office at home

[rhondab]

There are all kinds of ways for Moms who want to work from home and use their office skills.

1. Typing (resumes, correspondence, mailing lists, etc.). Local realtors may be interested in this service.

2. Desktop publishing. Are you proficient in Publisher or some such program? Offer your services making business cards (buy pre-scored card stock), brochures, flyers, etc. Make some good examples of YOUR services and post the flyers around town (laundry-mats, discount stores like Wal-Mart, convenience stores, grocery stores). When people see the quality of YOUR flyer, they may be interested in you making some for them.

3. Offer typing services to college students if you live in a college town. Again, post your own flyer all over campus. There are lots of students needing typing services who are too busy or don't want to type their own papers, etc.

4. Offer your services to local realtors like helping them with their mailing lists, newsletter, postcard mail-outs, etc. Brochures of your services offered can be delivered to the local real estate offices and ask if you may put one in each realtors' mailbox.

These are just a few ideas to maybe get this topic going...

Rhonda :)

[Lori]

There are all kinds of ways for Moms who want to work from home and use their office skills.

1. Typing (resumes, correspondence, mailing lists, etc.). Local realtors may be interested in this service.


Hi Rhonda,

Just curious, do you have experience with working with realtors on this level? I'm beginning to think that women who are just beginning to work from home can benefit most from advertising locally. What is your opinion?

Lori

[rhondab]

Hi Lori,

Yes. I have done this (and still do).

Many realtors like to have a "personal assistant" who will make their brochures for the homes they have listed (they can be created in a word processor and converted to pdf and then emailed to the realtor, or hard copies printed & mailed).

If you have (and are fairly good at it) a digital camera and can go and take photos of homes that realtors have listed, many times the realtors don't have (or take) the time to do the photos themselves.

Realtors like to send out mass mailings (postcards usually). Sometimes when they sell a house they will do a mass mailing to everyone on the street or in the subdivision saying "We just sold your neighbor's house at 123 Some Street and we wanted to let you know if you are considering selling your home or buying a new home that we are here to serve you!" (something like that). Offer to help with their mailing lists and mailings, etc.

Real estate offices usually have a weekly sales team meetings. A person could call the Broker or Office Manager and ask if they could make a small presentation (5-10 min. only) to the realtors at their sales meeting. Have plenty of brochures printed and business cards on hand and put one in every realtor's hand in that meeting. Or call the Office Manager and just see if you can put brochures in the realtors' mail boxes if you don't feel comfortable speaking to a group of people.

Find and go to local networking meetings.

Sign up for some good support groups (Yahoo! has groups. Just search on "Digital Women", or "Work at Home Moms", etc.)

www.digital-women.com is a good website and so is www.virtualbizgroup.com

Just contact local realtors and ask if they have considered using a "virtual assistant". Study up on the internet on what "virtual assistant" means. This, of course, requires skills/background in clerical/administrative work.

Some realtors pay someone to do their "running". If your kids are in school, during the day you could put up or take down realtors' yard signs, deliver papers for signing, take forms and have copies run, deliver paperwork to the realtor's office for processing, etc.

These are just some of the examples that can be done for realtors on a local level.

Make a nice flyer and put it up in different places like grocery stores, Wal-Mart, etc. on their bulletin board. Make it in some bright colors and something that will stand out from the rest (eye catching but not ugly or child like). (I hope that makes sense! :D )

Hope all this helps give some ideas.

Rhonda

[Lori]

Excellent advice!

I would love to feature this idea on the WAH idea page: http://www.freelancemom.com/wahmideas.htm Do you mind if I quote you Rhonda? With a link to your business of course :)

Lori

[rhondab]

Hi Lori,

I don't mind at all. It is all work I have done or am now doing.

Rhonda

[ssccbutterfly]

Rhonda,
I know this is an old post but I wanted the thank you for the helpful information. After reading your tips I started brainstorming. I have lots of contacts with realtors(being in the advertising business), and I feel I could drum up some business this way.
will keep you posted.
holly e

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the good tips. I'm just starting a home typing business and this gives me good ideas on how to market my business.
I was wondering if the Holly E in Phoenix is Holly Esser?
Take care,
Cindy C

[Lori]

Hi Rhonda!

I haven't heard from you in awhile so just wanted to say HI! :wave:

Hope business is going well for you! Any new designs to share?

Happy Spring!

Lori

[Jessa]

Great post, thank you for sharing your knowledge. There are so many tips and tricks that can be learned just by listening and reading!

[Mel]

You're sooo right Jessa. You can learn so much from listening to others. Thanks for the info ladies!

[rhondab]

Lori,

I was just browsing the forums and saw where you had posted back in April. I am sorry I haven't been able to keep up with this like I first intended. My business has boomed this year!

I was a finalist for our local Chamber of Commerce's Independent Professional of the Year award. Actually, the lady who won is one of my clients though!!! That generated a lot of local publicity even though I didn't win! :D Somehow all of a sudden I had 12 brand new websites to work on and complete and there haven't been enough hours in a day!

I do read the newsletter and check in here from time to time as I can.

Back in April you asked if I had any new sites to share ... well I am working on one that I am very proud of (even if I do say so myself). It is www.chrismanmill.com if you'd like to take a peek. I still have more work to do but it is moving along well. Another one that I have barely started is www.thelighthouseministries.org.

I did want to add to a post I read that the one thing that has help my business more than anything is to network, network, network. Get referrals from friends, family, and former (or current) clients. Get your name out there any way you can. Your company is You and getting your name recognized is one of the biggest ways to see your business boom!

Wishing everyone only the best!

Rhonda

[Lori]

Hurray!!!

Hi Rhonda,

Great to see you here and may I add, you are looking great!

Congrats on being a finalist - that is fabulous news :D

I'll check out the sites later tonight, it's so good to hear that you are doing so well!

Lori