Sales Tips for the Home Based Business

Working out of the home often means juggling multiple tasks and
wearing many hats. But look out. When there is so much to do that
there is little time left over for sales and marketing activity,
sales can dry up and often do. Here are some ways to avoid that.

1. Monthly Focus – Each month, grab your calendar and see which
holidays are coming up. Then focus some type of activity around
them. At least minimally, setup a direct mail campaign through
the U.S. Post Office site (usps.com) in these quick steps:

Choose one of their postcards.

With their online tools, edit the back with a quick note, sale of
some type & referral request.

Load an Excel document of addresses, pay and send.

2. Ad Campaign - Plan ahead with advertising representatives by
gathering their media kits and asking about special deals or
rates they may have for you. Then follow up and plan a 12- to
16-month campaign, even if it’s just a small classified that runs
regularly. That way you’ll always be covered whether you’re too
busy to care or not. You can always supplement with
cross-promotional pieces. But at least, set up a foundation to
get you through the year.

For inexpensive ads to run throughout the year, check out
neighborhood newspapers and free or cheap magazines and papers
that are placed inside public libraries, large grocery stores and
country-type restaurants. PennySavers and Thrifty Ads are other
sources.

3. Regular Income Stream - Don’t just have all large projects.
Set up a few (or several, depending upon your budget needs)
smaller, regular income-producing projects to generate weekly /
monthly income. And maintain a steady flow as much as possible.
In other words, if five regular, smaller jobs pay the day-to-day
bills, once one of them quits or runs out of work for you,
replace it as soon as possible so that you maintain your steady
‘five’ as much as possible.

Some people setup affiliate programs in this manner; selling
something for someone else and earning a percentage or profit for
selling. They target so much income from one source of revenue
stream to cover a certain portion of expenses. And if this runs
out of steam, they beef up promotions or switch to another
affiliate program. Learn more about affiliate options from a
place like Commission Junction (cj.com). Or in your favorite
search engine, type in ‘affiliate programs’ and see which ones
are popular.

So when you juggle, remember to mix in SOME type of regular
sales and income generating opportunities. You don’t drop the
ball!

 

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