It is April 15th again and time to hurry to get your income tax return to post office in time to get today’s stamp on it. Actually, I filed my tax return back in February, but April 15th is another tax deadline for those of us who are self-employed. It is time to file our First Quarter Estimated Taxes.

On April 15th we get to see both how close last year’s guess was to how much we actually made last year and we get to make our best guess to how much we will make this year. It can be a challenge because the IRS and the state revenue departments want 4 equal estimated tax payments on April 15, June 15, September 15, and January 18.

It still beats being an employee though and having someone else decide how much money comes out of your paycheck every week. My quarterly tax payments are based on income less expenses instead of just income like those with paychecks have to pay, so I have to pay less in taxes than I did as an employee.

Wayne Woodworth
You can be self-employed too

Do you take responsibility for your successes and your failures?

I was listening to Bob Proctor’s Six Minutes to Success yesterday. At the point where I am in the series he is talking about the 11 characteristics of great leaders as Napolean Hill laid them out in Think and Grow Rich in the chapter on Organized Planning. In this particular video, Bob Proctor was talking about the 10th characteristic – a willingness to assume full responsibility.

There are two kinds of responsibility, being responsible to someone or something and being responsible for something. We are responsible to others,  our customers or employers for example to give our best for our compensation, but we can never be responsible for others. Neither can we hold other people responsible for us.

Bob Proctor says that responsibility is the key to freedom. If we blame others for our problems or lack of success then we make ourselves victims of things and people we cannot control. Once we take responsibility for our own actions, our own successes and failures, we have the ability to change them for the better. You can’t change the world but you can change yourself.

What would you like to improve? Finances, health, happiness. What are you going to take responsibility for today and change for the better?

Wayne Woodworth
Responsible for my own success

Persistence is the key to building a prosperous home based business.

There are two points to persistence when building your business.  The first is the persistence to stick with your business over time and the second is the persistence it takes to convert your prospects into customers.

Most people trying to build a home based business give up after a couple months, but in most cases it will take a few years to get a business to the point where it is self-sufficient.  When starting with network marketing companies you hear about how this certain person went out and after only 2 weeks signed up 20 people and made $10,000.  Those people are incredibly rare and to have the expectation of hitting those levels in a short time is unrealistic.  When starting any new enterprise, you have to have the persistence to stick with it for a long period of time and give it a real chance to grow.

The other persistence you need is in converting prospects into customers.  When building a home based business it is easy to let your motivation slip and not do all that you know you should do.  You don’t feel like picking up the phone today, making the little tweaks to your website or writing that blog post.  To be successful, you need to be persistent with your prospects.  In my leads meeting last week several members talked about how making just one more phone call to a customer finally closed the deal.  You will find out, if you haven’t already, that most people will say “no” the first time you make your offer.  “No” usually just means “not yet” and if you give up on a prospect after hearing “no” that first time, then you will probably never get anywhere in your business.  Check back with them on a regular basis to just ask how they are doing.  You don’t have to pitch your product or service every time.  Just build a relationship over time so that when they are ready for your offer, you are the one who comes to mind and who is going to get the business.  Sometimes all it takes is you calling your prospect one more time than your competitor.  This is a great way to stand out because most people will give up after the first or second call.

Wayne Woodworth
Persistent Network Marketer

Do you have a relationship marketing strategy?

You have probably heard a lot in the past couple of years that traditional methods of marketing no longer work, or at least don’t work as well as they used to, because your customers are bombarded with way too much information from a variety of sources. So once you have successfully acquired a new customer you want to do everything in your power to keep them. One way to do that is with relationship marketing.

To build a long-lasting relationship with a customer you want to keep in touch with them periodically to let them know that you are still there and thinking of them. You can do that with a simple email, or better yet, send them a card or postcard. Most people enjoy receiving cards in the mail because it takes more effort and thought on your part and it is something that they will take more notice of as they flip through the mail and again later when they reorganize the papers on their desk or table.

A good way to start building a relationship with a new customer is to send a card a couple days after they receive their first order to thank them, make sure that they received it in good shape and they are not having any problems. Then every so often, send another card to say hello and make sure everything is still good. Maybe you will do this after 1 month, then again at 6 and 12 months, or whatever is appropriate for your product or service.

For example, on of my products is a point-of-use water filter, so I will send a card to arrive about the time my customer receives their order to thank them and offer some advice on how to use the unit efficiently. After 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months I will send another card to say hello and make sure they are enjoying the unit. Then I will send a card annually to remind them to order the replacement components to keep the unit in working order. I am providing a service to them by giving them the reminders that they need as well as keeping my business in their thoughts on a regular basis.

It works for other industries as well. A real estate agent can send a card when a client moves into their new home congratulating them on their new home and thanking them for their business. Then send another card periodically through the first year, then annually for the next several years on the anniversary of moving in. The client will remember how thoughtful the agent was and will be more likely to use them again the next time they buy a house or recommend them to friends.

Here is the service I use to send my cards.

Wayne Woodworth
Internet network marketer
Sender of cards