Working at Home… Is it as great as you think it will be?

I think nearly everyone dreams about the freedom of working for themselves, having their own home business.  For most, it remains a dream.  Over the past several years, however, there has been a dramatic increase in home-based businesses. 

More people want to raise their own children, instead of placing them in day care and missing out on all the milestones.    The cost of day care, gasoline and maintaining a vehicle can take a huge chunk out of their paycheck.  For those with a low to medium-sized income, they may not even take home enough to make it worthwhile to have a job. 

Those who are seriously considering working from home have a lot to consider before quitting their job.  There are pros and cons that come with owning a home business. 

Self-discipline can be the difference between success and failure in a home business.  Some people are not self-disciplined enough to “be their own boss.” 

Entrepreneurs must determine a work schedule, and stick to it; and they must be able to balance work and home life.  If they have young children, will they be able to focus on work at home?  Will the family support their efforts and respect their work time?  Or, will they think that they should be available at all times?

For most people, a job offers a stable income, and receiving a paycheck on a regular basis.  Those who work at home may be giving up health insurance or a retirement plan.  With a home business, income is not predictable.  Although there is a potential to earn far more than with most jobs, it is just that – potential, not a given.

For households with a single wage earner, it will be difficult at the beginning.  Nearly all home businesses must be built over time.  If the business is successful, their income will grow, but the road will be a bumpy one, with challenges along the way.  Obstacles will appear requiring changes in marketing strategy.  There will be slow periods when it seems the business is going nowhere. 

Many people believe they will work less when they have their own business.  Those who are serious about growing a business, however, may end up working longer hours, not fewer.  Many work harder than they did on any job they ever had.  Success, after all, is dependant entirely on the home business owner. 

Will they be able to cope with the isolation of working at home, or will they go stir crazy without another adult with whom to chat?  Operating a home business requires goal, plans, flexibility, focus, organization, self-motivation and creativity. 

We often hear that most home businesses fail.  In reality, most home business owners quit.  They must prepare themselves for the many challenges that will arise along their path to success.  They must be patient, but persistent.  The road to success will be just a bit smoother for those whose mantra is “Quitting is Not an Option.”

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Learn how to reduce your Health and Dental expenses AND reduce costs on Hearing, Vision, Prescriptions, Roadside Assistance, Lifelock™ and even more at http://ibourl.net/XpressSavings (NOT insurance).

 

Please visit my Facebook Page at http://www.facebook.com/XpressHealthcareTheWinnersCircle

 

To learn about Julie Klein and how you can be successful in network marketing, look at the Xpress Healthcare™ Business Opportunity at http://joinxpresshealthcare.com.  

What Do You Know About Your Competition?

You could say that every network marketing company is competition to your network marketing company, but that would only be vaguely correct.  Every reputable company in the industry must offer a product or service.  Those that do not are illegal.  Therefore, your true competition is any other company that sells the same or a similar product or service that you promote.

Do you know which companies actually are your competitors?  We all should know this, because we want to be sure our marketing plans shows how your company is superior to your competitors.  We do NOT do this by “bashing” the competition, which is totally unprofessional. 

Instead, in our advertising, we must state something about our company that we know is better than our competition’s.

Here is an example of how I do this.  My company’s main competition has a very complicated compensation plan.  Each of their reps is paid differently based and receives different benefits based upon how much they pay their company each month.  Many prospects have told me how confusing they found that company’s policies.

My ads often say, “EVERYONE receives the same benefits, the same residual commission and pays the same low monthly fee.”

Our competitor also charges fees for various tools they offer their reps.  So, my ads may also include, “Websites, lead capture pages and autoresponders are all included in your one low monthly fee.  NO other fees are required to build your business.”

It was not necessary for me to say anything negative about our competitor, but if a prospect was researching both companies, my ad demonstrated why my company was the better choice.

To understand this part of my message, you must know that my company sells discount benefit plans that help people save money on health and dental care, roadside assistance, pet care, and much more.  My company’s competition sells many of the same services we offer, and they are good services.  However, their services are provided by a network of providers about which most people are unfamiliar.  My company’s provider networks are well-known, nationwide companies.  We even see one of our provider networks advertised on television!

So, my ads often name the well-known provider networks to make our products stand out from our competitors.

It is very important that we know how our competitors operate their business, how they resolve problems with their reps and how their products or services compare to your own.  Visit their websites.  Look on forums and perform a search engine inquiry to see if you find complaints against them. 

I repeat that you should NEVER say anything bad about your competitor or their products.  Instead, by showing how your company stands out from the crowd, the wise prospective customer will compare your company with your competitors and select yours because of how you presented it.

By always posting positively about your business and on forums, you will gain far more new reps and sell more products than your competition.

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Learn how to reduce your Health and Dental expenses AND reduce costs on Hearing, Vision, Prescriptions, Roadside Assistance, Lifelock™ and even more at http://ibourl.net/XpressSavings (NOT insurance).

To learn about Julie Klein and how you can be successful in network marketing, look at the Xpress Healthcare Business Opportunity at http://joinxpresshealthcare.com.