Captive Mommies

by Alyssa Dees Avant

In a world where crime is a constant and fraud is done everyday, we long to find people that we can trust and opportunities to work together where we do not feel threatened or scared of the outcome possibilities. As a business owner, we want to put our best foot forward and ensure that our clients see us as being “different from the others” in one way or another. Having integrity in your business can set you apart from the pack very quickly.

There are many ways to show your customers that you have integrity. Here are just a few of them:

1. Be passionate about your business. It is important that we are in a business or career that we love in the first place, if you are, it makes it easier to show your passion. So, do a heart check before going into any given business opportunity and make sure that you can be truly passionate about it, so that the passion you have will shine through to the customers.

2. Be upfront. Share information with your customers or clients from day one. Do not withhold information from them because you are afraid you’ll loose a sale, or not make as much money in the end. You need to want more than anything, to do what is right, not only for you but for your client as well. Withholding the truth will only serve you poorly in the end.

3. Appreciate your clients. Showing appreciation can go a long way in helping your customer to see that you are genuine, and can be trusted. Give your customers extra to show your appreciation, not to bribe them into doing more for you, or spending more money with you. Just give back to them to show that you are grateful for their business and loyalty.

4. Be personable and available. You might be the boss, the head honcho, or the CEO, but that does not mean that you should hide away in your office never to be seen by anyone but your employees after all the clients and customers are gone. You want to be seen by everyone as someone who truly cares, you want to be available to help meet the needs of your clients. Availability to others also shows your integrity.

5. Take responsibility for your mistakes. Let’s face it we all mess up. We are not perfect and we will make mistakes. When you do take responsibility and try to make things right. Your clients will appreciate you for it and will be more likely to forgive your mistake than if you tried to cover it up and not tend to it.

These are just a few of the ways that you can show integrity in your business on a daily basis, helping others to trust you with their time and their money.
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Alyssa Dees Avant is a Christian author, blogger, podcaster, speaker, and business owner, when she is not speaking to audiences of young girls and their mothers, she is writing as a freelance and ghostwriter. Whether she is sharing her passion with girls on the topics of beauty, modesty, and etiquette or with their moms on time management and organizing Alyssa has a true passion for helping others. Visit her on the web at http://beautybydesignonline.com or http://organizedlifebydesign.com
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Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

by D.L. Mayer

The first question to answer when considering participating in a trade show or expo is what do you hope to achieve? Why are you considering doing this show in the first place? Do you want to sell product? Do you want to book parties? Do you want to recruit others into your business? The answers to these questions are important as they will help you determine return on investment and risk potential.

Don’t let these terms scare you. All I’m talking about is you determining whether or not this show would be a good investment for your business. Is it worth the risk? Every show I’ve ever considered costs money. It also costs time. Make sure the show potential is worth risking both these commodities.

For instance, say your goal for the show is to book parties. You make approximately $200 at your average party. The expo will cost $500 for a booth. You also need to add up costs for literature (brochures, business cards, flyers), decorations, samples, give away items, and anything else you might use in your booth. Also consider other expenses like gas and child care. Say everything totals about $1,000 to do this expo. To break even, you will need to book at least five parties.

How do you know if you can achieve your goals? As is the nature of direct sales in general, there is no guarantee. But you can do your research and figure out what is realistic. Look around at the shows in your area. If you are not sure where to start, try the website of the nearest convention center. Take a look at their calendar of events. You can also look at your community calendar. Depending on your product or service, you might also consider a search for local craft fairs, state fairs, or chamber of commerce events. If you have already found a show and are looking for more, you can ask the producers of the show if they do any others or could refer you to others.

Once you find your show, get all the pertinent details besides just the cost to participate. If it is not already in the show literature, ask someone involved what the estimated attendance is. Knowing how many people are attending can give you an idea of whether you will be able to reach your goal during the show. Will you be able to talk to enough people to book that many parties? Can you physically sell enough products in the allotted time to break even?

Breaking even is the starting point. The show should at a minimum pay for itself. The beauty of direct sales is that every contact today can also be a customer tomorrow. Going back to our example, say you are pretty confident you can book at least five parties. But you are not sure of more than that. And you are also wondering if it would be worth the effort to only break even. Those four parties will pay for your show, but you will have the opportunity to book more parties from them. Those additional parties are your profit. Look at the show as your starting point, not just a one day event. This is your opportunity to add to your client list.

If you are not sure you can accomplish your goals and offset the investment, you can look for ways to cut your costs. An easy way to do this is to find partners. Share your booth with other people in your line of business. This can be especially helpful if the show is several days long. Although you will be dividing the leads you get from the show, you are also dividing the risk. Another way to cut costs is to negotiate the price of your booth. This will not be possible if the show is very popular with vendors and sold out. But if you come across a smaller show or, perhaps, a new show, you might be able to get yourself a deal. This is very effective in the week before the show. A show producer would rather have those last few booths filled at any cost rather than empty with no revenue at all. Just make sure you are prepared to loose out if you wait too long, and the show is full.

If you have not personally attended the show previously, you may consider attending it as a guest first. This allows you the opportunity to get a feel for the show. Does your product or business fit in? How have other vendors set up their booths? What seems to work well for traffic flow and what does not? If the show has an entrance fee, ask to see the show director. Introduce yourself, and tell the director you are interested in being a vendor at her next show. Often this not only gets you in free, but results in a guided tour of the show where you are shown the benefits of being a vendor. This is also a chance to ask her personally any questions you might have. For instance, how and where do they advertise the show? You can also (subtly, of course) ask some of the vendors what they paid for their booths. If you get different answers, you know there may be room for negotiation.

Are you ready to get out there and participate in a trade show? This is an exciting opportunity to market your business. The more you know ahead of time, the better prepared you are to make the show a success. Once you have decided to participate and have chosen your venue, the next step is to plan your campaign. On to Part II.

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Deanna Mayer is the stay at home mother of two. When she isn’t carting her boys around their Denver suburb, she is busy building her ideal career at www.itvventures.com/dlm. She is currently launching her newest product line, Naked Minerals, the first 100% pure pressed mineral cosmetics. Feel free to email her at deanna@goaheadgetnaked.com.
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Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Read part 2 of this article I’ve Picked a Trade Show. Now What Do I Do? by clicking here.