Garage Sales

Drew Stevens asked:


Copyright (c) 2008 Drew Stevens PhD

Sales professionals must create magnetic appeal to increase closing efficiency. Our present global environment creates numerous obstacles that polarize sales efforts, form the proliferation of the Internet to advanced media. Ironically, with the intrigue of technological miracles the foundation of sales success exists upon 10 principles. Since the beginning of trade, selling has not changed, nor have these laws. These principles as they have for centuries are the laws that attract numerous clients and create successful selling professionals.

The Law of Preparation

The best selling professionals are always prepared. First, preparation begins with grooming and clothing. Like many, I am repulsed by numerous organizations that partake in casual clothing. To be successful one need look successful. A selling professional cannot attend an appointment in a T- Shirt and jeans. To be successful you need to dress successfully. Statistics for this article with over 1000 representatives illustrate that those dresses professionally closed 87% more business than those that didn?t.

More clients will be attracted to sellers because of the level of research converted into information that defines need. The knowledge output provides client value in terms of competitiveness, productivity and even profitability. Value stems from reading newspapers, trade publications and conducting research. When clients determine from the value professionals provide they are more apt to conduct business and moreover, use them repeatidly.

The Law of Selling Methodology

ES Research Group reveals that 90% of all sales training programs conducted for corporations result only in a 90-120 day increase in sales productivity and, as a result, fewer than 20% of companies realize any sustainable productivity gain that lasts beyond 12 months. In the United States alone over four billion dollars is spent per year on training selling professionals with two thirds of that money ear marked for one day training.

To be competitive, selling professionals must be competitive. It appears that taking the time to develop a training program does in fact pay tangible returns. More importantly is providing selling professionals with a methodology they adhere to and more importantly create attraction. The true competitive professional employs a methodology that stems from start to completion.

The Law of Value Proposition

One of the best assets for every selling professional is a value statement. Be mindful, this is not an elevator speech. This pithy statement ends the stereotype and focuses all attention completely on the prospective client. A value proposition is solutions based with all benefits focused on the consumer. Moreover, it denotes brand. A value proposition is nothing more than a benefit statement that offers to the client to improve their condition. Customer value propositions have become one of the most widely used terms in business markets. In 2006 the Harvard Business Review ?Customer Value Propositions in Business Markets? discussed how corporations use them in the branding process. Value propositions are a powerful marketing tool that are powerful and help gravitate the buyer to your direction. These simple statements enable selling professionals to articulate their company?s position into useful terminology that engages the prospective client.

The Law of Referrals

Proper attraction involves referral acquisition. Professionals abhor asking for referrals! Business is driven by the ability to ask for new business. If clients are happy with your work they will willingly provide others that can need to receive your value. There is a story of an insurance professional that would visit clients and not leave without three new referrals. Even if the client provided one or two, the agent would not leave until he received three or more. Needless to say, the agent retired an extremely wealthy individual.

The Law of the Decision Maker

Sales attraction is discovering the true economic buyer. 67% of selling professionals spend too much time with those that cannot make a decision. Sellers are not always prepared to ask the proper and difficult questions. Good detective work means asking the difficult questions. Detectives enjoy seeing the discomfort of others as they squirm to reply. Selling professionals must be intelligent enough to know about the organization, the competition to conduct and intellectual conversation. Research has found that the title never denotes the economic buyer. 87% of respondents in a research survey stipulated they underestimated the decision maker by virtue of title.

The Law of Value

There is a wonderful detective show in syndication on television entitled ?Monk?. The analytical detective works vehemently to resolve the case quickly. He eludes numerous hurdles yet in the end as the clich?tates, ?he always gets his man?. The same must hold true for selling professionals. True selling professionals endeavor to resolve client issues before the client understands the issue. In a recent interview with over 10,000 clients, they indicate their desire for sales professionals that can speak client language, understand the core issues and get to the heart of the matter expediently. Ask clients provocative questions that get them thinking about legacy, expectations and strategic direction.

The Law of Networking

Truly the best professionals constantly network. Selling professionals by nature require constant engagement with others to comprehend business trends and meet new opportunities. Admittedly, there exist a plethora of networking associations and organizations, choose those close to your location and aligned with your business. Review your local paper for functions that interest you and attend as a guest, but go! If you do not attend, your competitors are.

The Law of Desire

Successful professionals love challenges, are exceptional at overcoming adversity and love what they represent. They are never shy or non-conversant, and you can sense their spirit and their passion when they speak. There is a South African word called unbutu, meaning ?from the spirit.? Successful professionals have an aura of spirit, of love, of passion, of commitment in everything and anything that they do. The more you can create unbutu in your sales presentations and your sales, the more energetic and inspirational you can be to your clients. The passion for assisting others is the fuel that bounds from failure to fortune.

The Law of Faith

There is no better nourishment and attraction then faith. Faith is a component of both passion and love. Faith is the ability to disavow the norms and continue. Thomas Edison never failed, his faith in his abilities created a yearning to continue over 1000 times. If Henry Ford, and Andrew Carnegie did not have faith our American business system would not be the supreme power it is. And if Abraham Lincoln did not have faith, African Americans would not be free and his name would not be associated with America?s greatest president. In fact, faith was so imperative for Lincoln because his successes did not arrive until after his 40th birthday. Faith is one of the largest key components to the laws of selling attraction.

The Law of Success

I recall a young man that had limited athletic ability. He was reared in a dysfunctional home and loathed by family and friends. After much discovery he found an outlet in track and field. After years of searching he found a tool that displaced the discontent in his life. With much practice he got better and began to appreciate the sport. His success brought about future success. He visualized future success. Within months he became the captain of his team and a four-time school record holder. He also enrolled and graduated from a prominent university. Professionals have to breathe it, become it and yearn for it. Success does not come easy. The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King jr. stated, ?Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.? Take the ladder of success one step at a time by seeing each step, living each step and appreciating each step.

These laws are simply a roadmap to creative success. These laws function similar to a GPS system. They become guideposts to recognize and live by. Our spontaneous world leaves little time to reflect, we must act quickly. The best professionals absorb, collate materials and create action. To live by these laws, do not procrastinate, act quickly, your next sale might depend on how you fight or side with the laws!



LYLE

Jason Kay asked:


Stories of ordinary people becoming millionaires overnight with the help of some wonderful programs are flooding us from all directions and even though many of these stories are exaggerated at best and total lies at worst, there are many ways in which you can make money, even if you are not a unique talent. Well, I don’t mean that photography does not require talent, but even beginner photographers can make money by selling their photos. Most likely you will not make your first million selling photos, but this is a viable way to earn some extra cash. Photos are a product and as with all products, you need to know what to offer and where to sell it.

What You Can Sell

For those people, who have no idea about photography, a photo is just a photo, but for people who are familiar with photography and arts in general, there are separate distinct groups of photos. The most obvious distinction of photos is based on their content, but for the purposes of selling photos, this distinction is not as important as what the photo can be used for.

The two major uses of photos are for the Web and in print. Web photos tend to be low resolution and lower quality is acceptable for them, while print photos generally are high resolution and low quality is unacceptable. As a beginner photographer, you will most likely target the Web market first because the entry barrier there is not as high as with the printing market. Additionally, if your camera is not a high-end one, your skills in photo processing will hardly be able to compensate for this, so in this case, print photos are not an option for you because of technical reasons. This shouldn’t discourage you because the Web market is vast and there is a lot of space for beginners.

The main buyers on the Web market are Web designers, who make sites for their clients. For many Web designers it is much easier and cheaper to buy ready-made photos than to take the pictures themselves. A solo Web designer can make 10 or even more middle-sized sites a month, which means that he or she will need at least 200-300 photos and illustrations. This does not mean that you will be able to sell 200-300 photos a month to each Web designer you contact, but even if you manage to sell him or her 10-20 photos a month, or more realistically a batch of several hundred photos for him or her to use in the next year, then you can make a lot of money.

Similar to other arts, photography also has genres. Not surprisingly, photos of people, nature and cities sell best. Another category, which is especially popular with designers, is objects of different kinds. You can shoot a light bulb, a pen, some pills, or whatever object you choose, and this may be enough. Add some unobtrusive background to it and you get a cool photo for a Web site. But be careful with copyrights because not all manufacturers will be happy if you shoot their products and make money from this. Try shooting generic products, which have no visible branding.

Similar copyright issues apply to people. If you want to shoot people and you want to be on the safe side, ask them to sign a model contract, which clarifies all the issues in regard to copyrights and sales. Very often you won’t have to hire professional models and you can shoot your friends and relatives instead. Your models don’t have to be extremely beautiful because pictures of ordinary people also sell well. Shooting friends and relatives has one more advantage - they work cheaply or free.

Nature and urban photos are always in demand, but avoid photos which look as if they were taken by tourists because they simply look too unprofessional to be sold. Abstractions are also popular, so if you are creative with PhotoShop or another image processing program you can wake up the Picasso in you.

Where You Can Sell

The type of photos you have is one of the major factors in choosing your sales channels. Basically, the options to sell your photos are the following:

1. Stock photo sites. Stock photo sites are the most popular sales channel. Stock photos are photos you have already taken, i.e. you have in stock. You open an account with a stock photo site, upload your images and every time somebody downloads your photo, you earn a commission. Different sites have different policies, but it’s not unusual to earn $40 per photo each time it is downloaded.

If your photos are popular, it is not impossible to reach dozens of downloads per week. One of the prerequisites for success is to submit sought after photos and to use the right keywords in the descriptions of your photos. The best stock photo site I have found is Shutterpoint. They provide photographers an e-commerce store-front for selling photos, handle advertising and promotion, handle all purchase transactions, provide customer service, and securely deliver images to buyers. All of these features are provided for a very reasonable fee, and in addition, other members often provide valuable feedback on your photos. This is a great way to begin your career as a professional photographer.

2. Stock agencies. Stock agencies are similar to stock photo sites, but in addition to listing your photos, they consult buyers and handle all the legal and logistical matters. Stock agencies usually deal with professional photographers mainly but there are stock agencies, which are beginner-friendly. As with stock photo sites, you usually have to decide (if you have the choice of course) whether you want to sell exclusive rights or only per use rights.

3. Sell directly to newspapers and magazines. Although this is hardly the easiest way to sell your photographs, it is worth trying. Newspapers and magazines are a very tough market to get into but can be a very high paying one. For a start, you can try your local or community media.

4. eBay and similar auctions. Auction sites, such as eBay, are one more sales outlet you can try. Yes you really can earn decent income from selling photos on eBay. This is a good alternative if you sell other products in addition to photos, but even if photos are the only thing you sell, eBay and the other auction sites can do a lot for you. Make sure to avoid small and dark photos. Listings should be created which are descriptive and include realistic prices. Check the Completed Listings option when searching to see examples of photos which have sold.

5. Freelance sites. Unlike the other options listed up to here, freelance sites are generally a place for work for hire projects. This means that usually a buyer comes and asks you to make some photos especially for him or her, but very often there are buyers who offer to purchase your already made (or stock) photos as well.

6. Your own website. Even if the other options work great for you, having your own website is a valuable sales channel. You can offer everything you like - i.e. low resolution mockups for free, paid downloads, etc. The downside is that you need to market your site, otherwise you will hardly get much traffic and, respectively, sales. Search engine optimization is a must and if you are really serious about selling your photos via your website, you can even consider starting an affiliate program.

7. Free samples. These days advertisements are something one can hardly sell without. Instead of launching an expensive campaign, you can give photos away for free but keep your logo on them. This is a kind of advertisement and it will bring you new customers.



DONALD

Bob Urichuck asked:


How to sell anything, to anybody, anywhere at any price was the title of a talk given to me to deliver at the National Achievers conference in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore in 2001 in front of over 5,000 participants in each city.

Although I was fortunate to share the stage with inspiring speakers like Robert Kiyosaki, I was the only speaker on sales.

How to sell is one thing, but to how to sell anything, to anybody anywhere at any price is another. At least that is what I thought when the title was first given to me. However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized this topic, “ABC, 123 Sales Results System” covered all the bases.

Let’s first build a solid foundation for how to sell. How to sell starts with Attitude - a desire to want to sell, with a belief in yourself, that you can sell. How to sell requires you to believe in your organization, it value proposition, it’s products and services and the supporting team players.

When you believe, others will too. However, If you do not believe in yourself, your organization, it’s products and services, the supporting team players, or the market, nor will the prospect. How to sell is based first on beliefs.

Your beliefs is your foundation to how to sell successfully or not. Your beliefs determine your attitude. It is our attitude that determines how you feel. How we feel determines the actions you take. The actions you take determine your results.

When it comes to how to sell, your beliefs lead the way. Your beliefs are under your control and only you can change them. As an adult you should be able to distinguish between what is real and what is not in your beliefs and clean them up. You need to get your beliefs up to a 10 if you want to succeed in life, not only in sales.

The next step in how to sell is to ensure you demonstrate appropriate results oriented Behaviors. Behaviors are your daily habits. First do you have personal goals? If so, great as they are your guiding motivators when it comes to how to sell.

If not, how can you ever achieve goals for others, if you first cannot achieve them for yourself. You cannot give something to somebody else if you do not have it to give away in the first place.

When it comes to how to sell, our personal goals keep us focused, disciplined and motivated. Our corporate goals also keep us employed, focused, disciplines and motivated when it comes to how to sell.

However, when it comes how to sell to the market place, our behavior for results has to be targeted. Targeted to markets and prospects that will give us the quickest market positioning, reputation and results, in the shortest time frame.

In others words, how to sell requires you to do some homework and consider your return on time invested (R.O.T.I.). How, when and where can you maximize your R.O.T.I.?

How to sell requires the right foundation as we have learned in Attitude and Behavior. How to sell also requires that you follow a sales results system, or sales process. This is referred to having the appropriate Competencies when you are face to face with a client.

The Competencies that we are referring to here when it comes to how to sell are communication skills. The art of asking in depth questions and listening, while taking notes is fundamental when it comes to how to sell.

With competent communication skills we can build rapport, develop trust and start a relationship. The first competency step in how to sell. How to sell requires that you also qualify the prospect. With trust you can proceed to set parameters, uncover buying motivators, financial ability, and decision making processes, qualifying the prospect.

It is at the summary stage that you will know if you can help them with a solution or not. If not, let them know you cannot. If you can, proceed to prescribe them a solution. How to sell up until this point is all about building trust qualifying the prospect. That is the job of a real sales professional.

Now take note that you are asking all the questions up until this point putting you in control of the sales process. That is how to sell. How to sell is not about telling - it is not about you, your company, products, services or solutions.

How to sell professionally is about engaging the prospect into buying- it is all about them, their needs, their budget and their decision.



GALEN

John V asked:


power selling on ebay is fast become a very lucritive business to have online. Everyone at least knows someone who has sold an item on ebay at some point in time. But power sellers on ebay are a rare breed that earn a full time income by selling lots of individual items of ebay for big profits and big rewards.

It doesn’t take much effort as a hobby to sell your items on ebay, but alot of people fall in love with the fact that you can work from the comfort of your own home and make tons of money selling other peoples stuff. This extra step further has infact made Power Selling On Ebay highly lucritive.

Imagine giving up your full or part time job to work on ebay. Exciting, but before you begin you need to know what you need in order for things to run smoothly.

Heres what you will need in order to become successful Power Selling On Ebay :-

1) Sign up for an account with http://ebay.com

2) A printer and computer with internet access.

3) Some merchandise

4) Camera to take photos of stock

The most important part of a proper set up is finding legit merchandise to sell to the people that will be attracted to your auctions. But before you even do this, you must be aware there are things that people want. Yes. Why sell stuff to people that they don’t want. If there is a need to be filled, then you need to fill it and sell what those people want. If you spend 20 or so minutes you will find that there are waves of popular items that people will want to buy online.

Once you find what people want to buy, you need to start selling it. Power Selling On Ebay means you sell high volumes of items instead of one or two different items. The real intelligent thing to do is to start off small then work you way up. It would be embarrassing, and stupid to buy in bulk and not test first. Otherwise you will be stuck with merchandise that nobody wants. That would be a nightmare.

You also don’t want to buy things that are heavy and bulky, or that have a high cost. Power Selling On Ebay is alot easier if you sell smaller items with less weight.

Flea markets are well known to successful ebay power sellers. It would be stupid to go to the markets and pick up the first thing and buy with hope that you will make a killing when you post it up in your ebay auctions. Before you buy think to yourself “Is there really a market for this”. Even if you think that market is a little bit weak move on to something that is popular and has a better chance of selling.

When it comes time to posting your auction you need to do the following :-

1) Select suitable items to sell.

2) Make sure you photograph items and they are clear.

3) Make sure you descriptions are clear, precise, and descriptive to increase the chance of more bids.

4) Make sure you are quick to respond to the buyer.

5) Send item quickly and communicate with the buyer during this process.

The biggest mistake you can make Power Selling On Ebay is not adhering to the rules and regulations of ebay. Follow the guidelines and give people what they want and get ready to fill your pockets with boatloads of cash.



HEATH

Anne Harvester asked:


How to work at home selling cosmetics. Take Control Of Your Future Now!

It’s hard to imagine women with children who don’t want to be work from home moms. Let’s face it, unlike most industrialized nations in which children of working mothers receive first-rate, government or company provided daycare, such services in the U.S. are extremely expensive – and no-one will ever care for your children like you do. The good news is that by selling beauty products from home, you can join those happy individuals who are among the nation’s growing number of work from home moms.

Growing Demand

Keep in mind that the horror stories you hear about the economy every day from the mainstream corporate media are designed to (A) keep Americans in fear, and (B) maintain profits by selling fear. Besides, the mainstream media, which is controlled by only five corporations today, abdicated its responsibility for providing real “news” many years ago in favor of reporting half-truths and celebrity gossip while providing “infotainment” sound bites.

What does this have to do with selling cosmetics? The simple answer is in what they’re not telling you: selling cosmetics from home will always be profitable, because regardless of what’s going on in the world, people always want to look and feel their best. This fact is at the heart of your success when you join the ranks of work from home moms and make money selling cosmetics.

A Sensible Business Model

If you’ve been burned by “work-at-home” pyramid schemes and are hesitant about listening to anyone who says you can work at home selling cosmetics, you should know that there are other, more effective business models out there. Direct selling cosmetics is one such model.

Instead of “recruiting” other people to sell for you, selling beauty products from home using the direct marketing method means that you simply share your experiences about using the products you’re selling with trusted friends and neighbors. Of course, it is expected that you will have tried and developed confidence in these products yourself; that way, you’re not really selling cosmetics; these products are selling themselves!

Regardless of so-called “news” about the economy, beauty products will always be in demand, meaning that there are abundant opportunities for work from home moms. Is selling beauty products from home the right opportunity for you? The first step is to try such products and convince yourself of their quality and usefulness; after that, you’re half way to becoming one of the happy work at home moms of America.



DONALD

Jessi McCafferty asked:


Need tips on cheerleading fundraising? Well, if you have a cheerleading team that needs to go on a special trip or needs to have new uniforms, then cheerleading fundraising ideas are a major concern for you. Fundraising can be a great way to get what your team needs and it can be a profitable experience too.

A cheerleader fundraiser can be a fun event to come up with many fun and profitable ideas. The ideas may include putting together a cookbook that contains tasty recipes from teachers, students, and parents. If you need a nice place to sell the cookbook then the games, which the cheerleaders attend, can be the best place. You can also sell the books among the parents or go about door-to-door selling in your community. Another good idea is to have the cheerleaders teach cheerleading classes for a day and charge the students who take the lessons. If you hold the training classes at your school’s gym, then the up-front cost will also come down - this is a hit cheerleading fundraising idea.

What More Can Be Done?

There are more cheerleading fundraising ideas that can be very lucrative for you. You can always hold a raffle and you will not believe the incredible revenue it can bring. This cheerleading fundraiser will help you to sell the tickets and the prize will take up half of whatever has been collected in the funds. Even then, the fund that you have will suffice for a clean profit. The PTA fundraising if requested will be happy to help your cheerleading team.

Among the list of the cheerleading fundraising ideas, you also have the option of getting started with a game between your team and another team. There will be ample opportunity for you to have fun and at the same time collect the funds that you have been intending to. People have a general liking for sports and this idea is wonderful as there will be no up front cost. You could also have a rummage sale. Just get from your community stuff that they do not require. Chances are people will be generous when it comes to donating for a proper cause. You would really end up with a good stock of things to sell and make a respectable sum.

Advertise Well - Getting The Word Out

You need the right kind of publicity for your cheerleading fundraising activities. More and more people should know about it. Another fundraising idea is to request the business establishments of your city for letting your cheerleaders work at their establishments for a day and get a share of their profits. You can target the fast food services to work and earn for your fundraising.

Always explain the donors about the purpose of the fund being collected and it is essential to be really polite while collecting funds. Be in the proper uniform, be pleasant, and keep track of what you are collecting and from whom. This is required later when you have to thank the ones who have helped with generous donations. Now good luck with your cheerleading fundraising!



DUANE

Craig Ritsema asked:


There is a trend growing in America’s workforce of a large number of people who want to try their skills at a small business startup company. With the flexibility and lucrative rewards available with your own small business startup, you can devote more time with your family, attend all of your kid’s recitals and team sporting events without the need to ask your boss for the time off. Those people who begin a small business startup will also have more potential income than what they would have if they work at a normal job. Today, the internet and many other technological advances, entrepreneurs have many more options for starting their very own business with little cost.

Gift baskets are a superb idea for a small business startup. Being that you can build gift baskets at home and then have them delivered anywhere in the world, it is the perfect way to enjoy the luxuries and responsibilities of owning your own business while still owning the potential for a good deal of income. The internet along with websites such as eBay have helped to contribute to the popularity of this small business idea since people, your customers, can shop for gift baskets from the convenience and comfort of their own home. If you have creativity and you can turn these creative juices into product which is sent out in a timely manner, you the qualities to be successful with this kind of small business startup for many years.

Selling new and used items on eBay has become another one of the many popular business start up small information resources in recent past years. If you are a person who can sniff out something valuable at rummage sales, yard sales or in the attic, putting these items for sale on eBay can be a very profitable small business start up. Basically, you buy the items at various sales, clean them up, and turn an easy profit by selling it on eBay for a higher price. If you are good with crafts, you can make your own things to sell on eBay. If you know basic product marketing and how to attract customers, you are very much on your way to making a moderately to excellent good income by selling things on eBay from your home.

Other opportunities people have decided to start include a cleaning service that they manage on their own. Only a few cleaning supplies are required along with a little basic know-how, and a cleaning service can be a very nice profitable small business start up for self starters and motivated individuals. With societies busy lifestyle nowadays, more professionals and even multi-income non-professionals are hiring services to clean their homes for them and you can quickly cash in on this trend with very little or no training. This is an excellent idea because you can schedule your clients on a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly basis so you can have a regular, steady income. If your business continues to grow enough, you can hire employees who will do the services for you while you manage the company from home.

Working at home with your very own small business startup is fast becoming the new standard in today’s electronic society. People are worn out from the busy lifestyles and long work weeks and have chosen to pursue different opportunities. If you have small business startup ideas with a strong desire and motivation, you can create a profitable business which could eventually take the place of your normal “day” job. Or maybe you simply want to keep it part time to supplement your regular income. However, depending on your levels of motivation, experience, and passion, it is possible to create a small business startup which could generate an unlimited amount of income for you and your family.



TRACY

Donna Rivera-Loudon asked:


One of the challenges for any group or organization is finding new ways to raise funds. It seems that everyone sells candy bars or puts on a car wash. Below are some fundraising ideas that might be a nice change and help your group raise funds using something unique that isn’t being done by every other group out there.

1. Silent Auction

Have various members of your group donate items and then hold a silent auction. It is easy to do this. Just set aside a table or shelf. Give each item a piece of paper that people can write their bids on. The highest bidder wins the auction.

2. Direct Sales Companies

Several of the direct sales and party plan companies also have fundraising programs. Some of these programs are quite good. What is nice about some of these plans is that your group does not have to buy any stock in advance. Everything is done using catalogs. People place their orders and the consultant orders all the items. The majority of the time the consultant will pack all the orders and separate them by seller. Usually the consultant will give some type of incentive for the highest seller to encourage more fundraiser sales. Examples of direct sales companies that have fundraiser programs are Tupperware and Avon. These companies have a good reputation and a well know brand name. This helps to encourage your sales. If you use a company that is not well know, your sales may not be as good.

3. Rummage Sale

Put on a rummage sale. Ask for donations from all groups members. Advertise your rummage sale in the yard sale section of your local newspaper. Have your group members help at the fundraiser. The easiest way to price everything is to have tables for each price group. Then make signs for each table. For example, everything on this table is $1. Making a sign for each table or even for a certain corner or box will help eliminate the extra work of pricing everything individually.

4. Host a vendor fair or farmer’s market or Trade show

This works well if you have a building or parking lot. Rent out booths. This can be as simple as each parking space is so much or so much per table. Those in direct sales are always looking for opportunities to set up displays so they are the first ones you should call. Contact law enforcement agencies and other informational type organizations who might be willing to set up a display. You can also rent spaces to group members who may want to sell some stuff lying around their house but don’t want to put on a yard sale of their own. However, keep in mind that you don’t want this to be a big rummage sale. It works best when the majority of your vendors are selling new items. If you set your rent low enough you can also request that a percentage of sales go to the group. For example, you can rent tables for $10 and then ask for 10 percent of their sales for your group.

One thing to keep in mind is that in order for people to rent a space or table they need to know that people will be attending this event. Hence, make sure all group members publicize it. Put fliers for the event everywhere you can and consider placing an ad in the newspaper. If your vendors find your event was successful for them, they will be calling you asking you to do it again. Hence, more funds for your organization.

5. A New Take on Car Washes

I mentioned car washes earlier. Several groups seem to do them. However, there is a different way to do car washes that can actually raise more money for your group. This is done by selling tickets to your car wash in advance. You will be surprised at how many people will buy a tickets. Some of them may not come to the car wash but will buy a ticket to help out your group. Some groups have actually doubled their fundraiser proceeds by selling these tickets in advance.

6. Host a luncheon or dinner

Hosting a luncheon or dinner is a nice way to raise funds. Of course, you have to host the dinner but this may not be as difficult as you might think. Many restaurants have specials rooms that they use to host conferences, etc. These rooms can be rented for a fundraiser dinner. Often, the restaurants will also provide the food. Hence, it is just a matter of determining the cost of the room and the meals and then adding so much per ticket. Sell the tickets in advance. Following are some ideas on luncheons and dinners.

a. Hold a Valentine’s dinner. Order a nice cake, have candy hearts on the tables, balloons, flowers, etc. One time I went to such an event with my church. Our pastor actually did a vow renewal service for all of us and the night was very special.

b. Christmas lunch or dinner. Decorate the room in a Christmas theme and have some gifts set aside. Play games for the gifts. Provide a small gift for everyone who buys a dinner ticket.

c. Any type of theme will work. Make it fun and interesting so people will want to purchase tickets to your event.

Fundraising can definitely be a challenge. However, there are plenty of options out there. I only listed a few of them above, but the opportunities out there for raising funds are endless



DOUGLAS

Christine Groth asked:


Opening a daycare in your home has so many benefits to it; the list goes on and on. One of the greatest benefits that excites so many ladies is the fact that you can make money and stay home and raise your children.

This was initially why I started my daycare.

I was a new mom of twins and I had an absolute desire to stay home and care for my daughters. So it all worked out perfectly, I made money, took care of my family and had a really great time teaching and caring for other people’s children.

Many of you have asked me advice on if starting a daycare is expensive. This could be farther from the truth. To be honest with you most of the items I use in my daycare I had already owned. Just think about it for a minute, many of you are already mom’s and have toy’s laying around the house.

And if you don’t you can purchase toys at rummage sales, and Goodwill for cheap. Books and toys can be borrowed from the library and parents who attend your daycare can be asked if they have any items they would like to donate. Over the years I’ve gone to businesses in my area asking them if they had any donations, I’ve gotten items such as envelopes, huge roles of paper, colored sheets of sticker paper, books of wallpaper samples, the list goes on. All these items can be used for craft projects with children.

It always helps to be creative, one other thing I did that received rave reviews is I bought a large circular wooden table at Goodwill for $15.00. It was a beautiful table but too tall for small children. My solution was to chop off the legs.

It’s very important to keep in mind that many items around your home can be turned into items that would be great for daycare. Another example would be bones from Thanksgiving Turkey Dinners. Keep the large sized leg bones to show children and teach about bones in humans and animals.

Starting a daycare in your home is one of the cheapest businesses you can start. It only takes a short time to get things up and running. It’s not uncommon to start a daycare in one week’s time.



BRET

Jhona asked:


Garage sales never go out of style. It’s unlikely that you haven’t been to a few yourselves. If you like the thrill of bargain-hunting and free classifieds, then you probably won’t mind doing the selling for a change. Holding a garage sales doesn’t necessarily mean you have to be experienced in marketing; you just have to be confident.

While there really is no ultimate rule in displaying items, just spend just a few minutes thinking about what you’re selling, dust or clean them, then organize. This will help you sell more stuff at a considerably higher price. When it comes to rules in deciding which stuff to sell, there is none: anything can sell, what is junk to you may be treasure to someone else. Just make sure you won’t regret selling the stuff later on. A good idea is to browse free online classifieds and see what people are currently interested in buying (and selling), and then go by that.

Don’t just put everything out randomly. Ideally, you don’t want people moving things around on their own; you don’t want people left to their own devices making a mess of your system. If you can keep people from rummaging about, in, and underneath your carefully organized displays, you will save yourself many reorganizing headaches later.

Beg, borrow, or ’steal’ trestle tables so you can display items carefully and in full sight of prospective buyers.

Use old Hills Hoist and coat hangers to display clothes.

Group items by price. Again, check out free online classifieds to see how different items are normally priced according to model, integrity, slightly-used ness, rarity, etc.

When pricing, give yourself some leeway of a few dollars. That way, hagglers will feel they got a bargain.

Display books with their front covers or spines showing for easy recognition.

Divide tables into areas for different price ranges and put signs up letting people know what and where the items are.

The arrangement should make it easier for your customers to find what they need, and what they want. Be sure to put like things together and give people enough space to move around freely.

Let your kids be entrepreneurs too and have them sell their own stuff. Set up a separate table for them. You’ll probably find they will do a lot better than you will.

At the end of the tables, prior to walking out with the goods, have a vigilant cashier who’ll bag the items and take the cash. This will prevent items from being shoplifted.

Finally, post a classified ad about your garage sale so people will know about it. State the opening date, the venue, and a few helpful descriptions about what you’re selling. You can run a classified advertisement on your local paper, and for sheer broadcasting scope, go via the Internet.

And remember to have fun. After all, garage sales are the perfect way/excuse to meet the neighbours and make new friends. Now people know you and you have just ran the biggest free classifieds for yourself.

Still Looking For a Free Online Classifieds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .?

OzFreeOnline.com is Australia’s largest alternative free online classifieds for everything people want to buy and sell. It’s absolutely free to be a member. Then, post free classified ads and announcements. No fees, no hassles, no questions asked. Even if you’re just selling, browse our free classifieds too; you never know what you might need.

And the best part is, anything you’re not selling through your garage sale, or any leftover from ityou can also advertise at OzFreeOnline. This is free online classifieds at its best!



FERNANDO