© PinkMoose


In a large corporation everyone has a specific job to do. There are tech guys, salesmen, engineers and managers. The jobs rarely overlap and everyone is specified.

When you work from home, however you may put on a number of hats during the day. You might be secretary first thing in the morning, then accountant in the afternoon and consultant at happy hour. The point is, you may end up doing the job of more than one person, and not all these jobs will be familiar to you. Like sales.

You've heard of people who are born salesmen? Some people certainly have a knack, but it's still a skill you can learn. And you MUST learn it, because when you own your own business you need to be its biggest advocate! Here are some quick sales tips to get started.

1. Read everything you can: The more you read about selling and sales techniques, the better you become.

2. Practice, Practice, Practice: Roleplay with family or friends, test out new tricks.

3. Find What Works for You: If hard selling doesn't sit well with you, don't worry! There are lots of ways to sell. Find a way that makes you comfortable and fits your personality type.

4. Be Honest: Don't ever lie to get a sale. If someone asks a hard question, it's okay to get back to them with an answer. Even in hard selling you never want to promise something you can't follow through on.

5. Ask the Question: Some sales people call it closing. But I call it asking for the sale. After you run through your pitch and give them all the reasons why your product is the best, ask them to buy it!

Want even more good sales advice? Check out the SalesBlogCast, a blog just for sales people by Doyle Slaton.

What good sales tips have worked for you?

If you've ever looked for a business opportunity online, you've probably seen a scam. In the past I've talked about scams I've seen and experienced and some clues on how to spot them. However, if you live in the UK, you can help your government take action against these scammers.

Check out Scamnesty, whose catch phrase is "Don't Let Them Con You". They are setting up local drop bins all around the county. If you suspect you've received a scam you can drop letters directly into these bins. Scamnesty also will take care of scam emails and text messages (you can find out how and where to forward these on the website).

The website also has examples of scams, including websites and emails. The four major warning signs they list are:
1. Too good to be true, probably is.
2. No previous contact with the sender.
3. Time pressure. (Act now or this offer will be gone!)
4. Anyone asking for bank account details.

This push to crack down on scammers only lasts til the end of February but the more information you help provide the better informed the government can be so they can appropriately crack down. Do your part and send it any emails, letters or texts you've gotten that make you say, "Wow. Spam."

© Annie Mole


Over 133,000,000 blogs have been indexed by Technorati since 2002. So if you keep a personal or educational blog you might wonder what's the point of trying to monetize your work? It certainly can't become its own business!

If you're already blogging, you probably wondered about how to turn your work into cash. Even a "just for fun" project probably has some earning potential. While it takes serious long term dedication to take a personal blog from a side project to a full time income, if you're willing to do the work it can be very rewarding. Here are some tips on taking your blog from hobby to business:

1. Be regular: Start a schedule you can stick to. 3 times a week? Every day? Pick a plan and make it happen.

2. Sharpen Your Skills. Take some time to really hone your writing technique. Learn about sentence structure, how to craft a post and even ways to grab attention with your titles.

3. Know Your Audience. Who reads your blog? Who do you want to write for? (Hint: "everyone" is not an acceptable answer.)

4. Comment. Comment on other people's blogs with meaningful thoughts and a link back to your posts. This is a great way to build a relationship with others and to get more hits.

5. Get Involved in Your Community. Reply to comments on your blog, read and comment on other people's blogs, respond to email. Talk to people you know in person.

6. Find ads that work for you: Sure, you can hope for donations or sell a book but ads really make the money on blogs. It doesn't have to be Google ads either. Do some research!

7. Promote the heck out of yourself. Everywhere you can! Try social media, guest blogging, your email signature and your friends.

8. Feel free to take baby steps. A blog is simple to start monetizing before you quit your job. Start working on things right now so you'll have a good headstart.

© bravenewtraveler


Every seven seconds an American turns 50. The baby boomer market still demands regular products, despite their age increasing. So a business that taps into their needs can't help but achieve success.

Senior Magazine is a location based magazine meant to be read by people over 50. The magazine offers information covering the biggest concerns of an aging population: health, retirement, fulfillment and family. While the cover articles remain the same, the other articles and ads have ties to their franchise's location, therefore offering only relevant information to its readers.

This work-from-home franchise allows the owner to connect with businesses and professionals in their area. Each franchise has protected territory and no limit on creativity. The magazine articles are created and edited by the owner, then sent to Senior Magazine for printing.

Senior Magazine currently has five franchises, so it's still relatively young. Most of these exist in the central southern part of the United States. Even so, a number of notable charities and hospitals continue to enjoy working with the company, such as the Good Samaritan Society and Presbyterian Hospital. The headquarters offer lots of support and training to get you started. There is a $30,000 initial investment with a publishing fee of $2000 three times a year. The Franchise agreement lasts seven years.

If you ever wanted to have your own magazine, you can have one with a pre-carved niche and a community feel. Find out more information at the Senior Magazine website.

© emdot


Stumped for a good business idea? You know you want to work from home but you can't decide what to do. Maybe it's a time to examine your life and see what you're already good at.

Not every hobby has profit potential, but what about your words? When you get together with your pals over coffee or happy hour, what do you chat about? Do you chat about people's relationships and dating pitfalls? Do you argue over fantasty football leagues? Or do you just share your more recent haphazard parenting story?

Take a minute and really consider what comes out of your mouth to your friends. What is that one thing everyone asks your opinion on, even if it's: "does this color look good on me?"

There's a probably a business idea hidden in your everyday chat. In fact, chatting might just be your idea altogether. If you're good at dating advice, become a love-connection coach. If you know fantasy football like the contents of your snack drawer, consider doing an "insider's" podcast. If you've got more than your share of parenting wisdom; start a lecture series.

Whatever you know about, talk about, you're probably already consulting someone. You're just not getting paid for it yet. So take that gift of gab and turn it into a fabulous business idea! You know you're good at it, that people listen to what you say and you already enjoy it.

Got a creative way to turn your over-coffee-chats into a steady income? Share below!