Thousands of people start a new home based business every year. Some prosper into massive fortunes, while others just wither away. Some people always seem to have success with their home based business ventures, while others never seem to get their home based businesses off the ground.
After some investigating, I found that the successful home based business owners all seem to have some of the same traits. I want to share that with you today. Hopefully, you will apply these practices to your home based business, and in turn achieve the success you desire.
Here are the 10 things I have come up with during my investigation. Pay close attention here. You may even want to take notes or print this off for future reference.
- Be A List Maker. I like to do this the night before so I am ready to go the next morning with everything I need to get done. This starts my day off organized and primed for results. As you finish each task, cross it off your list. It is amazing how much you will get done when you can focus on what you need to do, and not hem-hawing about what needs to be done. Having the items crossed off your list will also give you a sense of accomplishment, making you feel better about what you are accomplishing in your home based business.
- Be Enthusiastic. Enthusiasm is the fuel you need to accomplish your tasks. Enthusiasm will keep your energy level high. People who are busy, happy, and enthusiast are always achieving success with home based business. And if that was not enough, enthusiasm is contagious. If your enthusiasm level is high, your prospects will see their enthusiasm increase as well.
- Set Your Goals. What are you doing? What do you want to accomplish? Pay off your debt? Buy a house? Fire your boss? It does not matter what your goals are, you just need to know what they are. Write them down, and be specific. Include exactly what your goals are and when you are going to achieve them. If the goal is large, break it down into smaller goals that combine into your bigger goal. This will keep you focused and keep you from getting discouraged. And make sure you have your goals where you can see them. You want to look at them several times a day. When you wake up in the morning. Before you go to bed at night. Another four to six times through the day. This will keep your goals fresh in your mind and keep you focused on achieving them.
- Schedule Your Time Wisely. Your schedule is the roadmap by which your home based business travels. It ensures that you are doing your income producing activities first, and your less important items last. Plan your work, and then work your plan. Most people spend too much time in their email inboxes everyday. The most successful home based business owners spend less than one half hour with their emails a day. Also, I know you love your family, but work time is work time. Your family needs to respect your business and know that you need to have uninterrupted work time. You need to treat this time just as if you were in a place of employment.
- The Magic Word Is "Ask" The most successful home based business owners do not wait for business to come to them. They create their own sales by asking for it. They ask for appointments, and then they do business. They ask for business, and then they close sales. They ask for referrals, and then they have a full list of potential prospects. You want to be polite, but firm, when you are asking.
- Expect No's. You are going to get no's when running any home based business. Remember that these are not personal. In home based business sales, the law of benefits is always at work. Every no you receive will get you closer to a yes. Be sure to keep track of your ratio. It will help you to improve your techniques. You can also use your ratio as a goal. Remember setting our goals? Are you getting eleven no's for every yes? Is your ratio running six no's to a yes? Always remember that your income is dependent on the yes. Also remember that a no is not always the end. Quite often a no is simply a way of saying "I need more time to think." It may simply be a request for more information about your product or service. What your prospect is actually buying is assurance. You need to insure them here with your helpful attitude and complete honesty. They need to know that you want what is best for them. In most instances, they will respect you and do business with you.
- Maintain A Positive Attitude. Success with your home based business is ninety percent attitude and ten percent aptitude. Every one of us must develop habits of constructive thinking. All of us. I am proud to be a home based business owner. I am proud to be in sales. Sales is what makes the wheels of our economy turn. Advisor to several presidents Bernard Baruch was once quoted as saying, "If every salesperson sat down and took no orders for twenty-four hours, it would bankrupt the country." Every company that has any kind of product or service is dependent upon sales to move those products and services. Remember, if you become good at sales, you will enjoy and income far above the average.
- Have An Office Area. For success with your home based business, it is essential that you have a place where you can work in an organized and efficient manner. An office plus a strict working schedule equals dignity. Both are absolutely essential for efficient operation and accurate record keeping, which are very important to the success of your business.
- Be Involved. Most home based business opportunities offer competitions to stimulate production. Include those contests and what your results will be as part of your home based business goals. Not only do contests add a considerate amount of income to your business, they are just plain fun to participate in.
- Handle Money Intelligently. A regular nine-to-five job in Corporate America usually means a paycheck at the end of two weeks. As a home based business owner, you will be handling money constantly. Making sales with your business means instant income and constant income. It is absolutely mandatory that you become an efficient money manager. Have a separate checking account setup specifically for your business. You will want to deposit every penny from every customer into this account. Since bank statements show an exact record of every penny collected, and business expenses can be verified by your canceled checks, your record keeping will become more simple and very accurate.
So are you ready to be a home based business professional? Does financial security mean a lot to you? At this point, you need to ask yourself a few questions including:
- Am I honest?
- Am I willing to learn?
- Am I willing to work?
- Do I really like people?
- Am I actually capable of being my own boss?
If you answered yes to all of these questions, then it is time to find yourself a good home based business opportunity. You will need to find one that you like, one that fills a need or offers a solution to many people, and start working for yourself! If you can take your future into your own hands, then you can make your dreams a reality.