• Focus on your Main InterestsIf you have a stable career in a company, what could possibly make you decide to shift from an office work to an internet home based business? A simple answer would be to earn money in the easiest and most comfortable way. It is true, because working at home will lessen the pressure you may have when you are still working for a company. The idea is that you have to find a home based business that is within your interest. This will help you do things as easy as possible.Working hard because you have to is different from working hard because you love to. Imagine working with no stress, it’s like having fun while earning. What you just need to do is to properly identify the products and services that you feel comfortable to deal with.• Study the Market’s DemandThere’s a wide competition of home based businesses in Australia, while you want to choose something that’s within your interest, try to make that something as unique as possible. The key to survive a successful business is to find ways of standing out. You must know how to be charismatic. This may help you attract customers and will help you build a solid business relationship. It is important to consider what people might say about your business. To conduct a study or a trial run of what you have to offer would be worth it.• Create a Good WebsiteAn attractive website can persuade more customers. If you are making a fresh start in opening a home based business, building a visible website can do the trick of advertising your business online. There are many people who use the net everyday, putting your business contact and business information on the net would increase the chance of making your business acknowledged.• Use Multiple ToolsDon’t just limit yourself with one tool to promote your business. Consider other free online sites that are popular to the public. The use of social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook and Multiply.com are just an option to support your business agenda. Since you are starting an online business try to maximize you knowledge with the different online tools that will help you deliver your business well. To measure your website performance, you may use Google Analytics, while posting blogs to blog sites will help you drive traffic that will make the readers informed about your business.An internet home based business can definitely be a good source of income. A home based business opportunity is something that can give you the advantage of working closer to your loved ones. But every business requires hard work and perseverance. Be ready to face new challenges when you start building your own home based business in Australia. Always remember that being in a network marketing field will let you make your own decisions. You must choose the right decisions in order to stay in the business. The tips mentioned above can be your helpful guide to be competitive.
How Important Is the Fundraising Auctioneer to the Success of Your Event?
I want you to think about the term “Fundraising Auction”.
A “Fundraising Auction” is an event where items of value are gathered, and then sold in a competitive bidding situation, either in a Silent Auction format, or in a Live Auction format by a Live Auctioneer. And since typically the best items are saved for the Live Auction, arguably it is the Live Auction that should generate a significant portion of the proceeds in any Fundraising Auction.
So why do so many non-profit groups consider the Fundraising Auctioneer to be the least valuable component in a Fundraising Auction?
The Hosting Facility gets paid.
The Printer gets paid.
The Caterer gets paid.
The Liquor Store gets paid.
The DJ gets paid.
The Florist gets paid.
But the Auctioneer … the individual who is expected to raise the lion’s share of the event’s proceeds… is expected to work for Free. And is usually under-appreciated for the professional services he/she provides.
I’m not trying to underscore the value of the invitations & programs, food, booze, music, and decorations. All are important in their own way. But each of these are “Expenses”. It is the Auctioneer who is going to bring “Revenue”… and thus, the “Profits”… into any event. Which is the ultimate objective of any Fundraising Auction.
Here is a real-life example of how under-appreciated the Auctioneer can be. In two comparable events we worked last year, during the dinner portion of the event one non-profit group sat the Auctioneer (me) at a table with the DJ, the Interns, the Volunteer Staff, and other event “Help”. The 2nd non-profit group sat the Auctioneer (me) directly next to the CEO of their organization, where we chatted about how important the pending revenue would be to their organization. Which group do you think valued the services of the Fundraising Auctioneer more?
Don’t ever under-estimate the value that a professional Fundraising Auctioneer can bring to your event. The Auctioneer adds value as a pre-event consultant. And the Auctioneer can change an event from a moderate to a huge success.
A Case Study Once I was scheduled to call an Auction for a major local non-profit group. They represented a very good cause and they had a strong and dedicated following. Their event was sold out, quality Live & Silent Auction items had been solicited, and the Special Pledge Appeal had been choreographed and was ready to go. The facility was first class, the appropriate caterer was booked, and the food was ready to cook.
But quite unexpectedly, some unseasonably inclement weather forced the event’s cancellation. Despite all of the committee’s hard work, cancelling the event was the proper decision considering the circumstances.
So the Event Committee scrambled to re-schedule the event for the following weekend.
They confirmed with the Hosting Facility.
They confirmed with the Caterer.
They confirmed with the Liquor Store.
They confirmed with the DJ.
They confirmed with the Florist.
Since they already had the Mailing List of those scheduled to attend, no new invitations had to be printed as all were contacted by email or telephone. So with everything in place, the group went ahead and re-scheduled the event for the following weekend.
But guess who they failed to confirm? You got it… the Professional Auctioneer. They thought so little of the Auctioneer’s contribution that they “assumed” that the Auctioneer would be available and at their beck and call.
But the Auctioneer already had another Fundraising Auction booked for that date with another non-profit group. It was only hour away from the re-scheduled event, and things could have been easily worked out. All Group #1 had to do was start their event one hour earlier, or one hour later, than the Group #2, and the Auctioneer could have helped both groups on the same day.
But because Group #1 failed to anticipate a possible Auctioneer conflict, because they failed to confirm with the Auctioneer before re-scheduling their event, their preferred Auctioneer had to bow out and they had to scramble to locate substitute “Volunteer” Auctioneer only days before their event.
And it cost them.
Learning Points
The Live Auction is usually where the profits are made at any Fundraising Auction.
A Professional Fundraising Auctioneer can be vital to the success of any Fundraising Auction.
The better Fundraising Auctioneers usually get booked quickly.
You need to recognize the important contributions that a good Auctioneer can make to your event.
Michael Ivankovich is a Bucks County Fundraising Auctioneer based in Doylestown PA, and serves the Great Philadelphia PA area. He has been a professionally licensed and bonded Auctioneer in Pennsylvania for nearly 20 years, has been named Pennsylvania’s Auctioneer of the Year, and has considerable experience in conducting Fundraising Auctions. Michael loves helping groups raise needed funds for good causes and one of his specialties is the “Special Pledge Appeal” or “Fund-A-Cause Appeal” which usually enables clients to double their revenue in a single evening.
Home Based Business – Options to Choose From
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that home based businesses are the ‘in’ thing today. With jobs being slashed every now and then, people are looking to work from home and fortunately there are a large number of options that people can choose from when they look to make money from home. Here are a few options that people can choose from:Network Marketing: Big and small firms have realized the importance of network marketing and most of these firms have started their network marketing stint over the internet. If you have good marketing skills, network marketing might just be the right field for you. Plenty of companies out there are looking for marketers to breathe fresh air into their network marketing department and if you can establish a good market and a strong network for these companies, you can make loads of money and get more companies to come to you.Freelancing: Freelancing is a field that has a large number of subcategories. From computers to interior decoration, you can find everything under this category of freelancing. If you have expertise in a particular field, you can find a large number of jobs over the internet. In order to cut the extra costs, firms outsource their work to people who offer to do the work for cheaper rates. Outsourcing is a popular part of business these days and therefore, people who work from home have abundant choices when it comes to finding projects related to their field.Initially you may face problems with working from home. You may not find lucrative offers and you may not find good projects. However after a while, once you have acquainted yourself with how things work and how to step up the ladder, you can easily start making more money. In a few months time, you would be easily making good enough dough if you do things the right way.Home based businesses are perhaps the most lucrative options that people have right now. It is better to start with something that can fetch you some money rather than being jobless and not earning at all. With opportunities of all kinds popping up over the internet every now and then, you can start with some new ventures once you start making money after a certain period of time. Home based businesses have helped a lot of people support their families and given the current economic situation, home based businesses will continue to remain the ‘in’ thing.