Becoming successful in the home based business industry will depend on how long you stay in the game before you decide to pack it in. Really think about that for a minute. Most who have packed it in before quit because they believed that success with a particular opportunity or the industry in general was “Not For Them”. This is just a very poor excuse or limiting belief.Most of the people who get involved in this industry are employees who are used to getting paid for their time with a steady pay check weekly or bi-weekly. In order for success to come to you, you will have to live in the ‘unknown’. Better yet, you will have to learn how to trust in the unknown.The problem with most people who quit is that the pain of waiting and not knowing when success was going to come greatly out weighed their desire. If your desire is strong enough in the first place, it will keep you focused long enough until success comes knocking on your door. It takes a lot of strength in order to become an entrepreneur. There is so much that you will have to learn and go through. Here are is a list of things that you will have to overcome in order to stay focused and not quit:1. Lose the Guilt:In order to build a business, you will have to spend time away from other activities and even family. This doesn’t mean to neglect your family. This means to schedule time for your business everyday. Most people that are building a home based business have full time jobs that are already taking time away from their family. You will have to stay focused on your goals long enough to start seeing results. Don’t feel guilty because in the end, your family will gain from your success. If you build your business for them more than for you, things will start to happen.2. Patience:Anything great does not happen overnight. Your success will take some time. Keep focused and remain patient. It will happen if you do one thing. “Don’t quit”.3. Consistency:Spend time everyday on income producing activities. What ever you do that actually moves you forward towards your goals like building traffic and leads, do more. What ever doesn’t make you money like checking your emails or playing FarmVille, do less.Not everyone can have success in this industry. However, everyone who holds their course will arrive at their destination. You will become successful if you do not quit.
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.
5 Important Tips To Excel In Home Based Business
Who doesn’t want to be a boss? A home based business gives you the chance of being a boss of your own business and flexibility to work without being away from your family. Work from home is a good concept for moms, retired persons and for unemployed youth.
When we conduct a search online, there are a number of excellent home business opportunities out there. As it is true that every business requires planning, there are particular aspects that need to be considered carefully before starting a home based business.
1. Evaluate Each Business Opportunity w.r.t Suitability:
A basic research is necessary. Indeed one can find a large number of places to search for the best home based businesses, including magazines, business publications and the internet. Out of which, the information on Internet is the best bankable source. No doubt, Internet is the home to a number of excellent home based business opportunities, but it is important to carefully evaluate each business opportunity for suitability.
2. Plan A Successful Home Based Business Based On Your Interest:
Thanks to the supremacy of the internet it is no longer necessary for every business to have mass appeal. One can excel in their niche businesses. Chances are high, if one can create a successful home based business centered on his interest.
3. Know About The Home Based Business:
After you have determined which type of home based business is suitable for you, then know about the business to make it easy for you. Any first hand information or review could give you more information.
4. Test The Home Based Business Idea:
As every business involves risks and thus failures, so it is necessary to conduct feasibility study even on home based businesses. Figure out the profitability of business on varying parameters like time, money and other important resources.
5. Check The Legitimacy Of Home Based Business:
Don’t fall under the prey of work at home scams. There are many home based business scams that attract people and cheat them. So after conducting all feasibility studies and undergoing the proof tests, check the legitimacy of the home based business.
If your favorite home based business passes all the tests, then it is sure that you could make the home based business dream, a reality. Get the support of your family and be with them when they need it with the aid of home based business.