Building A List

Building a list is essential in business. Keeping in contact with your customers builds a relationship, and keeps your business in front of them. For example, my garage has my car and address details, when it is time for a service I get a reminder (and details of how to book it in with them). I also get a leaflet offering a valeting service (an example of a joint venture between my garage and the valeting company). There is no rule saying I have to use the same garage each time, but I am happy with the work they do so why wouldn't I? The reminder is helpful, the valeting service is convenient. I am happy. They are happy. Happy repeat customers and referrals is what keeps businesses in business. Whether your business is in the online or the offline world it is important that you build your list.

As you are (presumably) working from home, you are likely to be using the internet as your main contact point for your clients / customers. Go through your email address book and see how many contacts you already have that you can send offers to. This will basically be anyone you’ve already sold to. This means there is an existing business relationship there.

It might take a couple of weeks to build up a list if you’ve not already got one but as the Internet ‘gurus’ say ‘The gold is in the list’ and once you’ve got it treat it like a valuable asset (because it is) and it’ll provide you with an income if you use it well.

Basically the best and quickest way to build a list is to offer a value for money product for free. If I was in a band, I might offer a free track from my latest album. A graphic desginer might offer a set of free website headers or buttons. An author, might offer a free newsletter. Whatever it is must be of value to your subscribers. You can see my free offer on this blog (the news & tips offer).

It’s a good value, quality video training package that originally sold for $74.85 when purchased individually and is now available for free. All I ask in return is that you join my mailing list by giving me your email address. You can unsubscribe at any time from the list but my hope is that once you see the offers and information I mail to you, you’ll stay with it.

Now the better quality the product the more people will subscribe to your list. It’s worth buying a good quality ebook or software package relevant to your business / work (that you are allowed to give away and not just sell) to maximise your list. The video products in my newsletter offer, can in fact also be given away by my subscribers. So if they are products that would be of interest to your subscribers, please feel free to use them for your own offer :-)

Are You A Pelican Marketer?

If you are working from home on your own business, then your long-term success depends on your ability to gain repeat orders and recommendations from a list of loyal customers - BUT you MUST look after your list. You need to develop long-term relationships with your customers built on mutual trust and respect.

Are You A Pelican Marketer? by Willie Crawford

Watching the pelicans catch fish near my house reminded me of how some online marketers behave. These pelicans fly high over the water where the unknowing fish don't notice them. The pelicans spot a big fish and dive at high speed into the water. A few seconds later the pelican surfaces and gulps down the fish.

There's only one problem with the way this particular species of pelican fishes. Their method eventually leads to their demise. You see, as the pelican dives into the water at high speed, intensely focusing on the target fish, he is damaging his eyes. Eventually, these pelicans go blind, then they starve to death.

There are other water bird that slowly swim along, and when then spot a fish, they dive for it and seem to have just as much success as the pelicans at getting a meal. Their tried and true method provides them with a nice meal too. Swimming along looking for fish rather than flying above the water has other hazards, but they don't blind themselves in the process of getting a meal!

Many online marketers, are "pelican marketers." They fly high above the market place looking for an unaware victim or prospect. Then they swoop down forcefully and offer them a product or service that the marketer really doesn't even believe in. He eats that day, he makes a profit. However, in the process he often destroys all possibilities of repeat sales. He burns the bridge to future business, in effect "putting out his own eyes."

The non-pelican marketer knows that to enjoy a steady lifetime of fish, he needs to do 2 things:

1) He needs to make sure he offers his customers and prospects things that will really improve their lives. He needs to serve the customer rather than using him.

2) He needs to develop a marketing system, or plan that isn't centered around one-shot sales. Instead, he needs to develop a line of products that provide him with a steady stream of orders from the same customers. How do you do this? You develop a stream of products that all solve your target market's problems.

Using pelican marketing - not developing long-term relationships with your customers, means that you must constantly search for new customers. For long-term business success, it's much more profitable to focus most of your energy on serving existing customers. Then instead of seeking new customer full-time, you spend a small portion of your time prospecting. The majority of your customers will come from repeat business and referrals from your happy existing customers.

Examine your marketing efforts today. Ask yourself if you're a pelican marketer. If you are, open your eyes to the fact that this will likely lead to your ultimate demise. This is a fact of life for the pelican marketer. This is a fact of life for the pelican. The only really old pelicans I ever see are those that hang around fishing piers receiving handouts from sympathetic fishermen.

Willie Crawford is an expert on Internet marketing, joint ventures, buying and selling reprint rights, and building business through networking. His directory of seminars, workshops, conferences, and tele-events is at: InternetMarketingSeminarSchedule.Com

Take Control Of Your Time

Did you know that rich people value their time much more than they value their money?

That's right!

Success comes to those people who can manage their time according to their priorities. It is due to the fact that they can finish doing important tasks at a certain period of time without rushing things and without becoming reckless.

Thus, coming up with remarkable results is no surprise to them. So, are you willing to change your life?

Are you willing to establish a more organized living, to use your time wisely, and to start doing things now rather than the day before the deadline?

Putting Yourself in Time-Out

A mom’s work is never done. This is especially true for entrepreneurial moms. As you devote your time, energy, and enthusiasm to your new business venture, don’t leave out the most important part: taking time for you.

You have to take care of yourself from time to time. Not only do you need the occasional break - you deserve it! Give yourself a time-out to do something you enjoy, or just to relax, even if it’s only for a few minutes a day.

Need a quick pick-me-up? Try one of these rewarding and refreshing activities:

• Go for a walk. If you have babies or toddlers, take them along for a stroll.
• Soak in a soothing tub, enhanced with your favorite bath oil scents.
• Curl up on the couch with a good book or movie.
• Reward yourself with a decadent snack. Stop working for a few minutes and enjoy the experience.
• Write a letter to a friend and share the good news that you’re starting your very own business.
• Meditate.
• Spend ten minutes snuggling with your pet.
• Subscribe to your favorite magazine. Drop everything when the latest issue arrives in the mail, brew some coffee, and enjoy every page.
• Get a manicure, pedicure or professional massage.
• Arrange a “date” with your spouse.
• Take your children to the playground - and get on the swings, the slide, or the merry-go-round with them.

Most of all, congratulate yourself! You’re starting on the road to a rewarding lifestyle and career independence.

Time vs Money - How to save both by outsourcing

How much is your time worth? If you see yourself staring down fourteen-hour workdays in order to develop and run a successful home-based business, you may want to consider outsourcing.

Outsourcing simply means paying someone else to perform certain tasks for you. Of course, the turnoff word here for many people is “paying.” You’re starting a business with the intent of making money, not spending it - right?

In many cases, the money you spend for outsourcing will actually mean greater profits. By hiring an expert to handle those tasks that would take you longer due to your lack of experience, you save time - time which you can then spend doing those things you are experienced with.

When it comes to choosing which tasks you should look for someone else to do for you, a good rule of thumb is “do your best, outsource the rest.” If a task involves skill areas you haven’t developed, hire an expert.

Here are just a few of the tasks you can easily outsource:

• Website content and copy writing
• Website design
• Website maintenance
• Internet research
• Data formatting
• Search engine submissions
• Sales letter writing

Websites you can look to outsource at include:
Guru.com Elance.com RentACoder.com

If you are a freelancer yourself, maybe you could use the above to offer your own services :-)

WAHM need traffic!

If you are working from home as a freelancer or business owner, then the chances are that you have (or will have) a website or blog. Setting up a website or a blog is the easy part. What is really hard is getting traffic to it.

Michael Cheney has just released a set of videos that will take you by the hand and show you step by step how to get traffic from:

Cost Effective Pay Per Click (PPC)
Hot Lead Deals
Offline Wizardy
Link Exchange Madness
Avalanche of Affiliate Traffic
Content Fly-Catchers
Press Release Magic
Search Engine Optimization Shortcuts
Social Networking Clout
Google Video Profits
Blog Power
Viral Traffic Tornado
Repeat Visitor Blitz

He is also offering a FREE Traffic 40-Page E-Book,
26-Minute MP3 & Free e-course, RRP $47

Time Management Tips Video for WAHM

Time management tips for Work-At-Home Moms

The key to Work-at-Home success

The key to Work-at-Home success is controlling and using your time wisely.
Take control and you will succeed.

Let Your Kids Help You

If you have never given your kids a real chance to help you out during the day then you should really give it a shot.

Kids of almost any age can pitch in and help. Even young children can learn to help you in your daily responsibilities. Whether your kids take their own plates to the table for lunch, or if they help you to tear up and scribble all over paperwork which you no longer need, they are helping you get through your day a little faster. If your kids are engaged in activities which are helpful to you, you'll be able to get things done a little faster while your kids get a chance to feel as though they are being helpful. You might be surprised at how eagerly your kids jump right in and help you.

Accept Assistance

Working from home while raising kids can be tough. Many women fall into the trap of not only trying to do it all, but also of not accepting assistance because they feel as though they may seem to not be in control if they allow people to help them. One of the best time management tips you can ever receive is this: allow other people to help you.

Where do the hours go?

If you feel as though you aren't quite as time-efficient as you should be, then it may be time to first figure out where all your time goes right now. It may be that you are spending more time in front of the television or surfing the internet than you initially thought you did. The only way you can hope to become more efficient with your time is by figuring out where you are wasting it.

Keep A Log

Try logging all your work activities for a day or two. If you keep a detailed record of what you do throughout the day, you will soon be able to see where your time is going. You may actually be quite shocked to find out that you spend inordinate amounts of time doing things which are not all that productive at all, and which don't benefit your work life or your time with your children. This is similar to when people start logging where they spend their money…oftentimes they are shocked to find out that they are wasting a good amount of money on stuff which they don't really need at all. The same goes for your time; you might be spending a lot of time of stuff which you don't even realize you are spending a lot of time on. Take a day or two to write down everything you do in addition to the amount of time it takes up, and then sit down and analyze where all your valuable time is being spent.

Work-At-Home Moms - Living the Dream

Not everyone gets to have the experience of working at home. Many stay-at-home moms spend endless hours surfing the internet trying to find jobs which they can do from home. If you already have a job which you can do from home, you have accomplished something which many women only dream about. You have probably realized, however, that working from home can be downright exhausting at times, especially if you are concurrently raising young children who have not yet started school. Through trial and error, you will eventually find a balance which allows for you to be a good mother and an efficient worker. In this blog and in my book 'Time Management Tips for Work-At-Home Moms' I will be giving you tips to assist you in the quest to get your daily activities under control.