Starting Your Home Based BusinessIn Today’s modern world more and more people are now starting a home based business to supplement their income, some even go on to quit the day job and work full time, but the sad truth is that most are doomed for failure and lose more money than they actually make, but why?The truth is that when people start searching for a home based business on the internet, they come across so many websites offering an online business stating make money within hours of signing up, most of the time this is just not true.One of the most important things that most people tend to miss out on is training or mentoring, you need to know how to run a home based business. To be successful with your business you need to find a good sponsor or mentor who can show you the ropes, the do’s and the don’ts so to speak.To be successful with your business the most important task you need to learn is how to market or sell your products, whatever they may be, without customers you have no business. A very good example of this is, say you put up a website offering 10 Bars of gold totally free to the very first person to respond to your to website, if no one knows that your website exists then no one would take you up on such a fantastic offer. This is where a good mentor can put you right.So how do you find such a person? This is what I Did.I went to Google did a search for the business or niche that I was interested in, I spent many hours going over many websites trying to get as much information as possible, information such as what was on offer, what would you get if you decided to join up. I then picked out five sites that I thought were right for me.They were all offering full training on how to get your new home based business off the ground, not one of them were claiming you would make money straight away but with some basic training you should start making money.I then went back to Google and did a search on the person who was promoting the business opportunity, I wanted to find out who they really were, how long they had been involved in the business, what were people saying about them and so on.I then narrowed my search down to two people, and the reason was they had a contact number that I could call and talk to them about the business.Once I made contact, I asked question such as, if I join up to your business how will you help me get started, what sort of training do I need to do, how long will it be before I start to make money, also If I get stuck will you be there to help and advise me.These are just some of the questions you should ask, my advise is write everything down so you don’t forget, ask as many question as you can, and if they are willing to answer all your questions then you know you should be OK.You can normally tell just by speaking to someone what they are like, if they are just using a sales pitch, then I personally would back out. If they are not pushy and invite you to think about the opportunity and give them another call when you are ready then I would consider this business. I would then try to find other people who are working with this person, just to get an idea of how they are doing working with this person.So if you are thinking of starting a home based business don’t just jump into the first opportunity that you find that claims you will be making money within hours of joining, because the sad truth is you probably won’t.Do your research, don’t rush, take your time and I am sure you will have success with you new home based business.
Five Tips for Selling at Live Auctions
Ah, the old-fashioned country auction! The idea of a country auction conjures up certain images for people. The image of a fast-talking auctioneer offering up an antique table or chair is a popular example.
People who are buying household goods or collectibles are looking to get their items at the lowest price possible. However, the people who are selling their items at auction are hoping for the highest price!
Unless a person is in the business of buying and selling antiques or other items, not a lot of thought goes into how goods are prepared for sale via the auction process. However, if you are one of the growing number of people using auction venues to sell your collectibles or other inventory, there are a few things to learn first about how to sell at auction before you bring a truckload of stuff over to the next event.
Tip 1: Make sure the things you want to sell are a good “fit” for the auction house you’ll be using.
Never bring a load to an auction house without actually having been to one of the previous auctions. It’s important to get a feel for the type of goods that the house sells. For example, at one very rural country auction it was common for the owners to sell live chickens, pots and pans, car parts, and farm equipment.
After close investigation, this would not be the right venue for selling your daughter’s “Hello Kitty” collection. On the other hand, the spare John Deere parts that you bought at last week’s yard sale might be just the right thing for the buying crowd at this auction.
Tip 2: Be sure you clearly understand the terms and policies of the auction house.
Visit with the auctioneer ahead of time. Call to find out what the best days and times are to visit. One of the worst possible times to drop in for an informational visit with an auctioneer is the day of the auction. Call ahead and ask. While you’re at it, find out what are the best days and times to drop your stuff off.
Once you have a little time with the auctioneer, you’ll be able to find out what type of commission he or she takes from consigners (which is you), and what type of paperwork might be needed. Some auction houses send out Form 1099 tax forms at the end of the year. An auctioneer may need to see your identification and have you fill out a W-9. Be prepared.
Find out what happens to your items if they don’t sell. For example, some auctioneers may have a minimum starting bid. If, for some reason, one of your items does not sell, it may be grouped with another one of your pieces. Know the auctioneer’s strategy beforehand so that you aren’t surprised on pay day.
Tip 3: Make sure the auctioneer knows what you’re selling.
It might be perfectly obvious to you that the signed print you are consigning is a rare and valuable piece of art. However, the auctioneer may not know this particular artist. Make a note of anything particularly special about your items, and leave the note with the piece. Be sure to tell the auctioneer about it as well. He or she might determine that this is something to highlight on the company website or in the newspaper listing.
Tip 4: Present your items neatly.
No one likes to have to dig through a box full of grimy and greasy car parts to see what treasures might be in there. Separate the parts and lay them out on a flat, or use more than one box to de-clutter the lot.
There is no need to buy fancy display boxes. It’s easy enough to go to the local convenience store or supermarket and ask if you can have the emptied boxes or flats that they are discarding.
While it’s good to present clean items, take care not to ruin the value of anything by over cleaning. For example, if you find some old cast iron cookware, clean the obvious dirt and grime, but don’t scrub it to its original finish. For many people, this ruins the value of the item. So, clean and tidy and organized is the key here.
Tip 5: Don’t complain to the auctioneer if your stuff doesn’t sell for as much as you’d like.
The phrase to remember here is, “You win some; you lose some.” That’s just the way it is. There are some days where an auction house is loaded with people who all seem to want what you’re selling. There will be other days where the crowd is sparse, and the bidding is simply not competitive.
Remember that it’s in the auctioneer’s best interest to sell your things for the highest possible hammer price. But sometimes, it’s just not going to be a stellar sale. The auctioneer is only human, and is also disappointed if a sale doesn’t go as well as planned.
If you notice that every time you bring a bunch of goods to sell that you’re not realizing as much as you think you honestly should, try another auction venue and compare apples to apples. That is, bring the same types of items to the new auctioneer and compare the results.
Unless the auctioneer is particularly disagreeable or inconsiderate to you or buyers, there is no reason to confront him or her about a sale. If you find you just don’t care for an auctioneer’s style or methods, find another one. Believe me, there are plenty of them out there!
The primary thing to remember as you learn how to sell at auction is that the business is unpredictable at best. You will have good days, some not-so-good days, some great days. The more you sell, the more experience you will gain, and the more enjoyable the business will be.
Top Home Based Businesses – 5 Hidden Methods For Online Success
If you are searching for more ways to make your internet business a success, you have landed on the right article. In this article, we will briefly describe the five methods or tools the top home based businesses use to guarantee profits online. We are living in a day and age when everybody, from your grandmother to the kid next door, is moving toward starting their own home based business. However, there are a few steps that, sadly, most entrepreneurs don’t know, that draw the line between the profitable top home based businesses and the failing home based businesses.
One of the first pointers you need to remember in establishing top home based businesses is that there is nothing wrong with the word “HELP”. The most powerful thing you can do as a business owner is contact consultants that can help you create infrastructure and get your business off the ground. Surprisingly, many of the top home based businesses gained a huge amount of their success by working with internet marketing professionals and experts. Partnering with other professionals is a hidden key to gaining online success.
The next powerful method you must work on to effectively win among the top home based businesses, is in the setup, development and designing of your own personal website. A functioning website is imperative to have in the ultimate success of your home based business. Most of the top home based businesses have their own websites where they can market most of their goods and services. Your website is the key factor to online profitability.
Sadly, many business owners create a website and are still not successful in building their home based businesses. A website, alone, is not enough to guarantee instant online profits. You must learn how to market your website properly. As a result, the third method one must use in gaining results, like many top home based businesses, is to create a comprehensive marketing plan. In order to succeed in any business, you must have a detailed road map of your marketing and promotional efforts.
Included in your marketing plan, should be details on how to stay in contact with customers or visitors to your website. Most of the top home based businesses work at building an opt in email list and corresponding follow up message series as a part of their marketing campaign. Establishing an email marketing campaign is one of the most effective ways to increase conversions and profits in any home based business.
Last but not least, if you are competing with other top home based businesses, it is important to keep in mind that the market can be highly competitive and hard to penetrate. As a result, you have to become very innovative and think of creative ways to “out-promote” your competition. This requires constant learning and reading on internet marketing trends and tips. If you don’t want to do this, you can always hire someone to do it for you. Of course, this is what most of the top home based businesses do anyway.