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Home Business Builders
136 hits
| May 20, 2004 8:18 pm |
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Nancy Verini
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Terri, this is a very good topic, and you've brought up a very good point about the big companies. The originals like Tupperware and Mary Kay did make millionaires, so have a lot of other companies, but it seems that sometimes if you're not in a company within hours after it launches, some of them have thousands of reps before they launch, the fortunes have been made before you've got your name on your website.
So what's the solution? You said you're interested in having home parties and targeting women as your primary market. I've come across some forum/conferencing services that rent conference rooms for online parties. I've never used them myself, but I've heard they're pretty successful. This can combine your online abilities with an "offline concept". Check out the WAHMoms sites with forums.
The problem of finding the company you represent everywhere you look, post, and try to advertise is something we're all dealing with. The internet is so saturated its almost impossible to target your specific market using the standard online advertising methods. This is where I take my business offline. Maybe we don't have to build a better mouse trap at all, just go back to the original mouse traps like print ads, post cards, business cards, etc. Some of your best customers may not be visiting the message boards, but reading their local papers.
The best offline advertising I've found, especially for the women's niche is craft shows, flea markets, holiday bizaars, anything you can rent a table, hand out samples, cards, smile and shake hands, offer "business seminars" in the home, showing your product and how you sell it. You can usually rent a table for $10-20. I used to do this with crafts, and I had a sign-up sheet for anyone that wanted a sample. If they were willing to give me their contact info, and I gave them a $1-2 sample of something, well, think about what you pay for a live email lead, and that's a pretty good deal! If they wouldn't give me their info, I'd still give them a sample with my info on it. And the lead is a local person that you can have an ongoing relationship with as a customer or a new business partner in your downline.
I'm not sure what your advertising budget is, I'm in New Jersey and things are pretty expensive here, this may be something to save for;
Many local hotels rent conference rooms, you could even share a room with a friend who's in business. Invite as many people as you can, grocery store bulletin boards, post cards, local papers, hand out flyers, etc. Try to present it as an event, demonstrations, free gifts, etc. Even if you don't break even in sales, you may acquire enough new customers to make it worth the expense, some may be willing to do a home party themselves.
I'm not against online advertising, but so much of it has become a cyber shouting match, everyone selling, no one buying, we still have to pound the pavement offline, point and click advertising just isn't enough.Private Reply to Nancy Verini (new win) |
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