When you get started with a home business, you have two options: You can promote your product or service to people that could benefit from them or you can promote the business itself and grow a larger team which expands your influence and makes it possible for even more people to learn about your product and service. You should find a way to balance both. No matter how you approach people, it all boils down to communication. There are good ways to approach people and there are very bad ways to approach people. Because most people start home businesses with no prior business experience, they tend to choose the bad ways without realizing it. If this might be you, don't loose hope. No one is born knowing anything more than the most basic of communication skills (Hint: Waaaaahhhhh!). Now, crying is not going to help you build your home business. The point is that everyone had to learn how to communicate and that is the key to successful promotion. You need to learn how to communicate.

Or more specifically, you need to learn how to communicate on purpose.

If you're calling someone on the phone, writing an advertisement, or planning a presentation, everything boils down to communication. The better you learn how to do it, the more success you will have. This is a great reason to have a mentor in your home business as well. If you were in sports you would practice and do drills. You would do this because it makes you better when the main event comes along. You don't limit yourself to only practicing and drilling but rather you work it into your routine so you're applying the skills you have (which is a form of practice) or you are focusing on the act of practicing to learn something new or to improve your current skills. Effective communication follows the same needs.

Here's a tip: Record yourself with a tape or digital recorder. This is a great way to train yourself in spoken communication. Listen to the playback and take notes. Do you sound relaxed? Do you do all the talking or are you having a conversation with your prospect? Don't worry if there's something you need to improve. All people, at all levels of experience will make mistakes and can always improve. Make yourself aware of where you are now in order to improve.

Before you contact someone about your business, consider your intent. Is your intent to sign someone up, make a sale or to earn a commission? If it is, your prospect will pick up on that and your success will be limited. Instead focus your intent on how you can help others get what they want. In order to do that effectively you need to know what it is that your prospect wants and needs. You won't be able to find that out if you're doing all the talking so have a conversation. As you converse you may find that the person you're calling isn't ready for, or doesn't need, what you have to offer as a solution. If that's the case, don't offer it to them. You won't be rejected because you haven't offered anything. Just continue the conversation, in case you haven't uncovered what it is you really need to know, and finally end it just as you would any other call to a friend.

Effective communication is not about manipulation or convincing someone to do something. It's a process that involves two parties in what should seem like a graceful dance when done properly. If your prospect doesn't know how to "dance" that doesn't matter. The more you develop your own communications skills the more you will be in control of the conversation, the more people you will be able to help get what it is that they want and more the more rewards you will receive by doing it.

David Saunders

I enjoy helping people. That's the bottom line for me. I'm an avid reader and have a diverse background of study. When I look around me though, I see two things that keep people up at night: health and money. I've dedicated myself to help people with both.