One way to maximize and leverage your home, is to work where you live and run a business. For most people, their homes only serve as a place to live. So their monthly living costs create an expense on their budgets. The only leverage you'd have in this case is if your home is located in a real estate market where capital appreciation is rapidly trending up. But this is not the scenario for everyone. If you want to turn your housing expenses into an investment you can leverage, it might be time to consider running a business out of your home. The below examples will feature some businesses who have done this. Auto Repair Medicine HatThis particular business owner lives on a property just outside the city of Medicine Hat, AB. They are located just a short drive off of a major highway, where there is plenty of through traffic and breakdowns of vehicles in need of repair. Due to having the space on his primary lot, this business owner was able to convert his garage to accommodate both light duty vehicles as well as heavy trucks. Now his property is able to act as a repair shop for people who experience breakdowns nearby. Being close to the highway also allows this heavy duty diesel mechanic to offer mobile repair services for heavy trucks who are constantly transporting goods to various communities. This business model has proved to be effective, and with the added benefit of not having to pay for an expensive lease on a separate building. Instead, a portion of the expenses already existing on the home now become part of the business write offs. Saving money from not having a lease is great for bottom line profits too.
Use Self Talk On A Daily BasisOne way to prepare yourself for sales and marketing is to start with the subconscious mind. When starting a sales position, one has to build up their confidence in being able to talk to potential clients. This is especially important when cold calling. It's easy to feel rejected when a prospect says "No", however, once you build your confidence you will understand that the more people you find saying no, the closer you are to finding someone who says yes. To overcome self doubt along your journey, you must start with Self Talk. Self talk is a method where you can look yourself in the mirror and verbally express positive thoughts, feelings, and/or mantras to yourself. It may not seem like much at first, but it's been proven to work over time. By doing this daily, you will be programming your subconscious mind to believe the things you say about yourself, as long as you back up these thoughts and words with action. As you continue to build up your self confidence, you'll find that it transmits through the phone or in front of people in the way you carry your posture, your attitude, and your overall energy. The new found confidence you project will transfer over to your prospects and reflected back to you in the form of more receptive attention, and yes, more sales. Listen More Than You SpeakAnother way to prepare yourself is to remember to listen more than you speak. You have two ears and one mouth for a reason. In the case of marketing, rather than running out and telling your customers what you think they want to hear, it might be a good idea to run a few test campaigns. This way you can measure what your prospects are responding to most and hone in on an effective marketing strategy. Furthermore, when the time comes to make the sale, remember that your prospect has come to you with intention. To close the sale you should master the art of asking the right questions. Get your customer talking, and truly listen to what their needs and wants are. Also, identify any pain points they may have that would deter them from completing the sale with you. By listening to them thoroughly you will be able to address their needs up front and offer how you can solve their problem with your product or service. Hire A Marketing ConsultantIf you are still unsure how to proceed or need more time to build your confidence, you can opt for hiring a consultant. A marketing consultant Vancouver can take a lot of the load off your shoulders, and help you design an effective marketing strategy. You can leverage the expertise of a professional to your benefit, and press forward with the confidence of someone with a vested interest having your back through the whole process. The guidance you will receive will speed up the learning curve and teach you some basics that you will be able to use in the future as well. Know What You're SellingOne of the best things you can do to prepare yourself is to study your product inside and out. When a customer comes to you, it's in your best interest to be an expert on the subject matter. You want to be an authority on whatever it is you are offering so that customers build trust with you, knowing you are a helpful resource to them. If you're selling a physical product, invest in one for yourself. The best way to understand the product is to use it. This is a common technique used in dealerships. For example, car sales people typically drive a demo vehicle to help build belief in the product they are selling. Likewise, the same advise applies to a service you may be selling. If you haven't used the service yourself, you would not have the opportunity to see what kind of concerns can come up for your clients as well as how they are addressed. Practicing what you preach not only gives you knowledge, but it also builds customer confidence that you believe what you are saying to them. Set Goals And TargetsSetting goals for yourself will give you a measurable way to feel a sense of accomplishment. By having a target in mind you automatically give yourself a sense of urgency to take action and get the ball rolling. Goals should be set both quantitatively as well as with a date and time for completion. By limiting the time you have to reach your target, you can also walk back the timeline and set mini goals along the way to the big goal. Breaking it down into smaller chunks will help you manage the big goal, but without losing site of it. Remember to make your goal a little larger than you originally thought possible. Your goal should be large enough to make you feel uncomfortable and stretch you to become better than you were the day before. The worst thing that could happen is that you don't reach your goal by the target date. But by setting large goals you will surely achieve some level of success from which you can continue to grow.
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