| Creating a steady income from home can be a
daunting process. Being successful from home can often take more work than your regular 9
to 5. But, if you learn to break things down and follow a simple formula, your home
business can give you all the income and time freedom that you are seeking in a work from
home business.
My successful business formula involves 5 steps. I follow
these same five steps with every person I come into contact with. Having a system not only
makes my days more organized, but also it opens up more time for me to enjoy the financial
rewards that the system creates.
Here is my simple formula:
Step 1; Collect Leads:
This is an entire article in itself (which is in the
works). For the sake of keeping this article on track, I will touch on this only briefly.
There are many ways to get leads. You can buy leads, place ads in papers and on the net,
use ad words, submit your site to search engines, mail postcards, etc. There are literally
100's of ways to advertise. The trick is finding a couple of advertising techniques that
you like best and that fit your budget and then try them out. Those that bring you the
most success can be tweaked further to give you the results you want. Just remember to
always test each ad or lead generating technique you use. From my own experience, I like
to talk to those that are in my business and find out what they are doing. They have most
often been through the trial and error process and can save you some time.
Step 2; Call Leads:
This is the step that most people have reservations about.
If you want to be successful in any home business, you must pick up the phone. This does
not mean "cold" calling people. I never call anybody that has not asked to hear
about my home business. Use your lead generating techniques in step one to create leads
that want to hear from you and then contact them. Whether you business costs $5 or $5000
to join, people want to know that there is a real person behind the business that they can
consult with questions. Talking to them and establishing a rapport and trust will go a
long way to making sure that the prospect joins you in your home business. When still a
"rookie" to making calls, it is best to have a script or outline to follow. This
is not to say that you read directly from that. Just use it as a guide to keep you on
track and in control of the call. Most importantly in regards to calls......LISTEN. Listen
and take notes about what the prospect is telling you. Remember, you are trying to get to
know this person and establish their trust.
Step 3; Email
It is hard to ignore this powerful tool. When collecting my
leads, I always get an email and phone number to use in step 2 and 3 of my system. Just as
I do not make cold calls, I do not send emails to those who have not asked for it. Spam
complaints will kill your business and your rapport with people. When I get an email, I
simply have that email address automatically entered into an autoresponder. My
autoresponder then sends messages every few days to keep me fresh in my prospects mind.
Autoresponders are a must have for any business. They allow you to stay in contact for
long periods of time while doing virtually no work. They also increase the amount of times
your prospect is exposed to you and your business. Remember this, on average a prospect
must see your message 5 to 12 times before joining you.
Step 4; Direct Mail Information Packet
With all of the new email laws and email blocking systems,
direct mail is making a comeback. As I said in step 3, you want to expose yourself to your
prospect as many times as possible. But, if you use one method of exposure....your
prospect may begin to ignore you. Diversifying your exposure types will keep them
interested. I must state that I do not mail information packets to everybody. Only those
that I have talked with and that have expressed interest. Mailing the packets can become
expensive if you mail them to everyone. That said, putting the pack together is very easy.
I used the ad copy on my website to develop the packet. Then I throw in a business card or
flyer and send it on its way. This also makes sure that people actually see the content of
your site. Many have seen so many websites that they just browse them. They are more apt
to sit down and read printed text than to sit at their computer and read through your
website.
Step 5; Direct Mail Postcard
Postcards, like direct mail, give you another way to expose
yourself to your prospects. They are fun to design and can be sent quickly and easily.
Because they are less expensive than the direct mail packets, I send a postcard to all of
my leads. People love getting postcards. They do have the junk mail stigma and if designed
well, they can give a personal touch to your business. I actually send a postcard campaign
that sends multiple postcards over a period of 45 - 60 days to my prospects. I use a
service that does this automatically and even personalizes each card for me.
Always remember this, it takes on average 5 to 12 exposures
to get somebody into your business. My 5-step process actually includes multiple exposures
within each step. For example, my emails include phone numbers to live calls and links to
movies to watch. One email can get me three or more exposures. The key to any business is
to have a formula or process to follow. Knowing what you are going to do each day keeps
you focused and allows you to track how your business is doing and what may or may not be
working.
That's it! Those 5 simple steps earn me a consistent
6-figure income from home. Your results may differ based on your business, and your
compensation plan among other things, but this process will definitely increase your sign
up rate.
Copyright © Nick Bramble |
