Like the Boyscouts, Be Prepared

When it comes to your home business, what does it mean to “be prepared?”   

LEARN & STUDY!!!  Know the basics of the products or services you sell and about the business opportunity you offer. 

Review any training videos your company provides.  Most companies have a “back office” that includes a training section.  You need not try to memorize everything in your back office, but learn how to navigate it and where to find everything when you need it.

Your company or sponsor may advise differently, but I tell my team members to learn the basics and then get to work!  You’ll learn everything else as you go along.  Earn while you learn.

Dial into every training call your business offers!  If they also offer recorded calls, review them for additional training.  Read over all material your company sends you by email or mail.  Read corporate emails or those sent by your sponsor right away.  Quick action may be required or important information included in them.

Prepare and rehearse your “elevator” speech.  If someone asks you what you do, in one sentence, how will you respond?  If you don’t know how you would answer, you may want to contact your sponsor or corporate office for assistance.  If you do not have your response at the “tip of your tongue,” you may lose a customer.

If your company offers services or products that may be sold locally, always have brochures, flyers or business cards pertaining to your business in your car wherever you go.  If you’re a woman who carries a large purse, keep them in your bag.  Some companies offer flyers, brochures and business cards free or to purchase, but if not, create your own if you plan to do local prospecting.  Again, if you do not have promotional material to hand someone when they ask about your business, you may lose a sale.

If you have a laptop, you can use a Power Point presentation to demonstrate your product or service.  Get one from your company or create your own.  

Be sure to check with our company to be sure they allow you to create your own Power Point presentations, flyers and/or business cards.  Some companies require approval by their corporate office.

Since every company is different, with your particular business, there may be additional knowledge or materials required to be prepared at all times.  The suggestions above, however, are a good start for most businesses.

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To learn about Julie Klein and the Xpress Healthcare Business Opportunity, please visit http://joinxpresshealthcare.com.  You can work from home and earn residual income.

For information about how you can Save Money on Your Health and Dental Costs AND Save on Hearing, Vision, Prescriptions, Roadside Assistance, Lifelock™ and much more, please visit http://ibourl.net/XpressSavings   (NOT insurance)

Millions of People are Struggling with their Work-at-Home Business

Tens of millions of people in the United States currently own home businesses. Although millions of people have successful businesses at home, far more are struggling to make even a part-time income at home. Those who are currently searching for a business are wondering which businesses are real, are they legal, what really works?

The choices are practically endless, but exactly how do you choose? What are the criteria for selecting a business that will be a good fit for you?

Many people are attracted to “start-up,” “pre-launch” or “ground-floor” opportunities. Every business was a start-up at some point, but how many are still around, and how many people lost money with those opportunities? If you find an opportunity that sounds great to you, if you can afford TO LOSE your investment to join the company, it may be worth a try. That is not to say the company will fail, but consider it a possibility. At the same time, a company that has been around for 20 years could fail in year 21. There are no guarantees, so be sure you can afford to lose money before spending it. 

Research, research, research! Do not just read the company’s own websites. Look at third party sites to see what those outside the company are saying about it. Membership with the Better Business Bureau doesn’t necessarily mean that is the best company from which to choose. Many companies simply choose not to join the BBB. It is expensive to join, and perhaps the company is doing so well it doesn’t believe it needs BBB backing. Use the BBB as one tool, not the only tool to prove legitimacy.

Does the company offer a trial period or money-back guarantee to provide you with the opportunity to test if the business is a good fit for you? My company, Xpress Healthcare, for instance offers a two-week trial for less than $10, and at the end of the trial, affiliates have a 30-day money-back guarantee. New reps have six weeks to get to know the company and products without risking a lot of money.

What products or services does the company offer? No matter how fabulous the product may be, if it is not affordable, you’ll likely make few sales. You’re also better off selecting a business whose product is needed by a large part of the population. Are you required to purchase products every month? If you wouldn’t use the product and don’t love it, you will be unable to promote it. If you feel passionate about the product, promoting and marketing it will be not be challenging. 

Be certain that you understand a business’ compensation plan. I have seen many that are terribly complicated. You’ll want to consider… If it is a matrix-type company, will you be penalized if you help someone start their business grows their business quicker than you? Is it possible for you to be more successful, earn more than those who joined before you? Is the comp plan reasonable? Will you be paid a percentage or a flat rate on the products you sell? 

Recognize hype when you see it. Many business opportunities say it is free to join, but they later charge you for training or websites. At some point, you will have to pay. If they tell you you’ll be earning a six-figure income in a short period of time, run the other way! If their ad says, “Let the computer do the work while you sleep,” it sounds too good to be true because it is! 

What type of training and support does the program offer? All companies say provide support, but once you join will you have personal access to someone or only have webinars or corporate training calls where you cannot ask questions?

Get a “feel” for the prospective sponsor. Do they appear honest and real? Do they respond to your phone calls or emails quickly? Do they offer one-on-one training or support? No matter how good a company may be, if you don’t like your sponsor, you will not succeed. There is nothing wrong with “sponsor shopping.” If you love a company, speak with two or three recruiters before you decide with whom to join.

If you find and join an honest, reputable company and sponsor with great products or services, the only way you’ll fail is if you quit or don’t work your business. 
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To learn about Julie Klein and the Xpress Healthcare Business Opportunity, please visit  joinxpresshealthcare.com . You can work from home and earn residual income.

For information about how you can Save Money on Your Health and Dental Costs AND Save on Hearing, Vision, Prescriptions, Roadside Assistance, Lifelock™ and much more, please visit  ibourl.net/XpressSavings (NOT insurance) 

"I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States..."

"I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States..."

This is a slightly abbreviated version of the origin article that appears at http://www.Presidential-inauguration.com/a-brief-history-of-the-u-s-inauguration/, where you’ll also find hyperlinks and pictures as well.

The first President, George Washington, was inaugurated at Federal Hall in New York on April 30, 1789. Washington repeated the oath, read by Chancellor Robert Livingston of New York, with one hand on the Bible: “I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of the President of the United States and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.” Establishing a custom that has been followed by all succeeding Presidents, Washington added, “So help me God” at the end. In eloquent Enlightenment form, Washington’s inaugural address spoke of “the Great Author of every public and private good,” “the Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men”, and civic virtue required for successful government.

Washington needed only 135 words to complete the address at his second inauguration in 1793. Some 48 years later, President William Henry Harrison needed 8495 words to complete his address. During that address, which lasted some two hours in the cold weather, Harrison failed to wear a winter coat and developed pneumonia. He died a month later.

The tradition of Presidential procession of both the President-elect and soon-to-be-ex-President has its roots in the 1837 inauguration. On inauguration day that year, Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren met and traveled to the Capitol together in a wooden carriage built from the remains of the U.S.S. Constitution. This processional tradition has been followed by all Presidents with the exception of outgoing-President Andrew Johnson, who in 1869 remained in the Capitol signing legislation until the noon expiration of his term.

Thought to be the greatest of all addresses, Abraham Lincoln gave his second inaugural address in March, 1865. With the Union embroiled in civil war, Lincoln invoked God to bring a speedy end to the fighting. However, he went on to state his acceptance if God were to allow bloodshed to continue after hundreds of years of slavery, because “the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.”

Under the Twentieth Amendment, the date of the Presidential Inauguration was moved from March to January 20, [a couple of weeks after] the certification of votes of the Electoral College. The last President to be inaugurated in March … was Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933. After re-election in 1936, Roosevelt was the first President to be inaugurated under the new amendment on January 20, 1937.

Roosevelt’s 1933 inauguration is also noteworthy because of what he did before his swearing-in. FDR went with his wife to St. John’s Episcopal Church for a church service on the morning of March 4, setting a Presidential precedent of attending an inaugural-day worship event.

In 1961, John F. Kennedy became the United States’ youngest and first Catholic President. During his inaugural address on January 20, he delivered his now-famous words, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”

Ronald Reagan broke with tradition in 1981 by having his Presidential inauguration at the U.S. Capitol’s west front, which could hold more visitors than the normally used east front.

On Monday the Presidential inauguration carried on the traditions of inaugurations past.   To learn more about Presidential inauguration history, visit the inauguration website at http://www.inaugural.senate.gov/days-events

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To learn about the Xpress Healthcare Business Opportunity, visit http://joinxpresshealthcare.com.

To learn how you can Save Money on Your Health and Dental Costs AND Save on Hearing, Vision, Prescriptions, Roadside Assistance, Lifelock™ and more, visit http://ibourl.net/XpressSavings   (NOT insurance)