Sell Products and Services

Selling products and services is easier than people think. Actually, it may be better to run a home-based business than an office-based one.

Choose a product or service that you are interested in. Investigate and research the time and amount of work involved with the product or service. Your passion comes across in everything you do, so come across with the enthusiasm or excitement that will interest others.
Research how much money it would cost you to sell or provide the service that you choose. Think about how much money you would make and if it would be enough to live on. If not, just try something else.
Organize your time and see how it interferes with your life. Arrange plans and organize your business. This will be helpful in the long run.
Figure out what problems that your product or service solves. Said another way, people buy to a large extent to eliminate pain. For example, people in New York City will tend to buy comfortable walking shoes during a transit strike; the shoes will prevent or eliminate the pain caused by walking a long way. For what you plan to sell, list all of the "pains" that your product/service can eliminate.
Identify the people or groups of people who might have the pain that you've identified. How can you get to them? Face-to-face, on the phone, through e-mail or a Web site? Identify those people and get to them!
Create a script to use with prospects. Introduce yourself, tell them what types of customers you work with (or want to work with). Ask the kinds of questions that potential buyers would ask: "You know, several of our customers ask if we have shoes that eliminate the pain of long walks....But enough about them, are you concerned about the pain associated with long walks? Do you anticipate having some long walks coming up?"
Recognize that most people won't have a need for something that you sell. In the case that we're using, most people already have decent "walking shoes." So if they say "no" to your offer, that means that they don't have a need right now! That's it. Their lack of interest has nothing to do with you; they don't hate you, dislike you or reject you. They just don't need what you're selling right now. Don't get your ego "bent out of shape."
Buy a computer and set up every kind of computer program that is made for business. There are even packages that are specially made for small businesses.
Selling things on the Internet is also helpful for starting a small business. Be sure to search the Internet often. It helps to ask for help and tips, and to get feedback.
Get into advertising. Create slideshows and ads to attract customers based on their pain, and what your product or service will do to eliminate that pain. Don't focus on YOU, focus on your prospective customer.
Once you have enough customers, you can raise or lower prices, depending how much money you expect to get out of the business and how many customers you have.

Microsoft Access is one of the best organization programs for running a small business. Other computer programs are extremely helpful in organization, running reports and similar tasks. Also check on ACT!, a program that can manage your contacts very effectively. For example, ACT! makes it very easy to get back to a potential customer every 30 days. In the end, you want to continually make your presence know to you're "top of mind" when that person needs what you're selling
Advertising on the internet is also helpful, because of how the high traffic can get.

Never let people into your home. It is better to have an Internet-run business where people don't have direct contact with you. It may seem hard running an Internet business, but when you get going, it is definitely worth all of the work.
If are selling or marketing a product make sure you avoid Inventoris.