WAHM Blog

Feel - Felt - Found

When you are talking to a potential client, a potential team member, or anyone else that is giving you resistance on your way to your WAHM goal, the feel - felt - found method will help you get from a no or maybe to a yes.

Feel

Everyone wants to be understood. When your potential customer or client or hostess raises an objection like, “I don’t know if I want to host because no one has money.” They are telling you they are scared. Your job (if you want to get to YES) is to start by making the person you’re talking to feel understood. The easiest way to do that is to say, “I understand how you feel.” Make sure to repeat back their fear in different words, that way if you misunderstood they can correct you!

Felt

Next, make your prospect feel less alone in the world. When people tell you what they are afraid of they feel vulnerable. When anyone feels vulnerable that feeling is a lot like lonliness. After you know you understand and have told them you know how they feel say, “I felt the same way….” This tells your prospect that you weren’t born a rockstar of sales. Instead of feeling like they are talking to someone who doesn’t understand (they may think your business is easy for you) they now know they are talking to someone who understands then and has been in the same place! Now they are ready to listen.

Found

After you say “I felt the same way…” you just follow up with “…but what I found is…” and put your objection blocker on the end of that phrase. Found is the most important because after feel and felt, you now have their attention and the hostess feels connected to you. Making your found count will close the sale.

Example

Hostess: I would love to make a part time income but don’t know how to sell.

You: I understand how you feel (hostess name), when I went to my first party I thought it was amazing but wasn’t sure I would be able to be good at it like the lady doing my party.

Hostess: I know, you make it look so easy, and I’d be so nervous.

You: I felt the same way! But (hostess name) let me tell you, what I found is that after the first couple parties I felt so comfortable with the product, it became second nature. You will be the same way, because it’s something all of us go through.

Image Source: sundesigns

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Network Marketers: Don’t forget to be yourself!

I love reading the boards with network marketers here at WAHM. It teaches me about sales, and no matter how good you are, you can always learn more about sales.

• Some of you don’t like to sell, but try to remember to always share what you do for a living, to see if the other person shows interest.
• Some don’t mind selling but find they still have trouble converting leads.

No matter what your script or how you “wing it” when talking to potential customers or clients, please…don’t forget to be yourself.

Do you have a tendency to kind of turn into this other person when you start talking about your business? You know what I mean, slightly halting, not as comfortable as when you’re talking about your kids or your pets. Trying to remember the features and benefits of what you have to offer while keeping a smile on your face and looking for signs of interest can be difficult to do all at once.

But, you don’t have to do it all at once!

Being yourself allows you the chance to relax and form a bond with someone. A bond that will last more than one quick meeting. That bond is what makes someone answer the phone when they see your name on the caller ID. They’ll know you’re more than a pitch or a salesperson.

Talking to someone about how your kids are both the same age and the crazy things that kids do is far more likely to make someone want to buy your product or service than talking for an hour about how amazing your product or service is.

When times get tight and wallets are thin, people are still spending money, they’re just being more careful about who they’re giving it to. Building the relationship and the trust before you ask for the sale can go a long way to boosting your numbers…as well as your friend count!

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Jennifer Gniadecki has been a WAHM for over four years. She has been a Virtual Assistant, an Internet Marketer, and a graphic designer…but her one true love is writing and that is what she’s settled in to do for the long haul. She is a freelance writer and blogger and her work has been featured on Reuters.com as well as the Chicago Sun Times Online. You can find her mommyblog at www.beyondmom.com

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Tired of WAHMs Getting Scammed!

I have gotten a lot of emails lately about people falling for or asking how to be a part of these so called work at home jobs. I thought I would write about how a couple of these worked and that you should just avoid them all together.

Envelope stuffing

Here is the scenario: You see an ad. “Make $3 for each envelope you stuff, an easy $500/wk. Send just $29.95.” You send your $29.95 to the address. What you receive are flyers with the information on how you too can place an ad in the paper promoting this wonderful work at home job to others and send the same flyer and receive $3 for each envelope you stuff promoting their $29.95 product. Technically, yes, you are stuffing envelopes, just not what you thought, was it?

Data Entry

Now let me say, this is a legit job title, but scammers have turned this into something bad on the internet. Now if I see data entry I automatically assume it is not a legitimate job offer. Here is why. Most of the time if you see data entry it is a job to post ads online on different websites such as craigslist, forums, advertising sites, etc. Most of the time you do not get paid to post these on the sites, you get paid if someone purchases or clicks on the link from your ad that you posted. So you could post 1000 times and only have 1 click or no sale at all. It just isn’t worth the time to do this.

Check Cashing/Wire Transfer

I have gotten several emails the last few days saying that they have agreed to receive checks from people outside of the country and every time the person outside the country has a “problem” with the check and has given them too much money. They ask that you send them the overpayment back to them. This is a SCAM!! Even after checking with the bank, yes the check is real, but it will not clear, they want to pressure you enough and get you to send the overage before you have time to figure that out.

Please do not accept checks or packages from other countries, you are not protected by our laws if you get scammed, that is why they target you.

• Remember, if someone is offering you a “job” do not pay them. But, if they are offering you a “business opportunity” then you will most likely be required to pay a start up fee, this is normal, but it doesn’t mean it’s a good company. You must do research on them! You cannot rely on WAHM.com to tell you if the company is definitely legitimate, you must do a search of other people’s experiences on the forum and internet so that you can see if they are legitimate.
• Please be aware that all the links to work at home jobs are not posted by us. We have google, indeed and ifreelance jobs up on the site to give you a wide variety of choices. But, as always, you need to research anything that may interest you. These jobs are not researched so please research them yourself before you sign up with them. These are controlled by keyword so if you see any that look like a scam, please alert me by sending me the link of the site in question to jeanine@wahm.com. Remember, if they are saying it’s a job, then you shouldn’t have to pay ANY money. If it’s a business opportunity then ask what you will have to do everyday to earn money.

It just breaks my heart to hear that someone else has fallen for another work at home scam. I feel so bad for them. I try my best to warn and help people, but there are so many vultures out there just trying to make a buck. They don’t realize that most of these moms (and dads) can barely get by and to scrape up a few dollars to pay their fee to be a part of their scam is such a big deal. Then to get their hopes up and only to see them come crashing down, it is just heart breaking.

Just remember to think with your heads, research a company several times before deciding to go with them. Even if you do not have to pay the company to work for them, you will still want to research them because there are companies out there who will hire work at home employees and mistreat them by not paying them a salary as promised or at all. Just do your homework and be careful!

Jeanine Haenel, WAHM.com

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3 Steps for Increasing WAHM Success

Have a Plan
Diving in can be tempting, but you can find yourself overwhelmed and frustrated pretty quick. The Internet is huge, and you’re not trying to take over the whole thing, but the part where people who want your services will be.

Research is key to a great plan. Who are you selling goods and services to? Where do they hang out online? How can you interact with them without being perceived as someone to be avoided because all you do is sell? Jot down some ideas for how you can become part of the group you want to sell to, without being too sales-oriented and becoming ignored (or worse, blocked) from the forum or social networking site.

Work Your Plan
Once you have a plan, put it into step-by-step format. You cannot do everything on your business or marketing plan in one day, and if you try you will find frustration and perhaps even tears when you try and do everything all at once while balancing that with feeding and changing and teaching your kids. You can only do as much as you can do, knowing that is crucial, because then you can have realistic goals like taking care of three items on your plan a day. That way you will feel accomplished at the end of the day instead of working as hard as you can and still feeling behind.

No, Really, Stop Skipping Ahead
Skipping ahead can be so tempting! If your first step is to do research and step two is to set up a profile at a social networking site, you know you’ll have more fun setting up the account and tweaking the colors and making it true to your style.

But then you’ve left your research far behind and when you’re choosing your name or what to put for your bio, you don’t have the right keywords and fill it in based on whatever you think of at the time. You say to yourself, “I’ll go back and fix it later.” But the odds of that happening are low. Even if you do go back in and change your bio or other keyword info (or insert your new elevator pitch) that is going to take more time than it would have to do it right the first time.

Carpenters say, “measure twice, cut once” and you should look to your business goals the same way. While being overcautious is not good, you can find a balance between tweaking and having the perfect plan and executing that plan in the order that will make it most effective for your WAHM life.

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About Jennifer

Jennifer Gniadecki has been a WAHM for over four years. She has been a Virtual Assistant, an Internet Marketer, and a graphic designer… but her one true love is writing and that is what she’s settled in to do for the long haul. She is a freelance writer and blogger and her work has been featured on Reuters.com as well as the Chicago Sun Times Online. You can find her mommyblog at http://www.beyondmom.com

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5 Mistakes to Avoid When Working from Home

The proliferation of people working from home has grown exponentially in recent years. The advantages of working from home are vast. Working from home allows you to have a flexible schedule, so you can be around for your family more than you would if you were logging eight hours a day at the office and that’s before you factor in the commuting time. It also helps you save tons of money on that commute, as you’re not using as much fuel when your office is down the hallway from your bedroom.

So, while the advantages seem endless, there are some common mistakes that many people make when they work from home that make the experience less rewarding. Here’s the list we came up with and we hope it helps:

1. Being too comfortable. Even though you’re working from home and the only people you’ll probably see during the day are your kids and the mailman you still need to shower in the morning and put on some casual work clothes. If you stay in your bathrobe all day you’re going to be more apt to start watching “The View” and lying on the couch than actually working.

2. Scattering your hours. It’s important that you stick to a routine every day. If your kids are out of the house and off to school by 8am each morning then you should target starting your work by 8:30. This gives you enough time to get ready for work and will put you in good shape to get a solid amount of work done by the time the kids are done with school.

3. Slacking off. It’s tempting to lounge around more than you ever would in the mornings if you were leaving your house to go to work. It’s imperative you develop a strict discipline and avoid the temptation to slack off. The longer you dilly-dally around, the harder it will be to dive into your work.

4. Falling into a rut. Even though you’re working from home you need to maintain a professional air about your business. Work an eight-hour day and take a proper lunch break. This will help you stick to your routine.

5. Working after hours. You’ll feel like you always have more time to finish what you’re working on because the office is in your home. When five o’clock or whatever time you’ve determined is quitting time then you have to shut down your computer and stop working.

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This article is contributed by Heather Johnson, who regularly writes on online nursing schools. She invites your questions and writing job opportunities at her personal email address: heatherjohnson2323 at gmail dot com.

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5 Things WAHMs Can Learn From the Olympics

Everyone I know has been watching the 2008 Bejing Olympics. We are all enraptured by these people (so many kids!) who can train for up to 10 hours every day, or the Chinese girls that are taken from homes and orphanages as early as three years old in order to become world-class gymnasts by the time they are…well…whatever age they are.

There are lessons we can all learn from the Olympics, and I find that I am getting more done while I watch these amazing athletes get so much done in a foreign country. Everything seems a little easier here at my home office when I think about what I need to do and then say, “At least I’m in my home and not in another country fighting for a gold medal against hundreds of other countries.”

It puts it all into perspective. Here are five things WAHMs can learn from the 2008 Bejing Olympic games!

Persevere
The FIL (father-in-law) of the coach of the US Men’s Olympic Volleyball team was murdered in Bejing during the games. Murdered. This is a horrible tragedy and could have spelled doom for the team if the coach had succumbed to the grief he must have been feeling. Even if they don’t win gold, the US Men’s Olympic Volleyball team can be proud of their performance.

When something goes wrong in your day-to-day life, remember that you can get through anything for a little while. Stay strong if you have to so you can let-go guilt free after your deadline has been taken care of.

Eat the Right Stuff
In between matches, Michael Phelps stuffed himself with pasta and pizza, because his body needed carbohydrates to continue to perform at peak efficency. When you are working from home you have an obligation to yourself to make sure you’re eating good food that will help you get through the day. A balanced diet can make your brain work better, your hugs stronger for your children, and you will find your balance more easily restored if little things go wrong.

Be a Good Loser
Didn’t get a job with a company you really wanted? It’s okay, there are other companies out there. Focusing on your failure not only makes you less likely to be in the mindset to succeed later, if you share your disappointment on a public forum, other job seekers may find it and not want to hire you. Go back to the drawing board and focus on your next event, your next job search, your next potential client meeting. Focus on the future and have faith your knowledge and heart can get you through it.

Be a Good Winner
If you get a great telecommuting job or freelance job, share with others without bragging. If there were tips you used to get that gig, share them in the forum. Remember there are enough jobs and gigs and clients for everyone out there. Helping someone else out will not reduce the number of jobs you will have access to. Share enough to help, but not so much that you give someone else your job.

Stop Trying to get Gold Every Time
While the other five are all positive things you can learn from the Olympics, this one is a negative that you should avoid in your own life. I keep hearing about America being so sad and not succeeding - because they only won a Silver medal.

What?

Everyone wants to come in first. Everyone wants to win. But don’t forget that second place is still a winner. When you are starting out working from home, it can be difficult to find out after the first month you’re not setting any company records. That’s okay. You’re not working from home because you have to be number one in everything you do. You can come in second and still hold your head high.

Olympic athletes only practice one thing the whole time they train. They are not volleyball players and gymnasts and swimmers. But you are not only a parent, you are working too, plus you are a spouse or have family that relies on you. Do not feel the need to be #1 in all three events, because even Olympic athletes know you can only be the best in the world at one thing, and only then if you train every day for hours and hours at a very young age.

You are human, you are wonderful, and you can achieve balance without going crazy. That’s more than an Olympic athlete could do.

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About Jennifer

Jennifer Gniadecki has been a WAHM for over four years. She has been a Virtual Assistant, an Internet Marketer, and a graphic designer… but her one true love is writing and that is what she’s settled in to do for the long haul. She is a freelance writer and blogger and her work has been featured on Reuters.com as well as the Chicago Sun Times Online. You can find her mommyblog at http://www.beyondmom.com

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Balancing Work and Kid Noise

Some WAHMs choose to put their kids in daycare even if they are working from home in order to increase productivity while they work. This makes sense, because kids can be distracting. Unfortunately, I don’t have that kind of luxury or opportunity. Plus, I don’t know how I feel about my kids being with strangers all day. So my toddlers are right here with me, all day, no matter what my deadline is, no matter how much work there is to be done. The biggest snag to having my toddlers at home with me is that unless I put them into some science-fiction cone of silence, they’re going to make noise unexpectedly.

When they were babies I could take client calls and do all sorts of things involving the phone. But now that those unexpected noises pop up, I find that client calls are something I cannot manage without seeming totally unprofessional.

Here are some things you can do with your kids to ensure you are getting done what you need to do.

• Only take/make professional calls during naptime. Try and do this as soon as possible so you don’t have a child wake up in the middle of your call.
• Communicate via e-mail. Some clients insist on phone time, some clients are happy to use e-mail exclusively. The plus side to e-mail is that you will always have written instructions to fall back on. When you take notes on a phone call there is always the chance of “he said, she said” and the client can say, “I never said that.” E-mail keeps you protected.
• Consider a different WAHM career path. A party plan you can do on nights and weekends, or freelance writing and blogging are only two examples. Something where you don’t have to be on the phone.
• A customer service telecommute job that is text only. LivePerson is one such company that does this. So is LiveSalesStaff. When you are using a program like an Instant Messenger to help people it doesn’t matter how loud the kids get. No one can hear them but you.

If you’re looking for another opportunity that isn’t listed above, scan the WAHM.com forums. There is a wealth of information on so many companies and different ways to work from home you will be amazed if you haven’t started searching yet! Some require phone contact and some don’t. There is something for everyone and the joy of WAHM.com is that you can find out what the job is really like before you ever apply.

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About Jennifer

Jennifer Gniadecki has been a WAHM for over four years. She has been a Virtual Assistant, an Internet Marketer, and a graphic designer… but her one true love is writing and that is what she’s settled in to do for the long haul. She is a freelance writer and blogger and her work has been featured on Reuters.com as well as the Chicago Sun Times Online. You can find her mommyblog at http://www.beyondmom.com

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Telecommuting Forum

I have to do a special post about the Telecommuting forum at WAHM.com. I can’t say enough good things about that forum. I’m guessing it is the most visited forum outside of the Join the Discussion; Meet Other WAHM’s forum.

Other mom’s just like you are scouring the job lists across the internet and they share good leads, offer great advice and help point out scams. Stuck topics include lists of reputable work at home jobs available in the country. I still visit for the occasional writing job that may not filter its way down to the WAHM’s Who Write forum.

If it wasn’t your first visit to WAHM.com and you haven’t been there yet, I highly recommend you check it out.

Have you come to WAHM for social interaction? Or do you really need a job?

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About Violette

I’m previously a working mom (marketing database developer/manager) and stay-at-home mom (child care developer/manager); and now a work-at-home mom (juggler); incorporating writing back into my life. I’m fortunate enough to spend time freelancing, writing for children and writing on various topics for you. And, all of this because of the WAHM community for which I am grateful for. Look for me daily at my women’s interest blog, BigShoes.

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A WHAM With A Plan

Work at Home Moms are used to juggling naptime with deadlines, writing with lunch, and laundry with social networking.

However, no matter how much of a Super Woman you are (and we know you are!) you need a plan.

Just as you have dreams for your children, you need to have a dream for where you want your business, or telecommuting job, or even your blogging career to be in five years. That goal, even if it is just a dream and a hope you hold close to your heart, is what keeps you sane during the hard times and stops you from giving up when it seems like you won’t succeed.

I know you’re busy, I’m not suggesting you create a twenty page monster of a business plan. Just take a few minutes during bath time or naptime to think about where you want what you are doing today to lead you five years from now.

You know what, five years is too far away.

How about this…decide where you would like to be six months from now. What baby steps can you take today or tomorrow to make you more successful in six months? Success doesn’t have to mean money, either. Here are four questions to ask in order to form a basic plan:

1. Do you want to have a better grasp of balancing your kids with your work?
2. Do you want to have office hours in six months?
3. How much can you realistically plan your day based on your children’s ages right now?
4. Are you looking for a different opportunity in the next six months or do you want more clients doing what you do right now?

Once you answer the questions above, you’ll find you have a greater sense of clarity about what you’re doing now and what you want to be doing in six months. Once you have that down, then you can start to think about your five-year plan.

You’ll be ready - trust me.

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About Jennifer

Jennifer Gniadecki has been a WAHM for over four years. She has been a Virtual Assistant, an Internet Marketer, and a graphic designer… but her one true love is writing and that is what she’s settled in to do for the long haul. She is a freelance writer and blogger and her work has been featured on Reuters.com as well as the Chicago Sun Times Online. You can find her mommyblog at http://www.beyondmom.com

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And the winner is…

After a very close race, the votes are in and you have chosen a winner! Congratulations to Linda Braun for her great design.

Visit Linda’s website at: www.lindabraun.com.

Thank you everyone who submitted their logo and all that voted.

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