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Assertiveness Pays Off — Even When You Work from Home

: Image by State Library and Archives of Florida via Flickr

One of the things that can help you earn a little bit more in your home business is to be assertive. Interestingly, people who are too agreeable make less money. This comes from a study reported in the Daily Mail:

Personality traits can have the same impact on earnings as intelligence,’ he added. ‘Our statistics show that being nice does not pay for women, whereas working hard does.

‘This is probably, in part, because agreeable people are too passive in conflict situations and are poorer wage negotiators.

‘Traditionally, women are more passive and likeable at work. This shows that to be successful in the workplace, women have to adapt to more alpha male-like behaviour.’

This can apply in your work from home situation, just as it applies in the office. How many times have you accepted low-paying work, or not given a true estimate of the value of your time and effort, in order to be more agreeable to the person you were trying to woo. While you may feel that some of this type of “niceness” is required during tough economic times (you might have to take what you can get), it is important to realize that unless you are assertive, you will not be paid what you are worth.

Asking for a raise when you work from home requires that you understand your value. While you may need to compromise, there is no reason why you can’t show a little assertiveness: Go out and get what you are worth! But you have to show that your product or service is worth the price. And, you have to be in a position to walk should you be completely lowballed. That’s part of being assertive.

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Red Flags On “Home Business Opportunity” Scams

by Miranda Marquit Leave a Comment

With the recession going on, it is no surprise that scams are on the rise. People are interested in earning more money, and finding creative ways to get some increased cash flow. Sadly, many of these scams include the “home business opportunity” line.

Yes, there are many home business opportunities out there that are legitimate. However, there are also even more that are actually scams. Here are some red flags to be aware of when looking at work from home opportunities:

1. Promises that you can get rich quickly.

2. Promises of a 5-figure income in one month. (Many home business owners work up to this, but it is by no means a given — and it can’t come quickly.)

3. Promises that you won’t have to do anything — the system is automatic!

4. Grammatical and spelling errors. (Many scammers lack good English writing skills.)

5. Requests for you to pay money up front to work for someone else. (Most legitimate telemarketing jobs that require special equipment will provide it for you or reimburse you.)

6. Indications that you “only” have to buy a “special” system.

As always, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Choose your work from home opportunities with care, and be on your guard against scammers.

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Friday Fun Video: Countrywide will Lend to Anyone

by Miranda Marquit 1 Comment

Wonder how we ended up with a mortgage market meltdown (that led to a financial crisis that led to a recession)? I’ve got your answer right here. Check out this Countrywide commercial. It is funny, in a sad and horrible kind of way.

Happy Friday!

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Searching for Work at Home Jobs: Try Using Different Terms

by Miranda Marquit Leave a Comment

With the recession creating concern about more traditional jobs, the interest in working from home has increased. However, you have to watch out for scams disguised as “business opportunities“. Unfortunately, when you use the search term “work at home“, a great many of the results that turn up are, in fact, illegitimate. Instead, consider switching out your search terms.

For instance, instead of using “work at home” or “work from home”, try using “telecommute“. This is a term used more often by those looking for home workers. Additionally, it is worth noting that government telecommuting jobs are termed “telework”.

The sad truth is that there are a number of scams operating right now, preying on those who want to work from home. You can weed out a few more of the work from home scams by changing your search terms.

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Asking for a Raise When Working from Home

by Miranda Marquit 2 Comments

: Image by jtyerse via Flickr

I have a few regular writing gigs. We agree on payment — in some cases years ago — and I receive regular compensation for regular writing that I do. Earlier this year, though, I got to thinking about one of my oldest clients. I have been writing for this company for almost four years, and doing a more than satisfactory job. I realized that this client paid me about 30% less than many of my newer clients. While something is due to the fact that this client is high volume and loyal, I realized that working for the company was becoming rather inefficient. So I decided to ask for a raise.

It was surprisingly easy. I simply stated my case, politely pointing out that I am valuable, reliable and consistently provide desirable results. Plus, I had been working with the company for almost three years. I also pointed out that I was receiving something significantly below market rate for my work. The company was very understanding, and gave me a raise. It wasn’t quite as much as I would have liked, but there’s a recession on. And the raise makes keeping the client worth it.

Through the process, I realized that asking for a raise as a freelance writer was remarkably similar to asking for a raise in other work cases (possibly including telecommuting). Here are some tips that About.com’s Human Resources expert suggests when asking for raise:

* Understand the pay practices of your client or employer. Regular pay increases (such as after a review period) usually mean that asking for a raise is unlikely to get you anywhere.

* Know the market rate for what you are doing, and understand the value of high quality work in your field.

* State your case. Show what you have accomplished for the company. Also, point out additional responsibilities that you might have taken on.

* Have an idea of the amount of raise you would like, and be prepared to compromise.

As a freelancer working from home, I usually send emails when I request a raise. However, you might need to arrange a telephone meeting or a face-to-face meeting with your supervisor.

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Negotiating a Freelance Project

by Miranda Marquit 1 Comment

When I first started as a freelancer, I was happy to take any terms I could get. However, that has changed as I have found more work, developed some expertise and been able to find a measure of success. Now I can negotiate different terms. And it is a pleasure to work with people who ask me what my rates are — instead of telling me.

Laura Spencer offers some great advice on negotiating a freelance project on FreelanceFolder. She points out that there are 3 things that you can negotiate when settling on terms for a freelance project:

1. Timeframe: You can ask for more time if you feel that the original deadline is likely to be too short. But this is something you should probably suggest after reading what the client wants you to do, and not part way through the project.

2. Payment: Not only can you negotiate how much you will be paid, but you can also negotiate when (and how) you will be paid. For large projects, I like to be paid in increments. So that I get a portion of it at various stages during the project. That way, if the client tries to pull a fast one, I am not completely out.

3. Scope: You can actually negotiate the amount of work that you do for a project. This usually is not necessary unless the client won’t budge on payment or timeframe.

Of course, your negotiating position is strengthened if you can actually walk away if your terms aren’t met, or a reasonable compromise is not offered (after all, you may need to budge a little, too). Also, in order for successful negotiations, you also need to have a realistic idea of what you are worth, what you can accomplish and what the market rate for the kind of work you are doing is.

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Tweaks That Can Improve Your Home Business Web Site

by Miranda Marquit 4 Comments

If you have a home business, chances are that you have a Web site. This is especially common if you are selling something. It is important to ensure that your Web site is easy to navigate and is convenient. There are some small things you can do to improve your Web site’s appearance — and increase sales at the same time. My Wife Quit Her Job offers 4 small tweaks that can contribute to higher sales volume through your home business Web site:

1. Search bar: Make sure that you have a search bar on your Web site. And make sure that it includes product descriptions, as well as product titles.

2. Pull an item: Put at least one item at a very low price in each product category on your home business Web site. This will draw people to your Web site. Make sure that you have related items that you can suggest to help make up for the rock bottom price offered on your one item.

3. Return policy: Add one. It lets customers know what to expect — and assures them that you will accept defective, unused or items that are the wrong color or size.

4. Shipping incentives: Free shipping for orders over a certain amount can help increase the size of your sales. If you have $50 policy, chances are that customers will search for another item or two to get the free shipping.

Can you think of other home business Web site tweaks that can improve sales?

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Friday Fun Video: Star Spangled Banner

by Miranda Marquit Leave a Comment

A perennial debate goes on about whether to keep the Star Spangled Banner as our national anthem. Some think that “America the Beautiful” or “God Bless America” would be preferable. I have a sort of nostalgic liking for the Star Spangled Banner. In any case, in honor of the 4th of July this weekend, here are two renditions. I chose the second because it highlights the words. Now is a good time learn them.

Happy 4th of July!

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Watch Out for “Business Opportunities”

by Miranda Marquit 4 Comments

As someone who makes her living over the Internet, I know that there are plenty of legitimate ways to make money online. However, there are also plenty of scams. So often — especially since the recession — we see “business opportunities” that promise work from home, easy income and a short road to riches. Unfortunately, these “business opportunities” are little more than scams. In reality, building income online takes time, patience and work. Moolanomy brought my attention to this great video from the FTC about fraud an “business opportunities”. Have a look. And be safe out there in cyberspace.

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Happy Canada Day!

by Miranda Marquit 1 Comment

It’s a good week for sovereignty from British colonial rule. Today is Canada Day, a commemoration of the day that Britain granted Canada dominion over its own affairs (and why it was once called Dominion Day). The name was changed to Canada Day in 1982, when the Constitution Act patriated the Canadian constitution, effectively removing the last bit of British political control over Canada.

No, I am not Canadian. But I have a lot of Canadian friends, and I “know” a lot of Canadians through my online work. So I wanted to wish my Canadian buddies a happy Canada Day. Hopefully, later this week, they will return the favor and wish me a happy 4th of July!

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