You want to become a telecommuter, but you still hesitate. Well, I have got good news for you. You are not alone! I mean a lot of people have already made their mind to join the army of those who has an office job but work from home. It is not an advertisement, it is statistics.

In a word, the tendency is growing and the competition is getting pretty cutthroat. The figures talk for themselves: those who prefer flextime amount to 20 million throughout America and there is another 10 million who are independent contractors.

It has been established that Americans are hopeful about the benefits that telecommute jobs can bring about, the top three of which being

- a greater future income,
- more flexible working hours
- and juste milieu between work and family, when they feel they are not strangers to their own family after they return from work in the evening.

The report published by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce reads that at least one in six Americans telecommute once a week. As much as 70 per cent work for companies and the rest claim to be self-employed.

The data included in the statistics is hard to analyze, because a great share of those polled combine telecommuting with a part-time or freelance job. People begin to use every arising opportunity to earn an extra income.

Among other brand names that can brag about attracting impressive workforce are Avon and Amway that account for 17 million of employees. The reason they are so popular is that they have a well-thought and proved practice of selling and customer service. If you want some additional cash you just need to join and adopt this scheme. No need to invent a bicycle or a PC, just walk the treaded path and collect the harvest. Well, why not if you want.

[tag] telecommute, telecommuting jobs, customer service, flextime [/tag]

Any good book on marketing that you might read will tell you that for a starting business to take wing it is important that it is unique in some way. So whether you are going to start a language course online or open a drop ship store, you will need to offer something that none of your competitors offer to stay afloat and thrive.

These unique features can be in the form of a different size or shape of the product you sell. For example, if you are a dropshipper you can diversify your packaging and order some pyramid-shaped boxes to thrill and attract the customer. If you are the master of freelancing services, you can offer a free sample or a discount when you do your first bit of work for the customer.

Another way to offer a unique product or service is to combine it with other products or services. For example, if you sell juices you can think about selling juice-making machines that can mix different types of juice concentrates. And then your advertisement will go – with this machine you can get 25 different kinds of juices. That counts as a new and unique experience.

Or your service can be unique in its own right. I have just watched “Broken Flowers” by Jim Jarmusch and one of the characters (played by Sharon Stone) had a job as a closet organizer. She went to people’s homes to organize their closets and drawers an d put labels on them and get paid for it! What a wonderful idea and no competition (at least during some time)!

Another character was an animal communicator, she could talk to pets. Though it may seem a bit of fiction, but she did have clients on a regular basis. So make it unique and you are one step closer to a successful home-based career.

[tag] home jobs, home-based career, drop ship business [/tag]

Customer service is a vital part of any business, you know that. Let us have a closer look at how interaction with clients and good (or bad) customer service can make your business prospering or on the contrary affect it.

Customer service: How much does a customer cost?

Suppose you own a hairstyling salon and suppose that you charge $15 per hairstyling procedure, either male or female. How much do you think a customer costs you? If you think that it is $15 and if you think that one dissatisfied or unhappy customer is a mere $15, you are dead wrong.

First of all, if a person comes to you for a haircut and becomes your permanent customer, then you are likely to get the cost of the service multiplied by the number of times s/he visits you a year and an average number of years. For example, the average number of visits is 6 and the number of years is 20. Then the final figure is $15 x  6 x 20 =  $1,800. So, a dissatisfied or unattended customer that leaves your door costs you about this amount. Time to think.

Second, there is a very interesting and useful observation that marketing specialists often refer to. As you know, one of the best and most efficient types of advertising is by word of mouth. And a greatly performed job or service is the best advertisement. However, it is a proven fact that a customer who is happy with the service is likely to tell about it to 2 or 3 people – friends or relatives – while a displeased client will make you lose about a dozen. Bad news flies fast. Think twice before letting it out.

Treat your clients with respect and attention, get them talking about how they like or dislike your product/service. Treat the best of them with a dinner or award them with gift certificates. Start with a simple “Thank you,” that would do at first. Because some of them are worth two of your sales persons.

[tag] home jobs, home-based, home-based jobs, home-based ideas, customer service, advertising [/tag]