Business not flowing as well as you would like? Did you have a great holiday rush and now your home based business appears to have come to a screeching halt? Here are seven steps you can take to get out of the rut.
1. Direct mailings with your company catalog. Pick a market or two, such as assisted living facilities; nail salons or real estate agencies to name a few. Mail no more than ten catalogs to each market; there’s no sense waiting catalogs and postage without testing the waters first. Be sure to include a sample and/or special offer. Increase chances of having your catalog opened and read by placing a relevant sticker on the front. Highlight what’s in it for them if they open it.
2. Develop a Valentines Day marketing campaign and get it out to the masses NOW. February 14th is right around the corner, so don’t delay. Your window of opportunity is tiny. Men will be particularly grateful for gift giving made simple. Think where you can find a group of men – barber shops, auto sales, auto repair, gyms, pro-shops, etc.
3. Create a special offer for Groundhogs Day, February 2. There’s one people don’t see everyday.
4. Call all of your customers, leave voice mail if necessary and merely say, “˜I’m putting in an order and wondered if you were ready for more “¦”
5. Hire a business coach or join a Mastermind group. Find the right one and your investment will pay off ten-fold.
6. Commit to asking for referrals from three people each day. Not covert dropping of cards and catalogs but actually speaking to strangers. Go into the gas station to pay, instead of using pay at the pump. Hand the cashier a catalog and a sample and say, “If you know of anyone who likes (candles, jewelry, makeup, etc.) could you please pass this along?”
7. Hold an open house. Who cares if you’ve been in the business two years or nine months or anywhere in between? Call it a mid-winter shindig. Pick a theme – Superbowl, Chocolate Martini, After Holidays Rest and Relaxation or Chick Flick Movie Night.
Sometimes there’s no secret to getting out of a rut other than to go back to basics. Remember when you first started your business. You were excited; you were pumped and you definitely were not in a rut. Shake it up a bit; think outside of the bowl. Remember if you keep doing what you’ve been doing, you’re going to keep getting what you’ve been getting!
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 https://www.thrivingcandlebusiness.com/how-to-start-a-candle-business/
Linda says
9 January 2009 at 20:41Great ideas Laurie! Open houses are a great non-pressure way to sell to your customers!
Janette Stoll says
1 February 2012 at 23:28Great tips Laurie! Love the attitude of doing what needs to be done to move your business forward. Sometimes just stepping outside of our daily rut is the biggest challenge.
Janette
Admin says
2 February 2012 at 07:13Thanks for the feedback, Janette. I think everyone experiences being in a rut at some point – it’s how you handle it that will define your business.