Marketing Your Business
Are you looking for clients for your new home business? Wondering what other successful home businesses are going that you're not doing?
Here are several proposals to help you advance your business more effectively.
You set high standards when you started your home business. You thought you’d get all the business you need for your startup enterprise by posting on your Facebook page and telling all your friends and former business associates about your new home business. But customers have shown to be few and far between. All your clients who told you to call them when you got established? Most now aren't even returning your voice mail. And the people who do express some initial interest in your product or service are afraid to spend the money to buy it.
What can you do now?
How can you keep your home business dreams viable?
What are flourishing home businesses doing that you aren’t doing?
Here are several suggestions to help.
1. Expand your network.
Your friends and family can be encouraging for what you’re doing, but they may not be the best sources of recommendations. Consider who would make a good client and then look for ways to meet those people. Depending on what your offering, Chamber of Commerce meetings, local civic associations, regional trade shows, professional conferences, formal lead-sharing groups, and phone calls can all be effective. So, too, can networking online through social media groups and sites, and online forums if done correctly. Don’t spam the sites or groups with ads for your products or service. Just participate in and contribute helpful information to the groups that are likely to include prospects for your services and you will get known.
Optimize Your Social Media Profiles. Be sure you have a business-oriented social media profile set up on the major social media sites and a business page set up as well. Be sure your personal profile looks professional. Even if you point people to a business page, those who want to do business with you may also look for your personal pages. If what they see makes them think of you, has a partier and conversations they don’t appreciate, instead of someone who's a responsible upstanding member of the community, they're not going to do business with you.
2. Create a website and be sure it looks professional.
No matter how many social media groups you participate in or how many local networking groups you belong to, possible customers are likely to take a look at your website before they call you to discuss your services. If you sell products, selling online make it easy for your customers to buy no matter what time of the day or night they want to shop.
3. Look for needs that you can fill and ask for business.
Remember, if you don’t ask for business, know one will know you want it.
4. Talk to people.
Anyone and everyone, as circumstance allows. The man sitting in the seat next to you on the airplane, might just be a customer. Instead of staring into space or twiddling your thumbs, strike up a conversation. Find out what they do, and eventually they’re likely to ask what you do. I know of several businesses including mine that brought in substantial new business through just such conversations.
5. Advertise on the web.
Depending what you sell, there are allot of alternatives here. From Free Advertising sites to pay per click advertising which can be an affordable way to find targeted customers for your home business.
6. Don’t tell people you run a home business.
Although more than half of the small business in North America are home based, many people still think it's risky to do business with a home business. So, why say you are in a home business? Home is just the location of the office. It’s the business – the product or service your provide – that’s important.
7. Give a demonstration show off your business.
Show your clients what your business has done for you. Let them know what your business can do for them.
9. Learn from others in your industry.
Attend meetings where people talk about their achievements and difficulties. Read trade publications, get to know who’s who in the industry, then find ways to introduce yourself to people you’d like to get to know. If you can’t meet them in person, try calling them. Don’t waste their time. Have a specific question or problem in mind that you’d like them to help with. Then follow up with a note thanking them and telling them how much you appreciate their help.
9. Stay in touch.
Just because a potential client doesn’t buy today doesn’t mean they won’t buy. This is particularly true if you sell to businesses. Some industries and some products have different buying cycles. Even if the initial prospect doesn’t buy, they may give your name to someone who does.
These 9 idea’s can help you attain success.
You save 54% off the regular price of $90.99
SUPER DEAL!
Cook N Home 15-Piece Non-Stick Soft Handle Cookware Set (black) & 50 TCredits
$40.99
As a Super Deal, this purchase also includes:
1000 Rewardicals
Description
A great deal for cooks and TripleClicks members alike: a Cook N Home 15-Piece Non-Stick Soft Handle Cookware Set & 50 TCredits you can use to bid on Pricebenders auctions, play Eager Zebra games, purchase products, and more!
Cook N Home 15-Piece Non-Stick Soft Handle Cookware Set
This 15-piece cookware set includes a 5-quart covered dutch oven, a 3-quart covered casserole, a 1-quart covered sauce pan, a 2-quart covered sauce pan, an 8-inch fry pan, a 10-inch fry pan, and a 5-piece nylon tool set.
Product Details:
* Tempered glass lids makes viewing food easy from start to finish
* Nonstick coating provides long lasting superior performance
* Comfortable, soft touch handles stay cool when cooking
* Heavy gauge aluminum is super conductive for even heat distribution
* Easy clean exterior; Not for induction stove top
