Selling In Your Home Office
Selling In Your Home Office
During my 4 mile bike ride this morning, I started thinking about home offices. I can't explain why I just started thinking about home offices. And then I started to think about what makes a good office set-up for professional salespeople?
During my sales training programs I often ask salespeople how many days a week do they work from a home office. You'd be amazed at the responses I've gotten. It runs the gamut from zero to three days a week. Different businesses have different requirements and protocols for their salespeople.
When you spend a half day a week or three days a week selling from your home office it's important that you set it up in a way that maximizes your productivity.
I remember years ago my first office was tucked into a corner of my one-bedroom apartment in New York City. The desk consisted of two 2-draw file cabinets with an old door placed over the file cabinets to serve as a desktop. Those were the days
It scares me to think about all the selling tools I didn't have when I started my first sales job. Whether you're just starting out in the selling profession or are a seasoned sales veteran here's a list of things to consider for your home office.
First things first!
1. Ideally, you want to have a dedicated room for your office. I realize that's not always possible but it's always a practical idea.
2. A good size desk with a return for your computer. I think, the bigger the better. Remember, this will serve as command central for your business.
3. Good lighting is important especially if you work includes a lot of reading.
4. A desktop telephone and a headset. Wearing a headset enables you to become more animated and energetic on all important telephone calls. This can have a big impact on your selling results.
5. Color-coded filing system. Use red folders for high priorities, yellow folders for medium priorities, and use blue folders for low priorities. Use a desk organizer for these priorities folders.
6. A desktop computer with a flat-panel 19 inch screen is ideal for most applications.
7. You should also consider the following: a fax machine, a copier, a scanner, a printer, a color printer, and the postage meter if you do frequent mailings. You'd be amazed how much time you can waste going to and from the post office.
8. Since time is money I also suggest a clock and a timer to keep you on time.
9. You might also want to consider a videocam and a digital tape recorder. While you're at it a digital camera.
10. Within arms reach I also suggest having a dictionary and a thesaurus. Open the dictionary and cross out the following words - can't, impossible, hope, and discount. Tomorrow I'm flying to California. I'm not hoping the pilot can get me there, I'm expecting him to get me there - that's a big difference. And remember, when you're selling, you get what you expect!
11. Depending on how much time you spend in your office and of course your budget, you should have a very comfortable chair.
12. A white board - the bigger the better. It's a great place to post your goals in your results. Written goals make things happen for salespeople, so why not put them up in neon lights so you can see them every working day.
13. The more time you spend in your home office the more important this is. Fill your office with things that inspire and motivate you.
14. You should also have a bookcase filled with inspirational, motivational, informational, and educational books. The size of your bookcase is a pretty good predictor of your selling success.
You should also buy a couple of big three ring binders. Buy a couple of reams of 3-hole copy paper. There's a lot of good information available as downloads that you can print and file in these binders.
Clutter affects creativity. Every three months toss away everything in your office that isn't essential for your home office productivity.
As time goes by continue to add things to your office that make you more comfortable and more productive.
Just don't get too comfortable in your office. Do everything you can to optimize your face-to-face selling time with your sales prospects and customers - that's where the real action is.
Selling In Your Home Office - To learn more about this author, visit Jim Meisenheimer's Website.
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If you're in the selling profession you probably spend at least some time working in your home office.
During my 4 mile bike ride this morning, I started thinking about home offices. I can't explain why I just started thinking about home offices. And then I started to think about what makes a good office set-up for professional salespeople?
During my sales training programs I often ask salespeople how many days a week do they work from a home office. You'd be amazed at the responses I've gotten. It runs the gamut from zero to three days a week. Different businesses have different requirements and protocols for their salespeople.
When you spend a half day a week or three days a week selling from your home office it's important that you set it up in a way that maximizes your productivity.
I remember years ago my first office was tucked into a corner of my one-bedroom apartment in New York City. The desk consisted of two 2-draw file cabinets with an old door placed over the file cabinets to serve as a desktop. Those were the days
It scares me to think about all the selling tools I didn't have when I started my first sales job. Whether you're just starting out in the selling profession or are a seasoned sales veteran here's a list of things to consider for your home office.
First things first!
1. Ideally, you want to have a dedicated room for your office. I realize that's not always possible but it's always a practical idea.
2. A good size desk with a return for your computer. I think, the bigger the better. Remember, this will serve as command central for your business.
3. Good lighting is important especially if you work includes a lot of reading.
4. A desktop telephone and a headset. Wearing a headset enables you to become more animated and energetic on all important telephone calls. This can have a big impact on your selling results.
5. Color-coded filing system. Use red folders for high priorities, yellow folders for medium priorities, and use blue folders for low priorities. Use a desk organizer for these priorities folders.
6. A desktop computer with a flat-panel 19 inch screen is ideal for most applications.
7. You should also consider the following: a fax machine, a copier, a scanner, a printer, a color printer, and the postage meter if you do frequent mailings. You'd be amazed how much time you can waste going to and from the post office.
8. Since time is money I also suggest a clock and a timer to keep you on time.
9. You might also want to consider a videocam and a digital tape recorder. While you're at it a digital camera.
10. Within arms reach I also suggest having a dictionary and a thesaurus. Open the dictionary and cross out the following words - can't, impossible, hope, and discount. Tomorrow I'm flying to California. I'm not hoping the pilot can get me there, I'm expecting him to get me there - that's a big difference. And remember, when you're selling, you get what you expect!
11. Depending on how much time you spend in your office and of course your budget, you should have a very comfortable chair.
12. A white board - the bigger the better. It's a great place to post your goals in your results. Written goals make things happen for salespeople, so why not put them up in neon lights so you can see them every working day.
13. The more time you spend in your home office the more important this is. Fill your office with things that inspire and motivate you.
14. You should also have a bookcase filled with inspirational, motivational, informational, and educational books. The size of your bookcase is a pretty good predictor of your selling success.
You should also buy a couple of big three ring binders. Buy a couple of reams of 3-hole copy paper. There's a lot of good information available as downloads that you can print and file in these binders.
Clutter affects creativity. Every three months toss away everything in your office that isn't essential for your home office productivity.
As time goes by continue to add things to your office that make you more comfortable and more productive.
Just don't get too comfortable in your office. Do everything you can to optimize your face-to-face selling time with your sales prospects and customers - that's where the real action is.
Selling In Your Home Office - To learn more about this author, visit Jim Meisenheimer's Website.
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Staging DivaDebra Gould, aka The Staging Diva®, is President of Six Elements Inc., an internationally recognized home staging company. Inspired by many requests from aspiring home stagers wanting to start similar businesses, Gould created the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program. Gould has trained over 1000 Staging Diva Graduates worldwide to start staging businesses. Buying decorating and selling six of her own homes in four years lead to an interest in real estate staging which she turned into a career with the launch of sixelements.com in 2002. Since then she has staged hundreds of homes in addition to teaching home staging training. Gould is the author of several home staging resources including a series of popular ebooks made up of a Design Guide, Color Guide and Portfolio Guide. For more information about Debra Gould visit stagingdiva.com. - Visit Staging Diva's Website |
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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John PowerJohn Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power's Website |
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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Jay Kubassek(Jay's Full Bio: EvanCarmichael.com/jaykubassek) In five years, Canadian-born entrepreneur Jay Kubassek went from selling mufflers at a Midas franchise to revolutionizing Internet marketing with the 2004 launch of CarbonCopyPRO, a online marketing education company, now worth over $20 million with customers in over 160 countries.
As an independent film producer, his upstart film fund Aliquot Films is currently producing a films with Spike Lee and Abel Fererra (starring Ethan Hawke and Dennis Hopper.)
Jay's entrepreneurial spirit is irrepressible. He’s the owner of five companies, a professional speaker and trainer, international real estate developer/investor, extreme sport enthusiast and emerging philanthropist. Jay resides in NYC with his wife Jamie, son Milo and dog Cooper. Visit Jay's official website: www.JayKubassek.com - Visit Jay Kubassek's Website |
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