1.    The Products – Know, love and stand behind the products you sell. If you know how they work, why they’re worth it and actually like and use them yourself, you’ll do a better job selling it to others. Know what similar products are all about as well. If your competitor sells a product like yours, be able to tell your customers why yours is better even if it costs more. Don’t bash the competition; just highlight your strengths.

2.    Network, Network, Network – It’s important to build a business network. Be yourself and take the time to build friendships and other contacts beyond just potential customers. Building rapports doesn’t happen over night and it takes time to simmer.  Keep spreading seeds and you’ll reap a great harvest.

3.    Online Presence – Create a professional website for your business. You are missing a huge opportunity if you’re not doing business via the Internet. One of the first places people go to find something they need is the Internet and your product is no different. Even if you sell a lot locally, broaden your horizons by going online too.  Note:  No website is better than a cheesy, poorly designed one.  If you don’t have the resources to have a professionally designed website, then hold off until you do.

4.    Take Your Business Seriously – Just because you work from home doesn’t give you permission to be any less professional. Your website, business cards, products, presentation and everything else you do in your business should exhibit that you’re serious about your business. Sometimes this will take a bit of money, like hiring a web designer to put your website together if you don’t know how (see #3 for the importance of this). However, most of your professionalism will show in you personally, so treat it like a real business and you’ll obtain the benefits of doing so. If you want to work from home, you still need to show up for work each day.

5.    Honesty is Key – When your customers feel they can trust you they will be back. Don’t be shady or pushy in order to make sales or gain team members. When you make a mistake, admit it, correct it, and move on. Hopefully you won’t forget to mail something or to make a phone call, but if you don’t admit it.  Most will admire your forth righteousness and over look it. “I’m sorry I dropped the ball. I will make it up to you by …”

6.    Accept Rejection – Your home based business job entails sales, whether it’s sales of a product, a service or of yourself; so the word No is one you’ll hear frequently. Don’t take it personally and realize it is a part of this business. Keep working hard and you’ll get positive replies and more sales too.  It is important to recognize that it takes time and many rejections to build up thick skin about this.  So when you feel like throwing in the towel, remember what you are experiencing is perfectly normal and it WILL get better.

7.    Attend Meetings – Take the time to attend meetings for your team. Not only will you learn about new products and sales techniques, but also you’ll receive some needed encouragement from others who’ve been where you are. Even better, you will be able to help some of the newbies on your team eventually.   On a long distance team?  No problem, attend telecons or participate in team forums.  You can get all the benefits of a local meeting… and don’t have to figure out what to wear!

8.    Set Goals – Goal setting is an overused term. Yet this tip is extremely important when it comes to the success of your home based business. Write your goals down or cut out photos of achievements desired. Setting goals and constantly working toward them will help to make your business more profitable. Set big goals and then break them down into smaller easier to achieve steps. As you work your way through your list you’ll feel like you’ve accomplished something and your ultimate goal won’t seem so out of reach. Be realistic with your goals, but don’t be afraid to set them high either.

9.    Be There for Others – You will someday remember what it was like when you first started out. The help you received from others was valuable and once you’ve worked your way up, be sure to lend a helping hand to others. If you weren’t helped by anyone, but felt you climbed all alone, the remember what that felt like and ensure others don’t have to go it alone. Being of assistance to others in all areas of life is very rewarding.

10.    Work Hard and Stick with It – There will be hard times and maybe even times you are ready to throw in the towel in your business. Remember, any business takes work – nothing happens overnight. Keep moving forward even through the rough patches.  Some resources have said that it take 2 years for a new business to take off.  If you throw in the towel after 6 months, are you even giving it a fair shake? If you built or rented a brick and mortar building to run your business, it’s unfathomable to think you’d quit after three months of initial struggles. Yet some people have unrealistic expectation when they work from home. Keep on keeping on.

Take these tips and apply them to your home based business and you’ll see success. There are many other things you’ll need to consider in order to have a profitable business but the 10 discussed here are important and should be your starting point. Here’s to your success!

About the Author: Laurie Ayers is a Michigan work from home mom and a Superstar Director with Scentsy Wickless Candles. She enjoys helping men and women start and maintain a home based business in the US, Canada, Puerto Rico, Germany, Ireland and the UK. To download a FREE Start Up Guide which provides more details about how to start a home business as well as to learn about our compensation plan go to http://www.thrivingcandlebusiness.com/how-to-start-a-candle-business/

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Do you see the difference?  One is saying that the root cause of the decreased or failed business is because of the economy; and the other is saying that the root case is that the consultants don’t rework their business accordingly.

I flew on four different airplanes this weekend.  On three of the four legs of the flight I had two open seats next to me (all the better to recline!).  Yet the First Class section was jam-packed!  The economy can’t be that bad if all the First Class seats are continually full.

Ever drive past restaurant row on a Friday or Saturday night?  Every restaurant parking lot is full and there’s usually a waiting list to get in.  People are still spending money.

I have to make an appointment with my hairdresser six weeks in advance.  People are spending money on manicures, pedicures, facials, haircuts and colors.  The economy isn’t causing people to give up their simple affordable luxuries.

Yes foreclosures are at an all time high. Consumers may be fixing large appliances rather than replacing them.  Some vacation plans have been revised to stay closer to home.  Auto sales aren’t exactly booming right now.  But these are all high ticket items.

There is still a very large demand for simple affordable luxuries.  Chances are, your direct sales product offering falls into this category.  If your personal business is hurting, then it’s time to switch gears and go find the people who are shopping.

It’s win/win really.  Generally speaking, high income folks have money to spend; those in the middle income bracket may be making some sacrifices but it’s not necessarily to the simple affordable luxuries; and those with lower income still enjoy their homes to smell good, their lips to look pretty or their fingers to be beautifully adorned.

Essentially there is a market for your direct sales products, no matter what the economy and no matter to what income ranges you’re offering the product.  You may just need to be creative to find new customers.  Don’t blame the economy.

About the Author:  Laurie Ayers is a WAHM from Michigan and a Star Director with Scentsy Wickless Candles.  She enjoys helping others start and maintain a candle business.  You can find Laurie at http://www.Scentsy.com/LA or http://www.ThrivingCandleBusiness.com