Balancing Work And Home While You Work At Home-Houdini Ain’t Got Nothing On You
A work at home mom has a unique set of dilemmas, and soon realizes there is a fine line between a curse and a blessing. A mother who works a traditional job gets to leave for the day while a home based business means simply that, you are home but still with the responsibility of running a business. Working from home doesn’t lessen the determination, pride, or enthusiasm you have for your job. Quite contrarily it empowers you to be more passionate than ever.
So how do you handle the assumptions that since you are at home you must have time to bake cookies for your child’s school carnival? Tactfully would be the first answer that came to mind. Honestly and politely are other choices. Guiltlessly would seem the most important answer though.
Explaining what products or services you provide and how much time it consumes would be a great way to help Miss Johnson understand why your kindergarten son’s version of your “job” isn’t exactly true. Mommy’s who stay home all day and paint may seem like the perfect candidate for baked goods necessary for this year’s fund raiser. Moms who paint custom floor cloths, complete with deadlines, to sell is the “rest of the story.”
Once Miss Johnson understands where you stand with time the next step for a work at home mom is not to feel guilty because you have to say no. Always remember that when you do have time to help in some way you will, but now is just not a good time. The dialogue you allow to run through your own head can sometimes be more harmful than what anyone else truly thinks about your efforts. When you balance work and home and work at home… remember, Houdini doesn’t have anything on you babe.
The Magic Act-Managing Your Time Before It Vanishes
There is just not enough time in the day. You’ve heard it before and if you are a work at home mom you’ve probably said it several times. You may have even said it several times today. Twenty-four hours seems eternity when you are anticipating a special event, but flies by far too rapidly on a normal day.
There are strategies that will help you manage your time more effectively and efficiently. Schedules have to be made even if you abhor structure. Visualizing the week all at once really creates the necessity to eliminate things you can live without. You may realize your children are involved in too many activities and you can’t be two places at once. That’s right even with all the technology we have clones are still “too controversial.” Sorry moms!
You may have to make a few schedules – one for home, one to keep the home based business rolling along smoothly, and one just for your personal time. The idea of scheduling is to eliminate a lot of clutter and guess work so the fewer schedules you need to adhere to the better your schedule will actually work.
Structuring your chores so that you are not looping around and backtracking like the kid in the Family Circle cartoon is a simple yet monumental achievement. In house chores as well as out of house chores are equally in need of being planned.
Structuring homework, dinner and bed for the kids and doing the same for your major chunks of time is a great way to keep everyone in a rhythm. This is not to say that you can’t deviate from the schedule from time to time. In order to manage time more effectively there should be a structure to the main core of events.
Keeping your home-based business on track and being certain deadlines are met, clients are happy, banking gets done is another reason for a separate business schedule. Incorporating the business life into the personal life is a unique process. This is a challenge for all mothers but holds a unique feature for work at home moms. Being at home and having to be separate from home is a challenge in and of itself. It can be achieved and has been successfully done, so don’t give in to the lack of time. Make time work for you.
Where is Your Phone Number?
by Jeff Mulligan
There is probably a major problem lurking on your sales page right now. And it could be hurting your profits.
Experts agree that one of the most important factors in a successful website is credibility. This frequently translates into the credibility of the site owner. People are more likely to buy from somebody they believe in.
Is your website as credible as it could be?
People judge credibility by many subtle factors. Does the design of the site look professional? Is the site well written? Are there typos and grammar errors strewn throughout the site? Is the author believable? Does the author have experience in this market or with this product? These are all important factors.
We also know that a strong guarantee is a key part of a successful sales page. Taken one step further, the reader needs to believe he will actually get a refund if requested. And herein often lies a major inconsistency.
Look at your sales page and ask yourself: Who is standing behind the product? What do you provide for contact information?
If there is only an e-mail address, or worse yet, no contact information at all, then you do not have a believable guarantee.
If you want someone to believe that you stand behind your product you need to be reachable. Put your complete contact information on your web site. I’m not just talking about an e-mail address. Consider adding your snail mail address and even, dare I say, your phone number.
At first, I worried about using this approach. I feared getting calls at all hours of the night. I worried about getting overwhelmed. But, I reasoned, I could always remove the phone number if it became a problem.
Turns out, having my phone number on the site is a blessing. I have made dozens of sales because I have been available to answer one or two simple questions from a prospect. I now look at each telephone call as an opportunity to help someone solve their problem and, frequently, earn their business.
I have received numerous comments from customers saying that one of the reasons they purchased is because they can tell there is a “real person” standing behind this business. The fact it is, I only get about one or two phone calls a day. And my sites have thousands of visitors every day.
In summary, take a look at your own sales page or contact page with a critical eye. Do you look like just another anonymous web site? Or is there a person there; ready, willing and able to help. The answer to these questions may have a lot to do with your conversion rates.
At the very least, test putting your phone number on your web site. Even if your web business is part time, with a good voice mail system you will sound professional and you can return phone calls when you are able. Try this credibility improvement. And see if it doesn’t improve your sales.
Jeff Mulligan has an MBA and 20+ years of marketing experience as an ad agency Senior VP and VP Marketing for two software companies, one of which was publicly traded. Jeff owns CBmall, a site that provides 15 different ways for ClickBank affiliates to earn income on 1,997 ClickBank InfoProducts. http://www.cbmall.com/info
Ann Vogel of Ann’s Personalized Books and Gifts
Name: Ann Vogel
Tell us a little about yourself:
I am a single mom of a 12 year old boy living in Austin, Texas. I have owned
many retail businesses over the years and have been looking for something
that I would be proud to sell on the internet. I found personalized
children’s books about a year ago and keep thinking of more personalized
products that I can do and do well – I just can’t find the time to get them
all up on my websites.
What is your business name and web address:
Ann’s Personalized Books & Gifts
http://www.anns-personalized-books.com/
http://www.anns-personalized-gifts.com/
What inspired you to become a work at home mom:
Being single, my son needed to know I would always be there for him for
whatever and whenever he needed me. Now I am available to pick him up after
school, and it makes a huge difference in our lives.
Tell us a little about your business:
Ann’s Personalized Books & Gifts is growing faster than I can keep up. I
offer the personalized books that many other people are selling, and my son
designed all of the coffee mugs on the website. I love puzzles, so I found
some that can be printed on and that are more special than just the
rectangular puzzles – they are heart-shaped and have the letters “LOVE” as
puzzle pieces – and I can print anything on them for you. I am working on
many other personalized products including personalized picture frames,
Christmas Ornaments, wedding favors and gifts, personalized graduation
gifts, greeting cakes and color-a-cookies.
Is there any advice that you would like to share with other women:
Find something you truly enjoy doing, and then at least sometimes it doesn’t
seem like work.
What has been the most effective advertising method for you:
Word of mouth and repeat customers.
Can you share with us one negative business experience that you learned from:
Always get samples of products before you decide to sell them (even if you have to pay full price).
Gena Saunders of Fleecies
Name: Gena Saunders
Tell us a little about yourself:
I have 6 children, 5 of whom are still living at home and the oldest is in college. I have a Master’s degree in Business Administration and a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing. I currently manage a Wound Healing Center as well as operate my home-based business, Fleecies.com. Fleecies was started 3 years ago while I was attending graduate school. I hope to make it my sole income source within the next 6 months.
What is your business name and web address:
Fleecies – http://www.fleecies.com
What inspired you to become a work at home mom:
We needed more income while I was attending graduate school and it was a good opportunity to put theory into practice. I have always enjoyed (preferred) working for myself, and have owned several businesses over the years.
Tell us a little about your business:
Fleecies supplies blankets, patchwork and applique quilts, rustic bedding, luxury bedding, comforter sets, and children’s bedding. We have been in business on the web for three very successful years.
Is there any advice that you would like to share with other women:
Pick your dream and go for it! Planning is important for success, but at some point, once you have a good plan, you have to jump in with both feet and do it.
What has been the most effective advertising method for you:
SEO and Google Adwords.
Can you share with us one negative business experience that you learned from:
Since many of our products are drop-shipped, I had to very carefully and clearly spell out shipping terms and return policy after receiving several complaints from customers who had not read the shipping times on special order items. Never assume that just because it is on the website, customers will read it. You have to spell out your shipping times over and over again – in your FAQ, on a separate web page, on each individual product page, and on the receipt. We will soon be adding an order status option on our website so that customers can instantly see where their order is in the process and track it if it has been shipped.
