Turn Interests Into Income on the Internet

The number of people earning a living online is exploding. Every day people are turning their skills, interests, passions, and even rants into an income. You can too, even if you’re not tech savvy or don’t have a lot of money.

I’m doing a live 3-hour seminar on “Turn Interests Into Income on the Internet” March 6, 2010, 9 am to Noon at Piedmont Virginia Community College. In the course you’ll learn how to:

• Identify the assets you have that are potential money-makers
• Determine the best way to make money from your idea
• Use free and low cost online tools to turn your idea into income
• Develop a plan of action to turn the dream into a reality.
• And more!

To learn more or to register, visit Piedmont Virginia Community College online or call 434-961-5354.

Taking the Fear Out of Sales

The one thing that keeps many from pursuing a work-at-home arrangement is the aspect of sales that comes with most work-at-home opportunities. The word “sales” can bring up images of slick used car salesmen or telemarketers who won’t take “no” for an answer. The reality is that successful salespeople are more like counselors….they listen more than they talk, they ask questions, and only offer information when they can meet the client’s need.

The trick to overcoming sales fear is to change how sales is viewed and done. Everyone has an element of a salesperson in them. In our everyday lives we encourage, convince, and advise co-workers, family, and friends on many different things. So when it is important to us, we can find ways to “sell” our ideas, thoughts and feeling to others.

When selling services or products, it helps to see yourself as offering a product or service that can meet a need. You aren’t begging, coercing, or forcing people to buy your wares. Not everyone will or need the product or service….and that is ok.

The following are some ideas to help make selling second nature. When done successfully, it won’t seem uncomfortable. Instead it will flow as naturally as any other activities you do relating to your work.

Know your product or service inside and out! People are uncomfortable buying from people who are hesitant or unknowledgeable. That doesn’t mean you have to know every single detail but, you should be able to access any answer a potential client may want or need.Be enthusiastic about your product! I am not talking about the forced, obnoxious excitement we see on infomercials. Your belief in your service or product should be genuine. People get excited when you’re excited and they want to be enthusiastic like you….if they believe your feelings are real, not an act. The more genuine and sincere you can be with clients the more receptive they will be to you.

Avoid scripts. You know why! We can all tell when someone is reading or is mechanically reciting a sales script. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t write out important features or benefits you want to cover. The best thing to do is have an outline and practice delivering your message over and over until it is second nature. You don’t want to memorize a script because many conversations don’t follow the script’s order. By using an outline of the ideas you want to cover, you can practice different scenarios as well as communicating spontaneously. This is very important. To converse spontaneously, you need to be listening. Clients aren’t going to buy from those who don’t listen to them.

LISTEN! As mentioned above, clients need to know that you are paying attention. Plus, if you are going to meet their need, you need to know what it is! People will buy your goods or service if it meets their need. Have you ever had the experience of going to buy something, you tell the sales person  what you are looking for but the sales person  shows you something not at all close to what you want? Don’t do that!

Ask questions! Instead of listing all the features and benefits of your product or service. Ask questions about what your client wants and needs. By understanding what your client is hoping to gain through your product or service, you are in a better position to present your product or service as meeting their need.

Ask for the sale. Most of us don’t want to seem pushy. After all, if they want what you have to offer, they will ask, right? Not necessarily. There are many ways to ask for the sale. Some suggest coming right out with something like, “How many would you like to order today?”, making the assumption that a sale will occur. Others suggest, “If I can get this product with these features, will you be ready to buy today?” Also, just because a prospect says “no” today, doesn’t mean they won’t buy in the future. Don’t be afraid to find out why they aren’t ready to buy. Perhaps you have a solution.

Follow-up. Successful sales people have relationships with their clients. That doesn’t mean they are best friends but, they do check in with clients to be sure the client is happy with the product, answer questions, address concerns and even make future sales. Many marketing books remind us that it is cheaper to keep a client than it is to get a new one!

Ask for referrals. A happy client will refer your services. Someone who hears about you from a client is more likely to buy from you than someone else. To encourage referrals, offer your clients a discount or gift or another incentive to recommend you.

Sales is like any new skill; practice always makes it easier. Not only do we become more comfortable with doing it, we become more confident. True work-at-home wannabes feel the fear and uncertainty but, do it anyway. And usually they discover that it isn’t that bad particularly when they wake up one day and commute from the bedroom across the hall to the home office!

Best Ways to Make Money Online

The Internet has not only changed how people work and run home business, it has created entirely new income options. With the Internet, making money at home is easy. That’s not to say that internet-based income is automatic or doesn’t require work. Instead, it provides tools that if used correctly, can have anyone making a good income from home. Here are some of the best online income opportunities.

Writing – If you can string words together, there are a host of income options available to you. Businesses are paying writers to create articles, reports, books, ads, sales letters, emails, and blog posts. Many of these companies are posting their jobs online and providing ongoing work for the write writer. Or you can start your own writing business.

Affiliate marketing – This method of making money online is so low cost and easy, but it’s highly misunderstood. Affiliate marketing is a way for you to make money promoting other businesses’ products and services. But success in affiliate marketing, as in any business, is in the marketing. People can’t use your affiliate links if they don’t see them. Most successful affiliate marketers use a website or blog to provide information and promote products in a specific niche.

Virtual Assistance – If you have good office support skills and the needed tools and equipment, virtual assistance work may just be for you. Many businesses are outsourcing tasks they don’t want to do or don’t know how to do. These tasks can include everything from email management, follow up contact with clients, scheduling, website management, ghost writing, web design, research and much more.  Some virtual assistants focus on a target market such as Realtors or authors. Others focus on providing a niche service such as blog management.

Online Storefront- The success of Amazon.com and eBay indicate that people do a significant amount of shopping online. You can take advantage of this by opening your own online store. Options include selling your home-made items, finding used items to sale, or using wholesalers who will provide you with products that you can resale for profit. You can sell your wares at Amazon, eBay or Etsy, or create your own storefront website.

Be an Expert – People go online to find information or support. There are a variety of ways you can provide this information and support, and get paid. Virtual tutoring and coaching are expanding fields. Or you can create your own informational products and training materials to sell online. Another option is to get work as a subject expert at a content-based website like About.com in which you write articles and blog about your area of expertise.

The Internet has everything you need to create a home-based income. You can find virtual work or create your own virtual business, as well as find a host of free and low cost web-based tools and resources to make it happen.   While nothing will work overnight or run itself, working online can be simple and straightforward. All you need is your imagination, desire, and the willingness to do the work.