Every day thousands of people look for a home business out of the need to help with the stack of bills that see to arrive everyday, pay off their increasing credit card debt or to have more time with the people they care the most. I know, I was one of those people.
There are countless Internet Businesses, MLMs, Direct Sale Businesses and Network Marketing Businesses out there, and more are popping up every year. What most people don’t know is, the average lifespan of a home based business company is less than two years, so when they close their doors (or change their company name to avoid legal issues) the home business owner feels betrayed and enraged because they were lied to and now are deeper in the debt sinkhole.
Before you’re roped into this group, take some time to ask yourself exactly what you want in a home business before joining. There’s more too it than wondering, “Which company can make me super rich quick?”.
Here’s a list of things you need to consider before you enter your credit card information and buy a ticket for the get rich bus:
1. Start Up and Continuation Cost
a. Is it affordable for you now to start a home business with the company you want?
b. Most businesses have a monthly membership. Can you afford to stay with the company after one month? Two months? A year?
c. Are there any extra costs involved to be successful with the business?
d. Does the business provide a budget plan for you so you don’t overspend?
e. Does the business provide a refund if you decide not to quit?
2. Compensation Plan
a. What percentage of commission do you earn from the product(s)/service(s)?
b. Can you earn commissions with your business more than one way?
c. How often do you get paid for your business? Weekly? Monthly? Yearly?!
d. Does the product(s)/service(s) have to be kept by the customer for a certain amount of time before you receive your commission?
e. If the customer wants a refund for the product(s)/service(s), do you have to pay back your commission?
f. Is there a limit to how much you can make in a week? Month? Year?
g. Are there extras (bonuses, trips, vehicles) for being a top earner or making/breaking sales records?
3. Support
a. Are you given a mentor, upline or support team you can contact if you have a problem, question or concern?
b. Does the business have a website where other people have voice the same problems, questions or concerns?
c. Does the business have a toll free number you can contact?
d. How quick (or slow) does the business respond to your problems, questions or concerns?
e. Does their response satisfy your issues or leave you even more troubled?
4. Product Marketability
a. Does the business provide a website to market their product(s)/service(s) or do you have to build your own?
b. Does the business have brochures, CDs, or DVDs to for you to build your business?
c. Are you allowed to market their product(s)/service(s) as well as any you may have?
d. Are you allowed market affiliate product(s)/service(s) with the company product(s)/service(s) or do you have to achieve a certain level in their business before you are allowed?
e. Do you have to attend meetings to be a part of the business or market their product(s)/service(s)?
5. Training
a. Does the business have a training program? How long is the training?
b. Does the business have a training website that is easy to navigate and learn?
c. Does the business provide live training calls, webinars, videos, CDs, DVDs or books for your training?
d. If your sponsor quits, what will happen to you?
e. How soon will your business start making a profit when your training is finished?
6. Success Record
a. How long has the company been in business?
b. How soon (or long) were they established before they showed a profit?
c. Are they still making a profit today?
d. Are the chairmen people with successful business backgrounds or do they have a negative record?
e. Is the business privately owned or is it being traded on Wall Street?
f. Does the business promote a benefit, charity or non-profit organization? Did they create their own?
This is list of questions you NEED to ask the representative of the company you want to join. If they can’t give you an answer, then speak to someone in the business who can. If that person can’t answer your questions, you need to keep looking.
Finding a home business is the same as buying a new pair of shoes. If they are a good fit then you should be able to wear them everyday for as long as they serve their purpose. If they cause more pain than pleasure, then you should be able to return them for a refund, or throw them away without any hard feelings.
I hope you found this article helpful in your decision as to what you should look for in home business.
Cheers!
Scott G.
E-Business Expert
Before You Start A Home Business
Identifying A Legitimate Home Based Business Opportunity
Identifying a legitimate home based business opportunity is not easy.
With thousands of “fly by night” type companies out there, it is becoming harder every day to find a legitimate home based business opportunity. But i don’t want you to worry or get discouraged…
I want you to know that there are legitimate home based business opportunities out there that are right for you, you just need to know what to look for, and that is why I’m writing this article today.
As a person that is seeking to change their fortune you are in a vulnerable position. Let me explain…
You’re filled with emotion and excitement because you have made the decision to possibly become an entrepreneur via the home based business industry. And that is really exciting!
But because of that there are advertiser/marketers that understand that, and they use Ads that trigger emotions (your vulnerability) in order for you to take action and respond to an Ad.
Now.. there is nothing wrong with that, that is the foundation of a good marketing campaign, however I want you to realize that it is at that specific moment when you respond to an Ad (in order to get more information) it is when you need to take the emotions hat off and put on the logic hat and ask yourself…
Did the Ad deliver what it promised? Or did the advertiser bait you in with one thing and then try to sell you something else?
What is delivered in the landing page? Is it all hype and fluff? (Expensive cars, mansions, money) or is there true value & substance with the information provided regarding what you are looking for.
Assuming that Ad delivered what it promised and you are ready and willing to look deeper into this legitimate home based business opportunity, you’re now going to want to make sure that all the benefits you’re looking for are incorporated into this opportunity.
And here’s a small list….
Unique Business Model & Products – This will make it easier for you to get your business started without dealing with products that have saturated the market.
Step By Step system that will literally take you by the hand and show you exactly how to get started, your following steps and your steps moving forward as you start building your home based business.
Weekly if not daily trainings that will allow you to learn from the people that are already getting results with what works right now so that you can implement it in your business.
Weekly support calls where you can directly speak to a top producer and ask any question or address any concern regarding your business so that they can point you in the right direction.
Marketing system that is pre-established and allows you to start your business right out of the gate and that allows you to brand it or mold it to you as you become more proficient.
Make sure the opportunity has global reach. By not limiting yourself to a local area or a region you are more likely to access larger markets using the internet to make more sales and grow your business exponentially
Finally, make sure that you become part of an opportunity that is composed of individuals that do not mind sharing new concepts and ideas and will allow you to become part of that discussion so that you can benefit from each others experiences and grow as whole.
It has never been about competition, rather understanding that there are different opportunities for different people. Therefore, if you find yourself with a company that bad mouths others or use deceptive tactics to gain business then I highly recommend that you think twice before investing a single dime (or penny in that matter).
But if you find yourself in a position where you are looking for exactly the specific points I touched base in this article then I welcome you to visit my website.
Good luck.
PS: Always use your gut instinct, it will rarely fail you.
Structure in Building Your Network Marketing Business-techniques That Will Change Your Life
Building your network marketing business requires structure to really change your life.
To have success in network marketing or any other business, you’ve got to look at the
long-term. Of course you want to plan to be profitable as quickly as possible. But you
need to figure out exactly how to build your business week after week, month after month,
year after year. A lot of people say they aren’t looking for “get rich quick,” but if they aren’t
making fistfuls of money within 6-8 weeks, they are history. People need to be realistic.
It seems most people come into MLM without a great networking database from their past.
And you can’t build a networking business without a database, so that means they have to
create a new group of people who know,like and trust them. That takes more than just
wiggling your nose. Your first goal must be to build trust with well-targeted prospects. You
do that by giving them value, something that costs you nothing or very little, but which is very
valuable to the person you give it to. This may be an ebook or audio or video or some other
piece of content which will really help out your prospects. In exchange you get their contact
information and permission to talk with them. As Humphrey Bogart said in “Casablanca,
” that “could be the beginning of a beautiful relationship!”
It’s important to really target the exact people who will build your network marketing business. You have a lot of markets to choose from. Pro mailers have learned the best ways to target
the best prospects to mail to. And it’s pretty expensive when you make a mistake of mailing to a poorly-targeted list. These guys would tell you that the number 1 factor in their success isn’t the mailing piece they send out – it is the names on the list they mail to. You’ll probably think this is weird, but the top criteria to be able to predict whether a person will buy is, has this person bought the same thing before?
Sounds like it couldn’t possibly be right, but it is the truth. Mail order dealers who know what
they’re doing mail exclusively to people who have already bought the exact same thing, or
something very similar. Why would that work? Because this is a prospect who has stood up
as a person interested in exactly what you are selling. that means your very best prospects are NOT the general public. your best prospects are those who have been in MLM before and are still looking for the opportunity that will give them the success they want.
The ebook “Success in 10 Steps” by Michael Dlouhy details these ideas and many more. It’s a free download describing the pitfalls of MLM and how to be successful anyway. The 10-step
system in the book shows how to build a strong team through long-term relationships. The book itself is free, and it is also part of a very inexpensive lead-generation system offered by the author, Michael Dlouhy. The reason it has such a strong impact is that so many people want the benefits of MLM, but they’ve just never had the real-life success that they want. Dlouhy shows exactly why that is, and exactly what you need to do to achieve long-term success. The opportunity to then turn around and use the book as your own lead generator is a real bonus. Giving you thestructure needed in a system for building your network marketing business.