NOTHING HAPPENS UNTIL YOU MAKE A SALE

Doing Your Homework Before You Set up a Business is Fine, But Preparation Can Go Too Far.

By Mark A. Smith

I've seen many folks preparing to start a home business. They're busy remodeling a room into an office. Buying furniture and computers. Fax machines and copiers. A desk. An expensive chair. And on and on. I know one couple that has been preparing their home business office for years. And they still haven't launched their business!

Of course, there's nothing wrong with preparation. But material things alone don't mean a thing UNLESS YOU MAKE A SALE.

So instead of concentrating on making a sale, some folks concentrate on making their office beautiful. And some of these folks never get around to making a sale (But they sure look nice in that fancy-looking office).

So where should our focus be? First and foremost, it should be on making a sale. Not on that $500 office chair. Make some sales and then begin to add some things you want for the office. All those office items are secondary to making a sale.

WE MUST ADVERTISE

Advertising is the key to success. And there are many ways to advertise your products, services or business opportunities. Depending on your business strategy and budget, you can use one of more advertising methods to get going.

• Classified Ads

• Display Ads

• Telemarketing

• Radio

• Television

• Internet

• Word of Mouth

• Mailing Lists

• E-Mail

• Fax on Demand

Classified and small display ads are an excellent place to start, due to their excellent potential and affordability. But don't try to make the sale directly from a classified or small display ad. That's a terrible strategy. There just isn't enough space to close the sale.

With a small ad, you should be getting folks to request more FREE information about your product, service or business opportunity. And you must make it EXTREMELY EASY for your customers. Listen closely, because this is where the majority of home business folks fail. They make it hard on the customers. They make it hard by asking for long self-addressed stamped envelopes or a dollar or two, just to get more information on your offer. Think this through carefully and you'll see that it's a terrible strategy. Let's look at an analogy:

Did you ever walk into a shopping mall? Well, how would you feel if you were charged a dollar to walk into a bookstore? Or a department store? You wouldn't like it and believe me, people won't like "paying" through the mail to see your offer. If you operate this way, you will lose customers and sales. And your response rate will suffer, just like a book store would suffer if they charged you to enter. In fact, they probably wouldn't be in business very long would they?

Are there exceptions to this? Of course. There's always at least one rare exception to virtually any sound principle. But these are crafted by seasoned professionals that are marketing masters. They understand the rare cases when a "cover charge" is appropriate. Even then, that charge is usually very tiny and they provide multiple ways of providing the information. And usually, at lest one of those is a free method of obtaining the info.

Examples of such info methods include: your mailing address, phone number, e-mail address, your FOD number, Internet address, etc. You don't have to use every possible method, but remember this: Make it as free and easy as you can. That's the key.

CLOSING THE SALE

After you get an inquiry, it's time to close the sale. A cover letter, a circular, or product samples (if appropriate) are the ingredients required.

Focus on making your offer irresistible. Focus on the customer, not yourself. Tell them all the benefits they'll get from their purchase. And make it easy for them to place an order. Treat them well (just like you'd want to be treated) and they'll be back for more. THAT'S HOW YOU MAKE A SALE.

So let's get busy and advertise. Because nothing will ever happen until you make a sale. This website is an excellent place to advertise. Do it today!

Mark A. Smith, B.A., M.S.M. is a home business consultant and publisher of THE YELLOW PAGE OF MAIL ORDER BUSINESS TOOLS. Smith is offering readers of this column a FREE copy. Order by emailing Mark--sandmark@aol.com You may also write him at:

Mark A. Smith
1112 Baxter Ln
Freeport, IL 61032

   

      

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