A home based business is a small business that operates from the business owner’s home office, and is especially available for students, house wives, and retired persons. Nowadays, many people want freedom and more respect for work done, which is why they seek opportunities on the internet to earn. Like any other business, a home based business also needs some time to get established. Though there are many different types of home based business opportunities, choosing the right one and a diligent search is essential.The most commonly sought options include:Paid surveys:Survey companies pay people to answer surveys. There are many sites that pay for taking surveys and can be registered for free most of the time. After registration and email address verification, simple surveys are sent out.Based on the answers, if the person is qualified, the survey is filled out. The points or amount will be shown and payment can be claimed once it has reached the desired level. The payment is made generally by check or PayPal.Data Entry Jobs:There are various companies in the market, looking for people to do data entry jobs. Data entry work from home, offers you an opportunity from home and do not require any special expertise. It needs good typing speed.Once you are awarded a job, you have to agree upon the monetary issues with the service buyer for price and payment method. Once you receive the task, do your best to produce it accurately and submit it promptly.Online copy paste job:The Job involves posting of business ads on various web sites or other tasks that involve copying and pasting from one resource to other. This is similar to data entry and does not require any technical qualification or knowledge.Pay per click:A website will be created for those who join. The company sends advertisement of various companies and once an ad is opened the company pays a certain amount to the website owner.Writing:Writing is another job that can be done from the home. There are many companies that source their content requirements to people who have good English and can write on a regular basis and stick to deadlines.Affiliate Marketing:Affiliate Marketing is another opportunity that is gaining popularity. This also is an opportunity that is done from home. Without any huge investment, without any need for a physical office or warehousing of products or any other efforts related to a business, this unique opportunity offers a successful career.Those with a real job may quit in hopes of a better one, only to find they cannot get their original job. There are many sites that offer home based business opportunities. One must be careful if a site asks upfront for registration fees for training or actually giving them the job. Genuine websites do not charge before giving work. While not all are scams, few end up being legit. It’s important to check the jobs that are genuine and apply for the same. Honest efforts with prudence does get paid! So, if you have a system and internet at home, there is nothing to stop you.
Auction Listings Are Vital to the Success of Fundraising Auctions
Fundraising Auction Tip: You should always provide potential bidders with a printed Auction Listing of both your Live and Silent Auction items at any Fundraising Auction. A printed Auction Listing is vital for several reasons:
An Auction Listing informs bidders of the order of sale, and what is coming up next. If you keep your bidders guessing, they will simply not bid.
If bidders are not 100% certain of what they are bidding on, they will not bid. A printed Auction Listing should answer any and all questions about what is being sold in order to encourage bidders to bid as much as possible.
Bidders often need time to plan their bidding strategies, especially on multiple and/or larger value items. A printed Auction Listing helps them to do that.
Couples often need time to consult with each other about what they are willing to spend on something. A printed Auction Listing helps them to do that.
Potential bidders need to know the specifics, the benefits, and the restrictions on any item they are going to bid on, especially on travel and/or other higher value items. A printed Auction Listing should answer all of their questions, in writing.
After bidders see that they have lost an item to another bidder, a printed Auction Listing makes it easier for them to re-strategize on what else they can bid on.
Printed Auction Listings generally come in 3 forms:
Printed in the Event Program or Auction Catalog.
Printed on loose sheets of paper and hand-inserted into the Event Program or Auction Catalog.
Printed on loose sheets of paper and hand-delivered to all attendees, or left on each dinner table in the room.
Auction Listings cost practically nothing to produce and they can make the difference between the success and failure of a Live and Silent Auction. You should never conduct a Fundraising Auction without one.
A Case Study
Let me share a real-life experience with you. Once I was hired to conduct a Fundraising Auction for a nationally renowned organization. The event was held in a major hotel, in one of the country’s largest cities, with several hundred “black tie” participants attending. It was an extremely professional event, with the music, singing, lighting, speeches, and awards all perfectly timed and choreographed. Everything was done to perfection… exception the Fundraising Auction.
Although I had signed an agreement to serve as their Auctioneer nearly one year in advance of the event, no one bothered to contact me for any advice or help. Approximately one week prior to the Auction date, I contacted the group to see if they had replaced me with another Auctioneer. But they said that I was still their man.
Upon arriving at the event I asked for a copy of the Auction Listing. I was told that there were none. I’m not sure whether they felt that the Auction Listing wasn’t necessary, or whether someone forgot to have them printed. This was never made clear. When I asked what I was to use at the podium, I was told to copy the list of Live Auction items from a committee member’s computer. It took me about 30 minutes to copy three pages of hand-written notes in order to prepare for my role as their Auctioneer.
I knew that they had created a PowerPoint program showing the various Live Auction items. When I asked whether the PowerPoint slide order corresponded to the order of sale I had copied from the committee member’s computer, I was met with a blank stare. The committee member left to check the slide order, and returned to let me know that the slide order did not correspond my notes, and he provided me with the correct slide order… hand-written on a paper napkin. This forced me to re-arrange my three pages of hand-written notes before taking the podium.
There was a Live Auction Table with descriptions of the Live Auction items that were to be sold, but the table was not clearly marked, and it received significantly less attention than the Silent Auction Tables, which were clearly identified. Since the Live Auction Table was located adjacent to the “Raffle Table”, it appeared that most people thought it was part of the raffle and therefore paid very little attention to it.
According to the event program (which did not include an Auction Listing), I knew approximately when I was to begin the Live Auction. At the designated time the Master of Ceremonies announced the start of the Live Auction to the several hundred people in attendance, and introduced me as Auctioneer. As I approached the podium I realized that photographs of award winners were still being taken… directly in front of the podium where I was to stand… which required me to stand aside for several minutes until the photographers were done. Can we say “awkward moment”?
As the photographers cleared, I approached the podium and began my Live Auction introduction. Approximately one minute into my introduction, the “Raffle Committee” approached the podium and stopped my Live Auction Introduction in order to pull the 8 or 9 Raffle Winners. These drawings lasted about 5 minutes. Upon it’s conclusion I was allowed to resume the start of the Live Auction.
When standing at the podium two intense and extremely bright spotlights were pointed directly at the podium. The lights were so bright that I literally could not see the center 1/3 of the room. I could see the tables on the right, and on the left, but was totally blinded when looking straight ahead. It took perhaps five minutes before the spotlights were turned off.
While at the podium and describing Lot #1, I had to ask someone to start the Lot #1 PowerPoint Slide… because apparently no one was assigned that job.
So with only the Auctioneer’s verbal description, and a PowerPoint slide, it appeared that few people in the room had any idea about what we were selling… or when we were selling it… until it was announced by the Auctioneer. As a result, bidding was extremely light and the final results fell several thousands of dollars short of where they should have been
The learning experience is this:
The Live Auction is where you place your better items, and where the real money should be made at any Fundraising Auction. Let bidders know as far in advance as possible what you will be selling, and the order of sale, so they can get excited about the Auction, and plan their bidding strategy accordingly.
Auction Listings are absolutely vital to the success of both Live & Silent Auctions. In my opinion, revenues at this Auction fell thousands of dollars short of where they should have been, because no Auction Listing was provided to the guests.
If bidders are not perfectly clear on what is being sold, including both the item’s specifics, benefits, and restrictions, they will not bid.
When you have a committee of volunteers, especially volunteers having full time jobs and/or very busy schedules, the services of a professional Fundraising Auctioneer can help to keep the committee on track.
And once you retain the services of a professional Fundraising Auctioneer… use the services that you are paying for.
Direct Sales – 4 Tips For Part-Timers to Expect From A Home Based Business
Direct Sales is the perfect home based business model for the part-timer. Selling clothing, housewares,beauty products, nutritional products, and other goods through in-home parties,one-on-one consultations, and online can be big business done on a part time basis. Last year, the 16.1 million direct sales representatives working in the United States generated $28.3 billion in revenue, according to the Direct Selling Association (DSA). With 90% of direct sellers working their home based business part-time. No wonder this is a very lucrative home business model for the moonlighter.So what can a newbie expect when looking for home business opportunities?Be Realistic about SalesTypically direct sales companies pay representatives commission on their own sales and on the sales of any reps they recruit (as well as the sales of their recruits’ recruits) — hence the nickname “multilevel marketing,” or “MLM.” As a result, a common complaint is that representatives, in their zeal to sign up new recruits, skew toward the hyperbolic, promising five- and six-figure revenues that multiply exponentially while you sleep. But that’s usually not the reality.Set Your Own HoursTo be fair, many people don’t enter the direct sales market looking for a full-time job. Instead, most are moonlighters who are looking for supplemental income and usually work their home business about 10-20 hours per week. This kind of flexibility allows more time with kids and family unlike getting a part-time job. Unlike a job where you go to work and always make the same amount of money, as a direct seller you can you create residual income and leverage the efforts of your sales team to work smarter, not harder.Researching Direct Sales OpportunitiesMake sure to research companies before investing any money. A few online resources can help you learn more about MLMs and help you stay clear of any scams. A few to get you started are the Direct Selling Association, Direct Selling 411, and World Federation of Direct Selling Associations. All these resources are great sources for U.S. direct selling practices and ethics,helpful FAQs, glossary,and reputable associations and accreditations for legitimate home based business opportunities.Weed Out the ScamsBe careful not all direct sales companies are honest. Pyramid schemes and other bogus opportunities are common. Watch out for opportunities that are exclusively dependent on recruiting people instead of selling products. Another warning sign is recruiters who are unwilling to share details of the compensation plan. Likewise, your initial investment should immediately yield something tangible, be it product samples or training and marketing materials. Getting started shouldn’t cost you thousands of dollars. Make sure the direct sales company has a buy-back policy, meaning that it should refund you for any unused or undamaged inventory you’ve purchased if you decide to quit.Perhaps the biggest misconception is that you can get rich in a matter of weeks or months without lifting a finger or selling anything in your home based business. Nothing could be further from the truth. Like any honest business, you have to work hard for each and every dollar you make.