The Home Business Customer

How do you get a customer as a small business owner? A direct selling home business has many advantages over a regular conventional business and acquiring customers is just one of them. In typical business customer acquisition is a very expensive proposition which often starts with leasing office or retail space. This critical business function in a home business takes imagination, fortitude and some money.(not any where near as much as conventional business) Talk to friends and relatives as a way to warm up. They may even be a great regular customer but you need a lot of customers in business to survive all the ups and downs. You can never have too many customers.

Don't Ignore Customers: MLM and the Customer

The problem with many home business models is that customers are not valued--only 'distributors' are valued. Consider this: only about 3% of the population are even interested in owning their own business, so why ignore 97% of the population who might want to be your customer?

 All businesses generate cash flow from customers so why does MLM often ignore them? They may say they don't ignore them. They may say that it's a requirement to have 10 or 20 customers but where's the majority of the focus? ---on recruiting distributors. The proof is in the websites--go to any MLM website and I guarantee that the first and foremost emphasis will be on the "opportunity"---the websites are all focused on getting new distributors not customers.

In many network marketing companies there is a fuzzy line between being a distributor and a customer--often its one and the same person. It's something that Revenue Canada and the IRS look at carefully when assessing allowable home business tax deductions. Sure you can have home business tax deductions if you are actively out there trying to build a real business but if you're are just basically a customer, you may find they won't allow your deductions.

If you are a home business owner in an MLM company you normally would promote your website for product/company information. Since most MLM's have only one website, you are forced to send your customers to a business oriented website where they are bombarded with business opportunity promotions. You have no choice, there is only one website. This is not how conventional business operates. How would you like it if you were in a hurry and wanted to buy toothpaste at the local drug store. As you tried to buy it a clerk comes over and starts telling you how much money you can make owning your own drug store. They even might say, there's a special business offer on right now--today in fact. All you have to do is come to the meeting 2 hours away where the expert on drug store marketing is going to show you how to do the business the easy way. You walked into the store thinking toothpaste--you walked out thinking --these people are crazy--I'm not going back in there. People in MLM do that all the time and wonder why it doesn't work.

The Customer Keeps You in Business

Some drug store chains do look for new business owners for expansion but they don't solicit their customers. They do national advertising in trade magazines, business newspapers and trade shows that feature franchise sales. Serving customers and finding business owners are two separate functions in traditional business---but they are combined in most MLM. This could be why the failure rate is so high. If you have a lot of customers wanting to buy products on a regular basis, it keeps you in business and, if you keep doing it long enough, the numbers start working for you, so you stay in business. If you have no customers or distributors then why stay in? You have no business just an illusion. It's easy to quit and easy to switch to another company where things could be better.

 Companies that go broke ignore customers or take them for granted. Customers, like people, like to be appreciated. This is were you can use your creativity and personality to provide excellent customer service. It's not a sales a job, it's more of a public relations function. By doing this, you as a home business  will be focusing on your competitive advantage. This is key to any success in business.

Customers talk to their friends and relatives about things that interest them. If you have customers that are excited about certain products, you have an unofficial sales team working day and night promoting your products and your business. If you don't have customers, you simply miss out on this "word of mouth" advertising.

Talking to Customers/People

If you are the friendly talkative type, you could use this skill to your advantage. If you have a home based health and wellness business you are in the "aches and pains business". People are always talking about what's wrong with them. Most people save the real serious questions and remedies to their doctors only because they don't believe anything natural could work. These people are doctor dependent--what you are looking for are pro active health people who want to be charge of their own body and health care. That's the market niche you are looking for. As we get older, health issues become more prevalent so they are always a popular subject of conversation.

Business Lead Prospecting: Ask Questions, Get Permission

The problem many people have, me included, is suggesting a remedy or solution before any body asked for any help. I found that people like to complain but that doesn't necessarily mean they are looking for a solution--they just like to complain because it's just something to talk about like the weather. Well, you can't do anything about the weather and you can't help a complainer if he or she doesn't want help. If you start talking about your product without getting their permission, they will feel like the toothpaste customer on my home page . Picture this: somebody in the grocery line says she is feeling her arthritis because of all the rain that been happening lately. If you immediately go into the sales pitch for your "arthritis cure, its kind of like responding to the "rain" issue with a speech about global warming, rising sea levels and impending doom. The poor women was just being sociable so she's just going to think you are crazy and move away from you.

You can still turn the lady in the grocery line into a potential customer just by asking a few gentle questions like. "Does your arthritsis, always act up when it rains? Does it hurt a lot?  Depending on the answers and types of responses, you might take it further. You are just trying to find out if this is just conversation or perhaps she is looking for a solution. If she is looking for a remedy, you simply state that you have a home based health business that sells products that might help her. Would she be interested in learning more? Then shut up and wait for an answer. This is a good time to have a PRODUCT centered  business card which you can give her. Actually give her two--one to write her name and phone number on the back and give back to you and one for her to keep. She is NEVER going to call you so if you don't get her name and number, you have lost her.

I have found that people will say a lot of things but what they actually do is what matters. (watch people's feet, not their mouths. Do they show up to meetings or return phone calls? ) If this women does not want to give her name and phone number, she is not looking for a solution from YOU. Don't let this bother you, she was just making conversation. You did not qualify her enough. That's ok, just ask more questions next time. When people are interested, they will follow you around to make sure you they give you your card back. They want want you've got.