10 Tools A Work At Home Newbie Can Use To Leverage Your Way To Success

By Kim Rhodes

As a solo entrepreneur you can get overwhelmed trying to wear all the hats. If you are just starting out you are the CEO, the sales person, the book-keeper and the dish washer. You know that I mean? You might have heard the phrase create leverage and if so great. However, once you make that discovery you are now simply exposed to so many options it’s hard to know what to choose.

As a work at home business one of the goals is to create an experience for the customer that is as easy as if they were buying from a Fortune 500. So how do you make it happen?

One of the best things you can do is look for good products that can demonstrate value to the customer but involves little to no work on your part.

Here are 10 tools that are easy for the non techs but add great value to the customer.

1. www.Efax.com: EFax is an online fax service that eliminates the need for a traditional fax machine, another line and all the associated expenses such as paper and ink cartridges. You get a real fax number that's tied to your email.

2. www.Aweber.com: If you want to keep in touch with your customers automatically and personalize the communication an auto responder can be an important tool. For a small monthly fee you are able to create email campaigns or a single message and broadcast it to your customer list. There are a variety of ways to increase the personalization and as a result will help you develop a better relationship with the customer.

3. www.VoiceShot.com: How would you like to instantly send a voice mail broadcast message to one or thousands of customers at a time? Imagine the power of being able to send reminders, alerts, product announcements or even so interactive polls or surveys right from the web. There are no set up fees or monthly minimums. You simply pay for the calls that are delivered. You truly can call more than one person at a time.

4. www.SendOutCards.com: Have you ever wanted to send a thoughtful card to someone but forgot or it simply did not happen because you ran out of time? Well Kody Bateman CEO of send out cards has not only revolutionized the greeting card industry he has made it his mission to change peoples lives one card at a time. With over a couple of cards in the inventory you can send cards to anyone.

I love this product because in less than one minute you can choose a card, personalize it, even add a picture, write it with your own handwriting, put a stamp on it and hit send. This is no e-card that may never get opened. You can set yourself apart from the competition and touch the heart of people you care about with this revolutionary product.

5. www.AudioAcrobat.com: Audio Acrobat is easiest way to add audio to your website or email. Would you to create your own online radio show? Audio Acrobat helps you record conference calls, podcast, interviews, and more. You can also learn to create products such as marketable CD’s.

6. www.FreeConference.com: Have you ever wanted to give a tele-seminar but did not want have the money to get started? Or maybe, you wanted to put a group of your customers or support team on the line to mastermind. A great way to not only develop a bound with your customers but to develop your content to them is through tele-seminars or tele-classes as they are sometimes called.

If you are just starting try www.FreeConference.com . You will receive a phone number where up to 25 participates can call in and listen to your seminar, boot camp, book reading or whatever content you want to deliver.

As you grow in experience you can choose other companies that will allow a larger number of participates as well options such as recording and creating a MP3 file.

Conference calls are great leverage because you can speak to several people at one time from the comfort of your home.

7. .: Would you like to know what your customers are thinking? You should. It’s simple to do when survey them. You can use this free online service to tap in the heart and mind your customer and uncover what they want from you. In less than 10 minutes you can be up and running. It’s easy to use with no software to install.

8. www.ilovechecks.com: Current figures show that 20% of all online transactions are check-based and that more than 75 million Americans do not have a credit card. Now your business can accept online checks and get fast verification of account status. You don't even need a shopping cart to process online checks with their virtual terminal and ATMVerify services. Don’t lose business because you don’t take checks.

9. www.EVoice.com or www.EVoicePlus.com: If you are a start up or home based business you may not want to miss your customers calls or have them go to a voice mail. Providing a quick response gives your clients to assurance that you are a well run business.

The ability to answer a customer or get back to them quickly is a crucial part of customer service. There are several different ways to accomplish this. However, www.evoice.com and www.evoiceplus.com are two lost cost highly effective tools. EVoice allows the messages to be send to your email and with EVoice Plus your messages can go right to your cell phone.

10. www.PDF995.com: One of the keys to leverage your business is to create free reports, products, e-books and other publishing documents. The power of this strategy is once you develop a product you can either give it away or sell it over and over. You can even add free give-away rights which will allow someone to give your report away without changing any of the content. This can start a buzz and spread like a virus.

While there are only 24 hours in a day choosing the right tools can surely help you leverage the time. Think strategically when you are looking for products and service to help you build your business. Don’t just think about what you need right now. Always ask your self the question, “How can this tool help me grow into a million dollar business?”

About the Author:

Kim Rhodes is a speaker, author, columnist and radio talk show host. She is a recognized expert on home based business and self development. She is the owner of http://www.ihatecorporateamerica.com/

Read more articles by: Kim Rhodes

Article Source: www.iSnare.com

Gayla McCord--Successful WAHM Blogger

MomGadget.com is just one of the blogs that our first work at home mom owns and writes for. I came accross Gayla McCord's blogs while doing some of my own research into the world of blogging. Was this something you could actually make money from. YES YOU CAN! I was so inspired by Gayla and her story that I wanted her to be our first interview. Gayla McCord is a work at home mom and a professional blogger. Gayla currently has 12 blogs ranging from Work at Home Moms ,Dating, to celebrity gossip. You can check out all of Gayla's sites at her blog log. Thank you again Gayla for taking time out to talk to us.

1)What made you decided to start blogging? and when did you realize you could make money from it?
I started blogging as a way to compile articles I was contracted to write. The company introduced me to blogs as a way to catalog those articles and keep track of them better for invoicing. Once I began for them, I was hooked. I started my own blog on March 24, 2004. Prior to that, everything I did online was contained within three websites I owned.

2) Biggest challenges:

Working from home is toughest in that most people think just because I'm home, I'm available to talk on the phone, go shopping, visit, babysit, etc. I've struggled a great deal with the lack of respect for the job I do.

3) The best discovery that you made in the course of business, that you wish you would have done in the beginning?

I can't say for sure on this one. I think everyone around me, including those I learn the most from have all taken this 'journey' together. I think it's great that so many are willing to share the lessons they have learned so that others don't have to learn things quite the hard way.

4) The thing that you would never advise a person to do in their business.

Never give up. If you've chosen a business that's based on something you believe in, don't give up! It's taken me nearly 10 years to get to where I am. In the beginning, I struggled a great deal, but it was worth it. It meant cutting some corners that were painful to cut, but in the end, it all worked out.

5) How do you define success?

For me, I knew I had gained success when I felt I could support my family, give my kids everything they need and much of what they want on my income alone. When I was able to purchase my own home for the first time - that was another major milestone in my personal ladder to success.

Find out more about Gayla and her sites ,click MomGadget

ITS NEVER TOO LATE....

Happy Monday. Here is your quote to get you thru the week. When I saw this quote at quatablecards it made me think of all the women out there that dont take the leap to work from home because they feel as though they missed that window in their life already. This says otherwise. Its never to late.