NOTHING HAPPENS UNTIL YOU MAKE A SALE
You Can Spend So Much Time Setting up Your Business That You Forget to Concentrate on the Most Important Thing--Making a Sale.
By Mark A. Smith
I've seen many folks preparing to start a home business. They're busy at remodeling a room into an office, buying furniture and computers, fax machines and copiers. A desk. An expensive chair. And on and on. I know one couple that has been preparing their home business office for years! And they still haven't launched their business.
Of course, there's nothing wrong with preparation. But material things alone don't mean a thing UNLESS YOU MAKE A SALE.
So instead of concentrating on making a sale, some folks concentrate on making their office beautiful. And some of these folks NEVER get around to making a sale. But they sure look nice in that fancy-looking office. So where SHOULD our focus be? First and foremost it should be on making a sale. Not on that $500 office chair. Make some sales and then begin to add some things you want for your office as time goes on. All that office stuff is secondary to making a sale. Then what should we be doing to make that sale?
WE MUST ADVERTISE
Advertising is the key to success. And there are many ways to advertise your products, services or business opportunities. Here are some examples:
* Classified Advertising* Display Advertising
* Telemarketing
* Radio
* Television
* Internet
* Word-of-Mouth
* Mailing Lists
* Electronic Mail (email)
* Fax on Demand
Depending on your business strategy and budget, you can use one or more advertising methods to get going. Classified and small display ads are a great place to start, due to their excellent potential and affordability. But don't try to make the sale directly from a classified or small display ad. That's a terrible strategy. There just isn't enough space to close the sale.
All you should be doing with a small ad is getting folks to request more FREE information about your product, service or business opportunity. This is the first step in what is called the "two-step method" of making a sale.
You must make it extremely easy for your customers. Listen close, because this is where the majority of home business folks fail. They make it hard on the customers. They make it hard by asking for long self-addressed stamped envelopes (LSASE) or a dollar or two, just to get more information on your offer. Think this through carefully and you'll see it for what it is--A TERRIBLE STRATEGY. Let's look at an analogy to prove the point.
Did you ever walk into a shopping mall? Well how would you feel if you were charged a dollar to walk into a bookstore? Or any department store? You wouldn't like it, would you? And believe me, people don't like "paying" through the mail to see your offer. If you do this, you'll lost customers and sales. And your response rate will suffer, just like a book store would suffer if they charged you to enter. In fact. they probably wouldn't be in business very long, would they?
Are there exceptions to this? Of course. There is always at least one rare exception to virtually any sound principle. But those exceptions that work are crafted by seasoned professionals who are marketing masters. They know the rare cases when a "cover charge" is appropriate. Even then, the cover charge is usually very tiny and they provide multiple ways of getting the information. And usually at least one of the ways is a free method.
Talking about multiple ways, the more easy ways you can give them to get your information, the better. Examples include: your mailing address, your phone number, your email address, your FOD number, your Internet address, etc. You don't have to use every possible method, but remember this: Make it as free and easy as you can. That's the key.
CLOSING THE SALE
After you get an inquiry, it's time to close the sale. A cover letter, a circular, product samples (if appropriate) are the key ingredients required. Focus on making your offer irresistible. Focus on the customer, not yourself. Tell them all the benefits they'll get from their purchase. And make it easy for them to place an order. Treat them good (just like you would want to be treated) and they'll be back for more.
THAT'S HOW YOU MAKE A SALE!
So let's get busy and advertise. Because nothing will ever happen until you make a sale.
Mark A. Smith, B.A., M.S.M., is a home business consultant and distributor of an amazing catalog that pulls cash. Smith is offering readers of this column a FREE copy and exciting information. Write to:
Mark Smith Dept. CAT 1112 Baxter Ln Freeport, IL 61032
You may also email Mark: sandmark12@aol.com
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