the economy.>
Take the first step right now, and learn how you too can travel well, travel right and build security for yourself during a market correction, visit this website. Take action NOW, and find the right travel home based business for yourself!
Simple Endorsed Joint Venture That Any Business Can Execute
September 22, 2008
At the end of this short document are the five steps you need to go down to start you on the road to joint venture success. You may be tempted to jump to the bottom of this post read the five steps but I would encourage you to understand what is happening at a slightly deeper level.
Imagine that you have a product to sell that retails at $97on how to stay increase your business profits and live the life of your dreams.
You contact your nearest list broker and buy or rent a list of 10,000 names. You then craft a sales letter that explains your product and why people should buy it from you. The letter is sent out to each person on your list/database.
Amazingly you find that your letter pulls in a 2% response, in other words 2% of the recipients decide to buy from you. Lets do our sums; two percent multiplied by 10,000 prospects equals 200 orders. This gives us 200 Orders which retail at $97 or a gross profit of $19,400
Do you think that a 2% response is a bit on the small side? This may seem a bit on the low side, but 2% isn’t really that bad, or is it? Think about this for a second, the people don’t know you, they know nothing about your business, they probably don’t know anything about your product.
In short, they are concerned with being ripped off - Is there a better way?
Sending out a cold mailing like this is not normally going to work very well because they don’t trust you. Here is a way to improve it.
Just supposing you found an owner of a similar list who often contacts his subscribers and has a good relationship wit them. Imagine what would happen if this person wrote a to his subscribers and mentioned how great your product is and what a great person you are.
Do you think the response rate would be higher?
There is every likelihood that this type of endorsed letter is going to get a far better response rate than a cold list. The reason is simply that these subscribers trust the person who is endorsing you so the trust is transferred to you.
If your Joint Venture endorsement has been properly thought through there is a very good chance that you will get wa more than a 2% response rate. If your conversion rate only increased from 2% to 6% (a three fold increase) just imagine what that could do to your bottom line. Think of your bottom line, even if it only increased from 2% to 6% that’s a 3 fold increase. So instead of $19,400 you are now getting 6% of 10,000, multiplied by $97, equals $58,200 gross profit.
If you are incredulous about the increase then please try it out yourself. Here is what you could do; Test 1000 names from your cold (list broker bought) list and then analyse the difference when a joint venture partner endorses you.
Step 1 - Identify what type pf customers you are targeting
Step 2 - Find a Joint Venture partner who already has a relationship with these types of customers.
Step 3 - Agree a % split of the profits
Step 4 - Do a small test endorsed mailing
Step 5 - Do a small test to a cold list (same No’s and customer profile)
Compare the two results. There is a very good chance that the joint venture endorsed mailing did far better and brought in more profit.
All you need to do is repeat and leverage the one with the best results and you will make more money in less time.
Have fun with your next joint venture
Joint Venture Partners and Where to Find Them
September 22, 2008
Have you ever read Acres of Diamonds? The most obvious place to start looking is your own back yard. This story is very well explained in Acres of Diamonds.
So the first place I would look for joint venture partners is in my own back yard. Think of your own customer database or mailing list. This is one of the best places to start because your customers have already done business with you, they know like and trust you (if they don’t, why not). This trust can be converted into more opportunities and more business.
Magazine Publishers
Focus on the smaller or niche magazines and you will find a rich resource of hungry publishers who will often be open to a carefully crafted joint venture. It’s the same with people who distribute newsletters on line or printed material off line. They can be a great source for big databases of potential customers for you.
Library
Your local library offers you a rich resource of excellent material that you can research. There are reference books available that show you the numbers of members. In the USA and Canada you can review http://www.mediafinder.com/. They have around 75,000 newsletter for you to explore. There is a cost involved with this service so do your sums first before subscribing.
Another great USA based service is Standard Rates and Data Services http://www.srds.com. In the UK you can go to a list broker like Marketing File http://marketingfile.com/ I wouldn’t personally go out and buy a big list from a list broker because the chances are good that a business will already have an active relationship with your target market and this is likely to be warmer than a cold list.
Your library is going to have some great resources for research. It may be worth your while buying these directories for your own use. They are normally quite expensive so you could always see if they are available on eBay. Even the older ones still have gems.
Yellow Pages
Yellow Pages might be a bit long in the tooth now because there are on-line resources. Having said that, you will still find that Yellow Pages is a target rich environment for joint venture partners.
Seminars
Seminars or workshops are good places to meet opportunistic people who are often open to joint ventures. Be choosy about which ones you attend but generally they can be a rich pool of motivated people. Paid for seminars will have some of the better joint venture opportunities because you won’t get so many tyre kickers.
Search Engines
Go to Google and type in the keywords that you are looking for. You will be surprised what pops up.
Discussion Boards
Are a great place to find passionate people. These forums give you a chance to form relationships and build up trust before suggesting a joint venture deal.
Newspaper Ads
Newspaper ads can provide some good opportunities, they are after all advertising for business. Contact them and start a discussion.
Your Website
If you have your own website, think of ways you might be able to use it to search out for joint venture opportunities. Why not mention that you are open to joint ventures and explain what you are looking for.
Ezine Directories
Competitors
I know this might sound a bit odd to start with, but your competitors could offer you useful partnership opportunities. Some of the fiercest competitors can become the strongest joint venture partners.
And the mailing will also be very targeted. Why not capitalize on this and make a handsome profit?
Referrals
Existing clients are a great source of referrals for joint ventures. Just pick up the phone and ask them who they might know.
Other Places to Find Partners;
- Business events
- Newsgroups
- Business Directories
- On-Line classifieds
- Magazines / trade magazines
- Trade Fairs
There are literally dozens of places to look, have fun.
Qualities of a Successful Entrepreneur
September 19, 2008
This is something that many people ask me, daily.. in various forms. What EXACTLY does it take to be a successful home based business owner? How does one go about getting their home based travel business off to a quick start? How do I know that I can be as successful (or MORE successful) then all the “beautiful people” that are leading the field and experiencing massive personal and financial success in their home business?
What everyone is really asking, is WHAT do I need to do, be or have to find success in my fledgling P1D business?
Its a great question, and a very valid one for anyone to ask who is starting any kind of business.. be it a home based enterprise or not. After all, we all start business’ to make money- so its appropriate to set oneself up for success before stepping up to the “start line” and diving into home based free enterprise!
I’ve been in business now with the Synergy Marketing Group for nearly 2 years. I started with zip, zero, ZILCH previous experience, and very few computer skills, I’m naturally shy and did have extremely low self esteem having been through a devastating series of events in my personal life. Look at me now, Ma! I’m one of the most successful people in Platinum One powered by the SMG, and so I know, absolutely without a shadow of a doubt that ANYONE can do this business.
Yes, I said anyone.. but I must qualify that. Anyone, with any previous experience, educational background, from any walk of life or any social or financial status can achieve success with a P1D business. This is truly an “equal opportunity” business, and quite literally ANYONE can get started (for as low as $148) and create a six figure income from home in year one. We know from looking at the backgrounds of the many successful home based P1D entrepreneurs, that there is no standard background.
But.. looking around from “inside” the fence, I know, absolutely that while peoples exterior backgrounds are radically different.. there are a few common factors that DO stand out, as “must have” qualities for success. These qualities can be cultivated, nurtured and expanded, for the most part.. but I have witnessed the difference that it makes having these natural inborn qualities present from Day 1, and seeing exactly how the people who are successful entrepreneurs and have SUSTAINED results usually unconsciously grow these inborn strengths and talents, and thus magnify results significantly, thus skyrocketing their success to the very top of this company. That is why..in this business, where there IS equal opportunity for success for even the “newbie” we see new names cropping up all of the time as “regular people” who acheive extraordinary results.
So then, this blog post is intended to help you, in our decision making process.. to determine not that a P1D business is the right business, but rather- IF you should be in ANY kind of business, as a self employed entrepreneur. There is a great deal of information available to help you decide if this is the business YOU are looking for. I won’t even get into why this was my personal choice, and the only legitimate and sustainable home based travel business. You can read about those things, if you are interested in these blog archives. What I want to share with you here and now, are the “ingredients” that you will bring to the table as a vibrant human being with limitless potential.. that will, I believe- mean the difference between an average income in home based business and an extra-ordinary home based income.
Here are those intangible, human assets, that I believe separate the best home based business owners.. from the REST!
(in no particular order)
A genuine love of people. Not someone who can “turn it on” and be charismatic and friendly for business functions/purposes only. I mean someone who genuinely LIKES people, likes listening to them, likes serving them, whats to help them make positive and healthy changes in their lives. This is the difference, I think.. between a “salesman” who makes the sales, and the entrepreneur who runs a sustainable and successful business for the LONG TERM. This is the person who gets referral business, and “upsells”- this entrepreneur is NOT there just “for the money” but genuinely cares for the people they for with and FOR. They FOLLOW UP and follow through.. and you don’t hear anyone ever saying that they were not available for them.
A strong sense of ethics. As my dear Granny used to say.. your reputation is the ONE THING in this world you can’t buy. A very wise lady, and I believe this to be absolutely correct! This is another way of saying, someone who will do the right thing, even if it IS NOT the popular thing. A successful entrepreneur has the critical thinking ability to not only see what is going on around him (or her!) in their chosen field.. but the ability to think independently, and not swim with the fishes if their ethics are compromised. No matter how much money is involved, a successful entrepreneur will have their reputation, their personal brand as an ethical and independent business owner to stand behind proudly.
Patience- a successful entrepreneur will DO the “boring” or “routine” tasks, like accounting or tracking and monitoring performance statistics. Sometimes its SO boring I can feel my hair growing.. but you bet I track, test and tweak all aspects of my business so that I can then use my creative, right brain to look for ways to improve. Which brings up another few qualities
Personal Drive for Improvement- Mama always said, you should put your best foot forward in all things and NEVER SETTLE. Truly great entrepreneurs are always looking to grow their businesses. They are not thinking about “oh, I just want to make a few sales so I can….” they are looking at their next goal, the one after that, after that.. they NEVER STOP growing their business, tweaking and taking it to the next level. When you start your P1D business, your first goal is going to be to get in, get trained and qualify. GREAT! Go DO IT!! But do not ever adopt the mediocre mindset of “well, if I just make 3 sales a month I can quit my job”. You will get to that goal and STOP unless you decide to always be GROWING and improving.
A positive “can do” attitude. Look around, look in the SMG and look outside of it.. examine the lives of successful entrepreneurs. Read autobiographies… Notice.. almost every truly outrageously successful entrepreneur on the planet has overcome monstrous adversity, that would keep most “average” people stuck and defeated. I love Earl Nightingale, who said something to the effect that Attitude is the MOST important word in the world. IT IS! Attitude is EVERYTHING.. think about it.. other people, or that “little voice” in your own head that tells you its impossible because it hasn’t been done before, or that YOU can’t do it because your not (insert excuse here) is GARBAGE programming and junk thinking. Look at the EVIDENCE around you, and realize that you too, CAN do this! Henry Ford said if you think you CAN, you are right.. If you think you CAN’T you are right! So, would you rather be right and successful or right and a failure??? Success is a choice, and it starts with attitude.
Tenacity and Determination.. what others call “sheer grit”. Yes, this industry is fabulously FUN, the training and support is bar none, the product is sterling. But darn it, we ALL have days where we just don’t FEEL like it. DO IT ANYWAY! Do not let the big picture goal in your mind be diminished by any form of excuse. I mean NONE. I’m successful in my business because I worked at it, I did what I had to do, I stayed plugged in, and I never gave up… even when it DID seem impossible and it WAS hard. I’m on the other side of the fence now.. and I promise you, I would do it all again in a heartbeat because I love what I do, and because I would not be able to have the life I do now IF I WOULD HAVE QUIT! In anything worth having, there will be work involved. The hardest work in this business is working on yourself. I absolutely promise you that! But, it is entirely WORTH IT, because you can live a life that most people will NEVER DREAM OF! So dare to dream, and hold onto your vision even when you can’t see the forest for the trees!
NEVER be afraid to tap in and ask for help! There will always be things in life that you don’t know and understand.. if you need to learn them- DO IT! Just as you need to stay plugged into your business, you need to plug into the successful, like minded and hardworking people around you. ASK FOR HELP! You might be surprised to know how many new home based business owners do NOT reach out and ask successful collegues for help and advice.
They FOLLOW success. I had a team member say to me the other day, and it quite stuck me.. he said he “used to be ashamed of riding other people’s coattails”. Hang on, I answered.. that is SMART! Now, I spent enough time in the world of academia to violently abhor plagerism. I don’t advocate that.. but I DO strongly recommend doing what other successful people do, trying on for size different techniques and so forth so see what works for you.. and then BUILDING upon it! My new favourite “janism” is DO NOT RE-INVENT the WHEEL.. but DO figure how HOW TO MAKE IT ROUNDER!!!
They take EDUCATED risks. Entrepreneurs, truly successful business owners ARE risk takers. They know the biggest rewards come with the biggest risks.. and that is why the overwhelming majority of successful people in this business will tell you.. they started out their business at the absolute HIGHEST level they could afford. They did not TRY it out, they COMMITTED to SUCCESS, and they absolutely knew that they were going to conquer success in their dream business, or perish. I realize that is a very strong statement.. but LOOK AROUND and see how many people at the very top were- LIKE ME- in dire financial straits and came in at the higher level.. because they KNEW that they would benefit much more quickly from the higher commissions, and were completely committed to success.
They treat their business LIKE a business. This is a serious business, with an unlimited earning potential! The defining factor, and the only limit upon your success is YOU. YOU will always be the ONLY thing in your way towards success! Newsflash.. if it is not already crystal clear.. as an entrepreneur, YOU are in charge, YOU make all the choices, and so YOU must THINK like a successful business owner. This means planning from DAY ONE for success, and structuring your business so that you will be able to achieve not only your financial goals but your LIFESTYLE goals. You will be a one man band.. so you have to be mindful of not boxing yourself into a corner. Write a business plan, for short, mid and long term.. have a picture and targets of where you want to go. You really HAVE TO KNOW where you are going, in order to get there.
Well, thats my advice for the day!
I hope this gives you some insight, and some food for thought as you begin your journey into the bountiful world of successful entrepreneurism!
Success to YOU, in home based business and BEYOND!
Jani Teeter
Platinum Executive Leader
www.synergy-platinum-destinations.com