As a general rule, when starting out in business, it’s best to aim for smaller income levels and then increase it as you go.
There’s no sense in trying to make $10,000 or $20,000 straight away when you haven’t even had one client yet – it’s only going to leave you feeling frustrated and like you’re failing, which you’re NOT; you just need to start slowly and work your way up.
So, in this post we’re going to share some ideas with you on how you can easily add an extra $1,000 to your business this month – even this week if you want to.
Now, please keep in mind: if you want this to work, you have to take action on these. You don’t have to do everything, but you have to do something.
It won’t be perfect and polished, but it will get you results if you actually do it.
Take a notepad or open up a new document on your computer and write down all the ways you can start making money. This covers everything from ideas you have for products and services to things you can sell. Some of these ideas will be a bit whacky, but some will be winners, and you certainly don’t have to try all of them;
Run a flash sale. Do you already have some products or services you’ve offered before but that you’re not actively promoting at the moment? If so, running a flash sale on those is a great way to generate some fast income. Offer a good discount and make it available for a very short time (think 24-48 hours) and send it to your email list or whatever other networks and groups you’re a part of.
Run a PWYC (Pay What You Can) sale. PWYC sales are amazing things to do; they allow you to generate some income very quickly if you need to, and also allow people who may not have a lot to spend, or who simply want to get a taste of you work the opportunity to do so at a much more affordable cost. When doing a PWYC sale, always give people some kind of guide price to work with so that you’re not leaving them guessing about what’s appropriate;
Do a paid beta test of your product or program. If you have something you’re getting ready to launch but want to make sure people will actually buy it and also test out how the program works, then a beta test is the way to go.
Doing this is as simple as announcing it to your groups and email list and letting them know that for a very small group, you will offer a huge discount on the cost of the program in exchange for feedback and a testimonial. This is definitely a win-win;
Have an upsell page. After people have opted in for your free thing, don’t just send them to a standard thank you page. Offer them something of great value at a very low cost that they can only get from this page. Things like e-books, webinars, audio trainings, etc are great for this, as they give people a low-risk, low-cost way to get an idea of what it’s really like to work with you. This offer is typically less than $10;
Run a paid online training or webinar. If you have some really good information to share, but don’t think it warrants a full-blown course, then doing a webinar and charging for it could be the way to go. Somewhere around $30 is usually a pretty good starting point for something like this; plus you can always keep the recording and sell that later, too;
Write an ebook or e-guide. Depending on the length of it, this might not be something you consider to be worth it; however, even though an e-book is generally quite low cost (again think no more than $10), once it’s done, it’s done. It really doesn’t matter what kind of business you run – anyone from a copywriter to someone running an Aviation Law Firm will benefit from having digital products that people can buy from them. It’s also a good way to let people access your paid content who may not be able to work with you in one of your higher-cost programs yet;
Follow up. ALWAYS. One of the biggest ways business owners like you and me are leaving money on the table is by not following up with people who have either expressed interest in working with us, or who have worked with us before. A simple message to see how they’re doing and if there’s anything you can help with is really all it takes, but the power of the follow up is seriously underestimated
Since men first roamed the earth, they have used whatever nature has provided to survive. If wild animals did not eat them they had to be able to feed themselves and stay warm in the winter months. As they progressed, some of them decided that they would fight back and that wild animals would become their meals rather than the other way around.
Stone
The earliest weapons in man fight for survival were made from stone. It really is amazing how by using another stone to fashion a blade of sorts, they were able to make weapons that made it easier for them to find food and to survive. Now if a wild animal attacked, they had some way of fighting back and stood as much chance of success as the animal did.
Wood
Most children will know from their history lessons that wood was a very important companion for stone. Wherever wood was available, which of course, not everywhere, the maximum amount of relics showing human life have been found. This makes a great deal of sense. Wood is easy to work with, and is very versatile, even for the limited amount of knowledge and tools that men would have had at that time.
Bronze
Originally, bronze was made by combining copper with arsenic, but this was later changed to mixing it with tin. The Bronze Age is seen as a very vital development for man, as this was the first time that two naturally occurring elements had been combined to create something new. This was the first sign of much larger engineering industries. It was the time where things were heated up for the first time and making different alloys all began here.
Steel
Once the heating up and combining of metals began, many new and exciting things were produced, steel being one of them, There are so many things that can be made from steel includes household items. As the processes progress, and there is an interesting article about stainless steel here, things moved on very quickly. Steel was one of the main drivers for the Industrial Revolution and still today is used in most areas of our lives.
Materials For The Future
There will no doubt be new materials that we have not even yet developed, but for the moment there are already some that will be classed as important in future years. Nanomaterial’s are already being used to perform many tasks. For instance, gold nanoparticles are used to treat cancer and nanoparticles of silver have proved to be good in fighting bacteria. Science is investigating self-healing materials. Materials do not heal themselves as our bodies do, and they are seeking to find the answer so that self-healing materials can be produced. Some of natures complex systems consume CO2 and emit clean air. Engineers are currently trying to replicate this in what has become known as an artificial leaf. An energy that can take in pollution and replace it with clean air would be an amazing step forward for this earth, and one that would be remembered forever more.
Running an agricultural business is definitely not always easy. There is equipment to maintain, produce to care for and clients to keep happy – in addition to a variety of employees you also need to take care of. Luckily, there are a few ways to make it a bit easier for yourself and even get a few steps ahead as long as you know where to start.
Here are a couple of tricks and tips to help out your agricultural business so that you can get started on the new year, feeling a lot more confident and happy about the future. It doesn’t have to take much, after all, and the investments you make now will surely pay off sooner or later.
First: Improve customer service
Superior customer service leads to happier customers and more people coming back to your business in the future. It is important to focus on this in order to avoid seeing them going to your competitors instead as well, though, so try to work on this before the new year begins.
You might want to boost the processing time, for example, and make sure that nobody needs to wait longer than necessary. Make sure that your business is easy to get a hold of as well such as through social media and take every interaction you have with your customer seriously – no matter if it’s a complaint or a praise.
Obtaining feedback is a great way to understand exactly which areas you need to improve in, by the way, and you could simply ask your regular customers how they feel about your pricing, products, and customer service.
Next: Get high-quality equipment
Sure, this is the kind of investment that might be a bit painful to make, in the beginning, but it will pay you back in spades quite soon. Go over your farming equipment, first of all, and upgrade the ones that are not delivering up to the high standard you’ve set for yourself.
There are so many aspects to an agricultural business and a lot of things you can do to improve the equipment you’re currently working with. Have a look at Tanks Direct, for example, to upgrade your water tanks and remember to send your equipment in for maintenance regularly to make sure everything is in order.
Talk to the public about your produce
Finally, you’d want the local area to know just how healthy and fresh the produce or livestock you’re farming with is in order to make them come back for more.
Get involved in the local farmer’s markets in your area, for example, host an open farm where the families can come to have a look and the children can have a great time – it’s all about making sure that your business and all of your great work is being seen.
Improving an agricultural business or even a small homestead will definitely require some work but it will all be worth it, in the end. Keep an eye on your competitors as well, by the way, and do everything that they’re doing and more in order to outshine them.
Running our homes seems to be getting increasingly more expensive, so solutions to reduce household bills and general running costs are always welcome. Here we are going to discuss some of the ways you can go about improving the finances of your home with various changes from the significant to the small. You won’t need to do everything that we look at here, but some alterations to your home could give a healthy boost to your bank account in the long term.
Insurance
Insurance is a tricky one, and that makes it the best place to start. You must have insurance related to your property in some form or another, but the cost of it can be rather high. First of all, it is important to distinguish between the different types of insurance that you are going to have, and why you have them before we look at how to reduce those costs.
There are many types of insurance that are open to you if you own a house, or are going to own one, but you don’t necessarily need all of them. The important ones to bear in mind are; homeowners insurance – this protects you against natural damage to the home and while it isn’t legally required you should still have it. And title insurance – this provides you protection against hidden defects and is usually mandatory for mortgage holders. We will come on to the value of these insurance types shortly, but first you should also be keeping in mind the other types available to you that are perhaps not as vital.
Flood insurance, private mortgage insurance, mortgage protection life insurance, and umbrella insurance are all cover that you can get, but they possibly won’t be of value to you. You might only want to have flood insurance if you are in a high-risk area, in fact, it will probably be compulsory, but that said it can be useful to have in case of emergency. The other three, however, are unlikely to apply to your circumstance.
So, if you are confident in the types of protection that you will need to cover your home, how about how much you are paying for it? Well here is the most important suggestion with regards to insurance, no matter how many you take out – make sure you are shopping around on a yearly basis. In other words, don’t get out by automatic renewals. There are hundreds of companies out there waiting to provide you with cover, and using comparison websites to find them is the best way to go. In addition to that, if you do find a better price elsewhere you should make sure that you tell your current provider as soon as possible. Retaining customers in an important metric to these companies, so you might find they agree to match or better the claim you have found at a different broker.
Utility
Utility bills are something you are going to be paying, no matter what. However, there are ways to reduce them so let’s take a look at your options.
First of all, as we are near the topic still, use comparison websites again to find better deals. Annually researching the cost of your utility and searching out switching advice is a sure fire way to keep your outgoing at a reasonable level. However, there are alternatives that you can pursue to reduce your costs even more.
Sometimes a one-off upfront payment for a piece of equipment will pay back dividends in time. One of these is the purchase of rainwater tanks. These tools can be used to store water that has fallen on your property, which can then be used for all manner of reasons from replenishing toilet water to watering your garden and even as drinking water with a sufficient filtering system. You should see a reduction in your water bills when using a tank like this, and as an added bonus it is environmentally friendly.
Other improvements to your home that will help you reduce bills include solar panels, cool roofs and a smart thermostat. These three changes to your home will help brings down costs, improve its energy efficiency and introduce the help of technology around the house. In fact, employing technology around the home is a great way to reduce utility bills especially when it comes to electricity. Utilizing tech that controls the house lights from a centralized remote control or smart plug sockets that you can turn and off from your phone will help you reduce the use of electricity in the home and thus reduce costs.
Maintenance
Finally, let’s take a look at maintenance around the house that you should keep on top of to reduce outgoings. Looking after your home is going to directly impact the two subjects we have discussed above. A well-maintained home should have lower insurance rates, and a property that has been well looked after will be more energy efficient which will keep heat in the home thus reducing utility bills.
But maintenance is about more than your monthly outgoings; it is also a great way to keep higher-priced one-off payments at bay. For example, looking after your home appliances through regular cleaning and dusting will ensure that they stay in good condition for many years. The last thing you want is to walk into the kitchen one day and realize the refrigerator is broken – they aren’t cheap to replace. So keeping up on the house chores isn’t just an aesthetic thing to do, but it will keep your expensive items in better condition for longer.
Your Home
Finally, keep in mind that it is your home and no matter what outside factors there are you will know what is best. Regularly checking your expenditures, researching for better deals and keeping on top of the house jobs list will keep your money in your pocket for longer and that can never be considered a bad thing.
It’s no great surprise to anyone that sales is one area which is always going to be important in any business, and yet it can be so hard to ensure that you are giving it the attention it is rightly due. If you are keen to try and raise the profile of your sales in your business, you will find that there are a number of things you can do in order to do so. In doing so, you will help your business to improve greatly and swiftly, so it’s definitely worthwhile. As long as you are taking some of the most important things on board, you will find that it is easy enough to ensure that you are going to have a brighter future for your business. It’s incredibly important, therefore, to be on top of this. Let’s take a look at some of the best ways in which you can hope to improve the sales in your business today.
This is one of those absolute essential and basic tenets which you can’t overlook if you want your business to do well. The more that you know your customer, the more likely it is that you are going to be able to sell to them effectively and swiftly, so this is definitely something that you will want to look into east early on as possible. Fortunately, there are many ways to improve your understanding of your customer, and as long as you are aware of that you will find that it does not need to be all that difficult to follow. There are a few things in particular which you might want to think about taking on board, and as long as you re you will find that your sales are improving greatly too.
One of the most important things in this regard is analyzing the data you can collate on your customers. If you look into this, you will find that there is plenty of it, and the more of it you have, the better and fuller a profile of your customers that you can build. That means that you will then be able to direct your marketing in such a way that you are actually directing those people you know are likely to buy products from you, so you are essentially making the whole thing much more expedient. This raises sales, and improves your overall spending within budget, so it is definitely something you want to be sure you are taking on board as soon as possible for that reason alone.
Another great way to get to know your customer is to make sure that you are always in contact with them. A business which is communicative with its customers is doubt effective, because it can learn much more about the customer in question and it is more likely to be viewed favorably by that customer as well. As you can imagine, both of thee help greatly if you are to improve your sales, so it’s a good idea to make sure that you are doing this as much as you can. As long as you are getting to know your customer, you will find making sales much easier on the whole, and that your business is incredibly more suited to selling well.
It’s obviously important to have a strong brand if you are hoping to impress people and to make sure that you re selling as much as possible, but it is something else knowing how to actually make that happen. Branding is something that a lot of people fail to really appreciate the importance of, or at least to understand how to actually go about doing it. If you want to improve your branding, there are many things you should do initially to make sure that you are going to do so – and if you do, you will find that you are much more likely to have a great potential for selling in the future, so it is worth looking into frequently within your business.
The most important thing about branding is that it needs to be specific, relatable, and that it is consistent across the board. Using a style guide is always a good idea and a good way of ensuring that consistency is kept up. But you will also want to make sure that all important staff are briefed on the branding if you are to keep your sales as high as possible, as if it is not then it is essentially not really a brand at all. You can only brand your business by virtue of its being recognizable in many different places, so if you’re not doing that, it won’t be, and your products will not sell anywhere near as well.
You will also need to make sure that you are not playing around with it too much. In other words create your brand and stick to it. If you are constantly changing it, it won’t be recognizable to people, and you will rob it of its power. As long as you are keeping it consistent, you will find that it is much easier and more likely to succeed. As you can imagine, branding is hugely important for the singing success of the isles in your business, so this is something that you will want to be sure you are focusing on from the very start of running your company. As long as you do that, you will be able to expect great things indeed.
Good Sales Processes
It is also important to make sure that you are actually focusing on the sales process within your business, as if you are not then it is much less likely that it is going to be as powerful as you want it to be. Understanding what a good sales process looks like is a hugely important, top-down kind of way of understanding what you should be doing overall, and it will mean that you can get so much more out of your business as a result. There are a few things along the way which you will need to make sure that you are doing, so that you can know that you are doing it right.
Whether you think of these as pipeline stages or whatever else, the important thing is that you have them clearly demarcated and lined out, so that you have a definite process to follow every time. In general, it will start with the product ideation itself, and the actual solution to whatever problem you are trying to help fix. Then it will run through creating that product and testing it thoroughly, on to marketing and finally to selling the product in whatever way you hope to. There will be more detail to your own sales process, and a lot of it depends on how you want to do things, but this will often be the basic process. Follow something like this, and you should find that you are much more likely to sell well.
After Sale
In order to sell, you need to also be thinking about what happens after the sale, as that can be hugely important in ensuring the ongoing success of the business and keeping sales high. You should allow for a review stage so that you can be sure of what you are doing, and that will involve looking at your previous sales attempts and seeing what you could have done better, along with what you happen to be proud of. This will ensure that you are always improving and that you can hope to keep your sales as high as necessary.
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