Can You Make Money with Surveys?

If you’ve been a visitor of Work-At-Home Success for some time, you’ll know that I’ve never been very optimistic about making a living doing surveys. But I get asked about them all the time, so I thought I’d post my thoughts to help answer questions. I’ve also posted a few survey companies you can check out if you’re interested in learning more about surveys.

What are surveys?

Companies need information and feedback on the products and services they sell. They get this feedback by asking consumers questions about the product specifically or their buying habits. Surveys are not new, but in the past they’d come in the mail.

Are surveys a scam?

No, at least not the legitimate ones. Like most everything else related to working at home, there are always a few bad apples trying to take advantage of others. Legitimate survey sites do not charge you money. I have found that some sites will charge money to access their database of survey sites. You have to decide for yourself whether this is worth it. In my experience a little research goes a long way. And some of these survey database sites sneak in free-to-try programs that can cost you money.

Can you work-at-home doing surveys?

This is a hard question to answer because you can make some money and get free stuff. But I haven’t yet anyone yet who supports their family on survey income. So if you need to pay the rent, I don’t think surveys are the best option. If you want mad money or less than a few hundred a month, then maybe it would be worth effort.

Do I have to give them all that information about me?

Yes, but within reason. The survey sites need to put you into a demographic (married, own a home, have 2 kids, etc) because companies survey specific demographic groups. But you always want to be careful about giving away information that could hurt you financially. The difficulty is that if you’re getting paid, the law requires the company issue a 1099 for which a social security is needed.  This is true of any paid work in the U.S. (Incidentally, you’re also supposed to claim prizes and winnings as income on your taxes).

What do I need to know that isn’t usually mentioned?

Most survey sites will tell you how you can make $5 to $75 per survey, but what they don’t tell you is that you may only qualify for one survey a week or less or maybe more, but you’re not going to do five $25 surveys a day seven days a week. Many don’t  pay per survey, but instead enter you to win money.  And some give you stuff instead of money. I’ve gotten a portable CD player (before there were MP3 players) and a Victoria Secret bra. I also got paid $5 once to do a week-long log of my TV watching habits. It was fun, but I didn’t earn much.

They also fail to mention the qualifying aspect. When companies survey consumers, they usually want a very specific group such as married moms with children under 10 years who own a home, a computer, a gaming system, and watch 20 hours of t.v. a week (this is just an example). Further you don’t know until you start the survey whether or not you’ll fit the demographic the company is looking for. Usually the first few questions are used to identify if you fit the target group.

The people I’ve met who seem to make the most from surveys and win a lot of free stuff tend to spend a lot of time at it and participate through more than one company. If you’d like to give it a try, you’re likely only to waste time (as opposed to money) and perhaps you’ll get a few bucks or free items. Remember though to never pay money to join a survey site and be skeptical about the free-trial offers that will bill you if you fail to cancel. Some survey database sites have those kind of offers as well.

Here are few survey sites you can try. The are free, BUT I cannot make any guarantees about their programs or your success in working with them. They are offered solely as information you can check out.

American Consumer Opinion
Consumer Views
FocusLine.com
Online Customer Surveys
Panda Research
Survey Savvy
Vindale

Is Your Home Office and Business Protected?

Did you know that your renter’s or home owners insurance may not cover all aspects of your home-based business? According to Nolo, if your home burns down, and your insurance company didn’t know there was a home office, you may end up with a voided policy.  But insurance isn’t just about protecting your property. Its also about you and your staff’s health as well as protecting you from liability.

• Insurance needs you should check out include:
• Property coverage and loss of business
• Auto coverage
• Liability coverage for products as well as seeing clients in your home
• Disability insurance
• Health insurance for you and your staff

There are many options for finding coverage. Some companies now offer a joint home/home business coverage, which may be cheaper than adding riders to your existing policy. You’ll want to shop and compare to find the best business insurance quote and group health insurance rates. Fortunately, there are many options available.

You’ll also want to protect your business from your employees. It’s not unusual these days for employers to do background checks on their employees through companies like IIX. These companies can provide verification of social security numbers, driving history, and criminal background checks.

Don’t take a chance on your business’ financial future by not having adequate insurance coverage. Do the research and make sure you’ve got all your assets covered.

WAHS Podcast #106 Jill Hart from CWAHM.com

This week I interview Jill Hart from CWAHM.com and co-author of So You Want to Be a Work-At-Home Mom.

If you’d like to download any episode you’ll notice a new “Download MP3″ below the player. You can get the podcasts through iTunes as well.
Listen here:

You can also subscribe through iTunes.

Resources Mentioned On the Show

CWAHM.com
So You Want to Be a Work-At-Home Mom: A Christian’s Guide to Starting a Home-Based Business

Free Teleseminar – Become the Go-To Business in Your Industry

It’s no secret that personal connections, work-of-mouth marketing, and referrals are the cheapest, most effective ways to build a business. This isn’t just about tweeting, although social media plays a part. Instead it’s about building a comprehensive marketing and customer service plan that keeps your business first and foremost in your clients’ and prospective customers’ mind.

I’ll be hosting a free teleclass on Become the Go-To Business in Your Industry on August 23, 2010 at 9 pm eastern.  In this TeleClass you’ll learn:

- Why connection marketing is replacing old-school marketing tactics.

- What connection marketing is and how it is the most effective form of marketing.

- Free and low-cost online and off-line connection marketing strategies that build loyalty and referrals.

- How to create a connection marketing plan that works for your business.

The teleseminar is FREE. To learn more or register visit GlobalTeleclass.com

WAHS Podcast #103 Ask the Pajama Mama

This week I answer listeners’ questions about working at home.

If you’d like to download any episode you’ll notice a new “Download MP3″ below the player. You can get the podcasts through iTunes as well.
Listen here:

You can also subscribe through iTunes.

Resources Mentioned On the Show

Allison O’Kelly of MomCorp on Flexible Work Options

Lift Inc

Remind Your Customers

Copyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy

If you don’t remind your customers that you are still in business they may forget. Repeat customers are the lifeblood of any business. Below are three effective strategies you can use to remind your customers that you are still in business and get them to buy over and over again.

1. Ask your customers to subscribe to your free publication. It could be a print newsletter, e-zine, newspaper, journal etc. You could send out the publication weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, etc. The articles in the publication should be informative and helpful to your readers. You can increase repeat purchases by including advertisements of new products and services that you offer.

2. Ask customers to sign-up to an e-mail update that tells them when you have made changes to your web site. Whenever you update your web site send them an e-mail to remind them to visit again. If you’re using this strategy it’s important to update your web site often. Add new content that would be of interest to your customers. You could also add free stuff to your web site like software, online utilities, ebooks etc.

3. Follow-up with your customers. You could follow-up by e-mail, direct mail or by telephone. It’s always important to get their permission to follow-up ahead of time. You could contact them and ask them if they were happy with their purchase. Send them online or offline greeting cards on holidays and birthdays. You could also follow-up with a free gift letting them know you appreciate their business. You can get repeat business from them if you include another product offer or back end product with each follow-up.

In conclusion, any of the three strategies above will increase the number of repeat purchases from your current customers. You can increase their effectiveness by combining all of them into your marketing campaign.

About the Author:

Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy has helped thousands of people in over 200 countries around the world start and run a successful home business. Discover 3 easy steps to start your own home business and subscribe to The Home Biz Guy’s Free Home Business Secrets Mini-Course at: http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-23595

WAHS Podcast #100 Career Counselor Michaela Sibanda

Enter to win a free copy of The Work-At-Home Success Bible and other gifts to celebrate the 100th episode of the WAHS Podcast! I’ll be giving away:
- 2 Signed copies of the Work-At-Home Success Bible
- 5 Copies of the Jobs Online Toolkit
- 1 Free 30 minute coaching session.

To be a winner, simply submit a comment on this post. I’d love to hear feedback or suggestions. Be sure to include your e-mail when you post your comment. Your e-mail will NOT be posted on the blog, but will be accessible to me from the admin area so I can contact you if you win.

Entries will be accepted until July 22nd and the winner will be notified on July 23, 2010.

This week we celebrate WAHS Podcast’s 100th episode! Plus I interview Michaela Sibanda of PassionateProfitableMoms.com.

If you’d like to download any episode you’ll notice a new “Download MP3″ below the player. You can get the podcasts through iTunes as well.
Listen here:

You can also subscribe through iTunes.

Resources Mentioned On the Show

Passionate Profitable Moms
Profitting From Your Passions Coaching Program – Become a Career Coach
Changing Course

Working At Home Isn’t Hard, But It is Work

There is no big secret when it comes to working at home. Websites and bookstores are filled with the how-to, step-by-step details of what it takes to find a telecommuting job or start home business.  Ask to hear the success story of a person working at home and you’ll hear pretty much the same thing from all of them … found a passion…did research… implemented a plan… kept at it… etc. The steps to work-at-home success are straight forward. Nevertheless, many people find themselves lost and unsure as they navigate the work-at-home world. No doubt there is a lot of noise and clutter than can distract a work-at-home wannabe from finding success. The appeal of free and easy money sidetracks others.  But working at home isn’t as hard as many people make it out to be.

That is not to say that working at home is easy, because at times it’s not. But the hard part isn’t the working part. In fact the working part is the easy part. It’s like any other job in which you’re paid work. The hard part is getting out of your own way so that you can do the work. Working at home requires developing the self-confidence and courage to step-out of your comfort zone.  You have to keep working when frustration and setbacks occur. And finally it’s about accepting that making money at home isn’t something you sign up to do, nor is it fast or automatic.

Perhaps it’s the scammers’ fault that working at home seems to be equated with easy-get-rich-quick-doing-nothing. The problem with this idea is that too many people expect to make money for very little effort. When too much effort is required, they give up and hunt for something easier. But working at home isn’t any faster or easier than working in the traditional work world. People don’t look for traditional jobs by signing up for something that pays them to do nothing. Working at home requires the same dedication and commitment that working outside the home requires.  You have to do the activity or produce the results to get paid.

To be a success at working at home doesn’t require luck or secret knowledge. It requires work. Work to find the work-at-home option that fits your skills, experience, and lifestyle goals. Work to make it happen whether it’s creating a professional resume that gets you hired or preparing a stellar business plan to propel your home-business to success.  Its work to do the daily activity required to make money, especially when things aren’t going as planned. But as you can see, the work isn’t necessarily hard; it just takes time and effort. So if you’re finding working at home to be “hard” consider whether or not you’re putting in the effort or if you’re searching for the “sure fire system” that nearly always keeps you further from your goal. Once you focus on the right kinds of activities, working at home isn’t that hard.

Follow Your Passion, Not the Money

There are many ways your work-at-home option can go awry, but one that I see frequently is a lack of interest. Too often people get caught up in the hype of making great money with a turn-key home business system that they don’t take time to consider whether or not they like the product, company, or business methods. This happens a lot in direct sales, in which someone gets excited about big compensation and an easy to manage system, but once they join and start working discover that it’s “not for me”. It doesn’t matter how much money can made in vitamins, make-up, cooking utensils or whatever program that sounds profitable. If you don’t like health, beauty, or cooking, you’re going to struggle.

The trick to finding work-at-home success comes from first identifying your passions and interests, and then finding ways to turn it into money.  Here are some tips.

Identify your passions and interests:

1)      If you didn’t have to work, what would you spend your time doing?

2)      What activities give you energy?

3)      What did you dream about as a child?

When answering these questions, don’t censor. Instead write everything that comes to mind even if you think it won’t lead to working at home. For example, if you wanted to be a rock star as kid, write down rock star. You may not be able to become a rock star, but you can start a website with rock star news or music reviews, become an audio editor, or maybe you can become a rock star. Justin Bieber started with a YouTube video and look where he is now.

Once you have your passions, you need to determine how can make money from it. This is the tricky part, but if you open your mind to possibilities, you should be able to find multiple income methods from your passions.  The basic ways to make money are to sell stuff, sell your skill, and sell your knowledge.  Do you make something related to your passion such as a non-toxic, non-stinky bug spray (if so let me know). Or perhaps there is a company already making product related to your passion and all you need to do is partner with it. Do you speak a foreign language and like to help people? Translation and tutoring may be a good option for making money with those skills. Are you good at feeding a family of four for only $25 a week? There are many people willing to pay money to learn how you do that.

If you’re still struggling for ideas, do an Internet search on your passions and see what others are doing. You’ll find a host of examples such as blogs and websites making money through advertising, people selling their skills through a service business, or selling their knowledge through books and coaching.

There is a saying that if you do what you love, the money will follow. While it also takes commitment and a plan, doing what you love is an important part of achieving work-at-home success.

Buying a Business Checklist – What you need to know before you buy!

Did you know that you can start a business today…right now? While building a business from scratch has its own advantages, buying a business is one of the fastest ways to start working from home. There are many advantages to buying a business including brand recognition, working systems, existing customers, available inventory, and support and training. Nevertheless, buying a business also comes with potential problems and issues such as costs, risks, and sometimes limited control such as when buying a franchise.

There are four different ways to buy a business:

1) Buy an existing business that was started from scratch by someone else.

2) Buy a franchise.

3) Buy business opportunity

4) Buy into a direct sales company

All offer a host of advantages and disadvantages, so before signing a contract and paying your money, do your research and get answers to the following questions.

Buying a Business Checklist

Below are a set of questions you should answer before buying a business whether its an existing business, franchise, biz op or direct sales. This is a generic checklist. You can get business type specific check lists such as Franchise Buying Checklist in The Work-At-Home Success Bible.

1. Who is the seller/company? Did he/she start the business and if not, who did?
2. How long has the business been in existence? How long has the seller owned it?
3. Why is it for sale?
4. What is the price? How was the price determined?
5. What does the price include?
6. Is there inventory? What is its value?
7. Are there any equipment or materials included in the sale?
8. Does the purchase include ownership or use of logos and the brand?
9. Is a customer database included? What is the size and purchase history?
10. Does intellectual property rights convey with the sale (trademarkes, patents, copyrights)?
11. Will the seller provide training and support?
12. What is the current financial state of the business? Debs? Assets? Accounts receivable?
13. Does the business/seller have contracts with specific ventors/contractors and will those relationships transfer to you?
14. Is the business required to operate under any laws, franchise or license rules, or other agreements?
15. What is the history and track record? What are the last two years of sales and returns?
16. What current marketing campaigns are running?
17. What is the reputation of the business?
18. What is the quality of customer service?

What is crucial to know is 1) what EXACTLY are you getting for your money. If you buy a business but the sale doesn’t include the brand or customer database, you actually aren’t buying very much. You also want to make sure you’re not buying a business that is on the verge of bankruptcy. Finally you want to know what laws or legal obligations the business is required to work under or uphold.

Next Page »