Life stops progressing once you have no target to achieve or no desire left in the belly. You will be left with no option but to kill the valuable time. Any business without planning is bound to perish. The motivating factor in any home business is the goal that you set for yourself. There are two types of goals in working at home business – one is short term goals and another is long term goals.The primary aim of short term goals is to keep the things focused and on track. If you are able to feel things moving you will be motivated to do a bit more than what you could do in normal circumstances. This bit extra will make the difference for your home based business. Normally there is a very marginal difference between success and failure. Visualize the stage where your home based business has to be after a week or month from now and work professionally for that.Once you achieve these short goals for your home based business you will be inspired to get your long term goals. After all, every small step towards destination matters in reaching the destination. Treat every short term goal as a milestone on the way to your ultimate target – a successful home based business. The long term goals of your business will differentiate it from the schemes alluring people into ‘get rich soon ideas’. The clear planning of taking your business to a stage in five or more years is termed as long term goals. These long term goals provide definite path to success.A highly profitable business can be treated as a jigsaw puzzle where various key components are lying in an unorganized manner. You have to get these components in proper place at the right time. Excellent structures sustain with time only because of strong foundation. Same applies to successful home based business. Lay the foundation of your home based business to perfection and rest that follows will need less effort.
5 Public Relations Tips For Home-Based Business Owners
No matter what you read in textbooks, online or hear from anyone else, you need to realise that traditional mainstream media advertising doesn’t work. I mean, it can work if you have millions of dollars worth of advertising budget, but for most businesses it is not an effective tool.Public relations techniques become the best option for home-based business owners, especially when you consider the possibilities presented from using both online and offline techniques.The purpose of this article is to share with home-based business owners 5 tips that you can utilise relatively quickly.Learn to write a basic press release- The press release follows a basic template that almost any business owner will be able to fulfill. You need to learn to write a basic press release so that every time your business does something newsworthy you can send off a press release to try and get some media coverage.Start a blog and utilise social media- I definitely think that you cannot overlook mainstream media coverage but you should also start your own blog, set up a Facebook page and set up a Twitter account so you can reach out to your audience directly without having to worry about your message being mediated.Join an online networking forum- You should also look at joining an online networking forum. There are plenty of online groups that you can join and there is bound to be one that is related to you your niche. You should join one or more of these forums in order to build your reputation as a respectable business owner.Referral marketing is the best way to grow your business- Going out and getting a sale can be tough. It is much better to make referral marketing a large part of your business plan. You need to aim to get as much as possible of your business through referrals. My personal preference would be for 100% of business through referrals.Credibility is more important than visibility- As a home-based business owner credibility is much more important than visibility. It is now much more about what you say and what others say about you then how many times people see your name.The old rules of advertising no longer apply. You need to make sure that you utilise the PR tips that I mentioned above so that you can grow your business effectively in this new economy. Otherwise you will find that you are doomed to failure.
Home Based Business – Can a Home Based Business Really Change Your Life and Financial Future?
In these rough financial times there are so many people looking to start a home based business to earn some extra income or replace their lost income. But how easy is it to start a home based business and actually succeed? If you succeed it could mean life changing income, but if you fail it could hurt you even more financially.So what does it take to succeed in a home based business opportunity? Well, there are many factors that go into your success. You play the biggest part in your success with any home based business opportunity. Your mindset, your desire and passion to create financial time / freedom and your willingness to take action and work a little towards changing your life and creating a better financial future for yourself.The sad truth is that so many people are that are looking to start a home business are not willing to put forth any work. They expect to join a home business opportunity and instantly start making money without having to do any work or put forth any effort. In reality, the home business industry is not for someone like that. There is no magic button that you can just press and create financial freedom. It just does not exist and if anyone tells you anything different, run the other way because they are scamming you!Not everyone looking for a home based business is like that. There are people out there that have that desire and passion to succeed and are willing to work a little. Those are the home based business entrepreneurs that are successful. Attitude, drive, passion, desire and willingness to work to change your life and create a better financial future for yourself is something you can not succeed without. That is not the only thing you need to be successful in this industry, but without it, you are setting yourself up for failure.No matter what home business opportunity you decide to join, no matter how great the company or product is, if you don’t know how to market and you don’t know how to advertise, you are going to have a hard time seeing any success. If you don’t develop the leadership qualities within you, it’s going to be tough to be successful. The most successful people in the home based business industry learn how to market and advertise. They put themselves on the cutting edge, develop leadership qualities and become a real entrepreneur. That, along with the right attitude, drive, passion and desire to succeed and really change your life and create a better financial future for yourself is all you need to be successful in any home based business.
Acquiring Your Own Home Based Business Leads
Home based business leads are of utmost importance when it comes to successfully running and growing your own business, and there are a variety of ways that one can go about in getting these leads, ranging from purchasing the leads themselves to the actual self marketing and acquisition thereof.So many of us dream of the possibility of starting and running our own home based business, and although it may well be somewhat of a challenge, it is far from being impossible or unachievable. The level of desire and commitment that one has to achieve this goal or objective will in all likelihood determine the success or failure of such a venture. Within this process of growing the home business is one of the most important aspects of home based business leads, or otherwise referred to as prospects. These are the individuals or companies that one would normally target in terms of presenting your product or service to and aiming to close a sale with these folks to ensure that you are meeting your sales and revenue targets. Without customers and sales where applicable, a business whether it be home based or not is literally dead in the water.Going about getting the home based business leads for someone operating from home may at first prove to be a little more challenging, largely due to the fact that there is less interaction with others when working from the isolation of one’s home. But this can be changed, and is totally within the home based entrepreneur’s control, as he or she can choose to get out into the market place via networking opportunities and build up from there. Often times the fledgling business may fail because of the lack of such social and professional interaction and therefore the importance thereof is vital. This interaction can take the form of social get-togethers, local business member meetings such as Chambers of Commerce, associations and societies, as well as through local sports clubs. These places are normally teaming with prospects, especially like minded business people and owners that are also looking to expand their businesses.Alternatively the telephone book has often been used as a source for all types of leads, so why not give the local book a try to acquire some of your own home based business leads, it is at the very least a starting point and may lead onto bigger customers and contracts too. By establishing a solid base or foundation within your business, albeit from a cold calling perspective you will place yourself in a position to succeed, whilst growing your confidence during this phase. The most important point here is that you cannot let yourself get down and continue to seek out those valid and qualified leads on a daily basis.Making it a daily habit will make it easier, and you will soon come to realize that it is a numbers game in terms of getting the leads, and then closing the sale. Home based business leads will ensure your ultimate success and you can literally never have enough of these valuable ‘commodities’ in your own business.
‘Tis The Season For Small Business Owners
For major retail chains, it’s business as usual. But have you ever wondered, ‘what about the average small business owner’?”Thirty-six percent of small business owners admit the holiday season is a time of great stress for their business.” (FedEx Small Biz Pre-Holiday Survey)Thus, how does new owners compete with larger retail corporations especially during the joyous yet stressful holiday period? Christmas often shapes the success or failure for end of year revenues. To ensure a prosperous end of year outcome, begin early positioning of company activity to manage the greatest leverage of acquired and employed resources.As our country’s working force continues to strive for financial independence that is indicative of the growing number of new businesses established each year, how are they expected to survive the seasonal jubilant times? Leveling the playing field between the undiscovered small business owner and the colossal retail chains seems daunting, yet is very plausible.What are the components to a successful business, notably during the Christmas holiday season? The good news is that the answer to this question is universal, meaning large or small… each component is applicable if executed effectively and efficiently. Consider the following cost effective outlined components.Plan AheadI hate to sound so cliché, but the early bird really does catch the worm… especially if you are undiscovered. Large retail stores know in January what they are going to do and promote during the holiday season. As a smaller owner, it is even more pivotal for you to do likewise. Consider a new product or service to offer during the forthcoming holidays.Goggle AnalyticsGoogle offers great resources for the newly established business owner. Consider Google Search Engine Optimization key word selection when creating content for a website, a blog, or social media platforms. Here is where the playing field is equally leveled. SEO’s are not biased nor do they favor major retail chains, but any business exploiting this feature will gain the spotlight! Making efforts to ensure your company name will appear in any internet search is perhaps the most overlooked aspect for small business owners.Graphic and Web Designers”Nobody counts the number of ads you run; they just remember the impression you make.”Particularly, as a rising company, are first impressions compelling in gaining potential consumers. Even if you should have a store front, your on-line presence is what will set you apart from your competitors. Be sure to budget for professionally designed holiday graphics and an inviting and visually appealing website. At the very least, consider resources such as fivver.com or resources with similar concepts for your graphics.Social MediaThank goodness for technology! Social Media is a major player and I’d say most worthwhile promotional tool for the conscientious owner. Small business social media affords you the opportunity to develop an on-line presence, a strong following, and a virtual community of shoppers without added cost of printed marketing materials, costly radio or TV commercial spots, or newspaper or magazine advertising space. Here is where the newer and smaller markets can gain momentum. The key for success is consulting with social media strategist to provide clear directive on how to capitalize on various platforms to encourage and foster consumer engagement.Public RelationsThe most underutilized promotional feature by most small business owners are publicity services. The immediate thought is either they don’t need it or can’t afford it. Yet publicity services are by far more valuable than marketing and advertising when considering the long lasting return on your investment.The objective of public relations services is to garner earned coverage for your business through various media outlets: TV, radio, and print. Consider hiring a Publicist who specialize servicing small businesses to develop a strategic pr campaign (consideration should be given early in the year in that it takes time to develop a strong push). Getting a write up in a local/national paper could be the greatest Christmas gift your company can receive!In spite of the invariable advantages of larger corporations, it is possible for the small business owner to maintain a viable presence and attract holiday shoppers when you plan ahead and consider resources designed with even the small business owner in mind!So you see, ’tis is the season for small business owners, never has it been more plausible to compete effectively with major retail chains during the Christmas Holiday Season. From our company to yours, Season’s Greetings… fa la la la la, la la la la!
How To Start A Home Based Business
Everyday people flock to the Internet to look for their perfect internet based business for various reasons.
Some end up worse off than they first started. Why? many are not prepared to start a home based business.
Before you start, ask yourself these questions?
1. Is it Internet based? You can leverage on the internet to communicate, do business plan presentation,
automate service delivery etc. With the advancement of the technology, Internet based type of business become more and more popular.
2. What business model do I use? If you want cut short the product creation time, you can use other people’s business model. Find a business model that is already working and proven. This will save you time and money.
3. Do I get strong support? A perfect Internet home based business should also work life a brick and mortal
business in terms of support and training. Except the delivery of support is via phone, email or the Internet.
4. What marketing strategies do I use? Every body know marketing is the key to doing any business. The difference is in the strategy. Some strategies work, some don’t.
5. Do I have the tools available? Tools can save you time but not necessary save you money. There are numerous of tools which help you from doing competition research to product creation and delivery tracking, use tools to save your time. You have only 24 hours a day, anyway.
I find that a perfect Home based business, it must first meet the “home based” criteria, meaning you literally need not go out for a single meeting or even deliver a single piece of good. If you find one that meets the above criteria, you can start fast and earn money from home.
Now that you know how to start a home based business, there are other factors that may help you how to start a home base business.
Know Your Strength
Knowing what you are good at may help you to choose a home business that you will enjoy and do well. Knowing your strength will increase your chance of success. For example if you are a very organized person and love to write, you can be a good article write.
Choose Your Business Models
There are various internet home based business models which you can model after. These models varies from email marketer, which need no website to super stores with very fanciful web storefront.
Know Your Product and Services
For most if us, we are not super sales person. If you know your products and services well, you are going to tell your customer from your own experience. People can tell if you believe in your products. Many a time people buy you first before buying your products. If you are familiar with your products and services, you will sell more.
Your Business Needs Time to Grow
Remember that most home businesses take at least months
before you really start seeing the return of your investment. It is important to track the growth month by month and you are able to project your break even period.
Stay Within Budget
As tools are necessary to help you save time, plan carefully your initial investment and monthly expenditure. Plan and get the most needed business tools first. Defer the other to later.
Treat It Like A Business
Running a home based business can be more difficult than running a traditional business. Many distractions: Kids, TV , your bed, etc.
Be discipline to work on your home based business and be enthusiastic about it. Motivation is the key for you to keep going on and stay on course.
If you treat your home based business like a hobby, it will pay you like a hobby. Treat it like a real business, it you pay you like one.
Marketing
Marketing is how you get your customers. Now there are many forms of marketing such as newspaper ads, flyers, TV ads, mailing lists, pay-per-click ads, power-linking, and many others. How you market your business is up to you. Each technique has its own strengths and weaknesses. Obviously you will want to keep your budget in mind when picking a method of marketing.
Diversify your marketing as much as possible, and remember… the more people that see and know your business the more business you will do.
Use Tools
There are numerous of tools which help you from doing competition research to product creation and delivery tracking, use tools to save your time. You have only 24 hours a day, anyway.
With the pointers above, you now know how to start a home based business more confidently and chance for your success is now dramatically increase.
Small Business – When Government Stacks the Deck Against You
We expect a fair degree of corruption, arrogance and drooling self-interest from our elected officials. After all, in the last 206 years, we have fallen a great distance from the days of the “virtuous republic” that existed-or was thought to exist-in that first decade after the Revolution. Yes, we expect it, but I would have more respect for the operatives, the party-men and the politicos themselves if they could be just a little intelligent about it. The current issue with the Bush Administration, Congress, the SBA and the awarding of a great deal of money earmarked for small business, is a case in point.
When Big Business Seems Small
It is illegal, a felony that comes with fines and a prison term, to try to pass your big business off as a small business to get one of the 23% of Federal contracts reserved for small businesses. Yet, it happens all the time. According to the American Small Business League, a non-partisan watchdog group, some $60 billion in Federal contracts go to major corporations each year. How it happens brings us to the question of how you decide that a business is truly small.
Counting Heads
What is a small business? How do you measure it? Is it revenue? Sales? Staff size? Any one of these could be a viable measure, but for the most part the matter is decided with staff size. Depending on the industry, you can have a maximum of 1,500 employees and still be considered a small business! (Federal Regulations Title 13, Part 121, Section 201)
These larger “small businesses,” with 1,000 to 1,500 employees, deal in oil, aerospace, rail transportation, textiles, and chemical and rubber products. Wholesalers, regardless of their products, are capped at 100; information technology value-added resellers are capped at 150 (a very recent change) while the rest are capped at either 500 or 750. In 2005 (the most recent data available), there were 5,966,069 firms in the U.S. with 500 or fewer employees and they employed 58,644,585 people out of a total employment of 116,373,003. That is 50.3% of the working population working in what could easily be described as legitimately small businesses. If you add up the firms with larger numbers of employees, you find that there are 11,546 of them and that they employ 9,475,180 people, 8.14% of the workforce.
Call me crazy, but a firm with 1,000 employees doesn’t seem to be very small to me! It may be small when compared to the giants in its industry, but it is a giant compared with the vast majority of small businesses. In 2004, there was an effort to bring the number of employees down from 500 to 100 for a business to be classified as small. In spite of a great deal of support for the measure-including U.S. Representative Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), who said: “By working to change the definition of a small business for government contracts from 500 to 100 employees, federal contracts specifically designed to ensure the success of American small business would go where they belong – to support Americans, not big companies dressed in sheep’s clothing.”-the effort was killed by the SBA itself. That, however, is only the beginning. Another has to do with how small businesses are certified.
Finding a Certified Small Business
The question of how many employees a small business can have is complicated even further when we see that the government has been rather lax in enforcing the contract award rules for small business. In fact, in 2005, some $49 billion in Federal contracts that were set aside for small business were actually awarded to the 13 largest government contractors. This lax enforcement has led to cases where the small business in question is actually a subsidiary of a much larger company, where businesses have outgrown their small business status, where big business misrepresents itself as a small business and where government procurement offices, such as with the military, simply disregard the rules and do business with who they like.
The Small Business Front
Two of the most prevalent ways that large companies can maintain a small business front are through the legal loopholes that allow a small business to retain its status throughout the life of its original contract-and bid on new business as a small business-no matter how large it grows and even after it is bought out by a large company.
In either case, what the company in question is doing is, in fact, legal. Their actions are also limited by the fact that the loophole is based on the length of the small business’ initial contract. For example, if a small business wins a 10-year contract to provide computer hardware, it maintains its small business status for the full 10 years of the contract regardless of how large it grows or if some huge conglomerate buys it. This has been an issue for some time. Consider the following:
According to a 2006 report on the U.S. Government Accountability Office: Commerce Information Technology Solutions (COMMITS) Next Generation Governmentwide Acquisition Contract, “We found that many of the 55 COMMITS NexGen contractors have grown significantly or have been acquired by larger businesses and may no longer meet small business size standards. We also found that a significant portion of the task orders intended for the smallest contractors were issued to larger, incumbent contractors.”
Incumbent contractors tend to get the lion’s share of the government’s business. A 2004 SBA Office of Advocacy: Eagle Eye Publishers’ Report said that: “Of the top 1,000 small business contractors in FY 2002, Eagle Eye Publishers’ analysis found 44 parent companies it identified as either large firms or ‘other’. Contracts to these two groups taken together had a total value of $2 billion.” The report continued, saying that: “The Department of Defense and the General Services Administration accounted for 79 percent of the contract awards found to have gone to large businesses.” One of the conclusions drawn from the report was: “As a result of this lack of transparency, many awards that should be reserved for small firms go to large firms unchallenged.”
Disregarding the Rules
Rules can be broken either directly, by a willful disregard on the part of those the rules were intended to regulate, such as a company that purposefully misidentifies itself as a small business in order to get a contract; or they can be broken indirectly by a lack of oversight and enforcement that creates an atmosphere in which the rules can be ignored. One of the problems sited against the SBA is oversight. “SBA did not review the majority of reported bundled contracts that we identified, though procuring activities must provide, and SBA must review proposed bundled acquisitions. As a result, 192 contracts identified by procuring agencies as bundled were awarded without SBA’s review. If all of these are actually bundled contracts, a minimum of $384 million would be potentially lost to eligible small businesses, based on minimum dollar reporting requirements of $2 million.” (SBA Office of Inspector General: Audit of the Contract Bundling Process, May 2005) And consider this from the SBA Office of Inspector General: Audit of Monitoring Compliance with 8(a) Business Development Contract Performance, March 2006:
“Though SBA delegated 8(a) BD contract execution authority to 26 procuring agencies, SBA did not ensure that procuring agencies monitored whether companies complied with 8(a) BD regulations when completing 8(a) BD contracts . . . SBA has ultimate responsibility for ensuring that companies comply with 8(a) BD regulations”
The SBA is the final oversight authority for these contract awards and yet through their lack of enforcement efforts, it is easy for large businesses to slip through. Why is this? There are two likely reasons. The first is that the Bush Administration, when it came into office, cut funding for the SBA. At the end of the Clinton Administration, the budget for the SBA was about $1.1 billion. By 2006 it was down to $456.5 million. Funding has increased since the 2006 low; for 2009, that number has increased to $657 million, mostly due to funding for disaster relief loans; but the agency has nowhere near the budget it used to have. Generally speaking, if you cut funds to an agency, certain things start to slip and that is not a message that the SBA, or the Bush Administration for that matter, want going public.
However, it already has.
An audit by the American Small Business League (ASBL) and two independent experts showed that even while the SBA was saying that it is a “myth that large companies, including large, multi-national corporations are taking away federal contracts specifically intended for small businesses,” it was discovered that the Bush Administration had in fact included billions of dollars in awards to Fortune 500 corporations and other large businesses in the United States and Europe in its small business contracting statistics. Also, the Bush Administration failed to comply with the congressionally mandated 23% small business contracting goal by including such corporate giants as:
Dyncorp
Battelle Memorial Institute
Hewlett Packard
Government Technology Services Inc (GTSI),
Bechtel
Lockheed Martin
General Dynamics
General Electric
Northstar Aerospace
Booz Allen Hamilton Inc.
Raytheon.
British Aerospace Engineering Systems
Buhrmann NV (Dutch)
Thales (French)
More than that, ASBL’s research also found that the government was forced to systematically increase the volume of contracts awarded to small businesses in order to balance out those that were going to inappropriately large companies. In addition, awards to legitimate small businesses were systematically inflated to equalize the reduction of small business contract dollars awarded to Fortune 500 corporations. The ASBL found that according to SBA numbers, Circle B Enterprises Inc. received $887.5 million during 2005. However, the government’s own figures indicate that Circle B Enterprises Inc. received $287.5 million during 2005, which represents a discrepancy of $600 million. The ASBL audit found several other instances where the contracting numbers of legitimate small businesses were also significantly inflated.
The Bottom Line
The government decided to play fast and loose with small business contract money and they got caught siphoning it off to some of the largest companies on Earth. There are those that will only see the damage that this will do to McCain in the fall, yet another Bush Administration failure/debacle/betrayal-whatever you like best. That, however, is not the point. The point is why was the SBA hamstrung and placed in the position it has been in by the Bush Administration? More than that, why has this abuse been allowed to go on for so long? Call me a political cynic-I am from Chicago so I come by it honestly-but the only thing that makes sense to me is that government officials are paying back the people with deep pockets who helped to get them elected and they are doing it at the expense of, well, YOU. True, paybacks are a time-honored political tradition, but by stealing the money from small business, the U.S. Government as a whole turned its back on the overwhelming number of U.S. employers and employees in favor of a handful of major corporations. I urge you, as a small business owner; and you as an employee of a small business, to write your senators and congressmen, and to write to each of the presidential candidates, McCain and Obama, and their respective party chairmen-Republican and Democrat alike, and tell them that you want this to stop. Remember, small business contract set-asides are for YOU, not major corporations. It is time to remind Washington of that.
The Finer Points of Internet Auctions
WHAT IS A PENNY AUCTION?
Penny auctions have exploded in popularity with the massive growth of the internet. However, few people know the true origins of penny auctions.Beginnings actually stretch back to the Great Depression. Those were hard times for everyone, but even harder for farmers. Farmers struggled to bring in steady income because of droughts and crops not selling as well as they had previously. As a result, the banks would foreclose on the farmers who couldn’t keep up with their mortgage payments.
The banks weren’t satisfied with just repossessing the house, they wanted to raise as much capital as possible, so they resorted to selling off the possessions of the owners of the repossessed houses. There was not much the farmers could do about it so they began bidding ridiculously low prices, pennies, on the items while threatening others who dared to bid higher than a few pennies.
The auctions of today hardly resemble their tremulous beginnings. Being part of a penny auction today is exhilarating, fun, and addictive. It combines the selling format of auctioning with a little bit of chance factored in.Auctions are a game of strategy but also a game of luck.
The premise behind penny auctions is giving people the chance to win an item at a drastically reduced price.Auctions make that possible by spreading out the cost of the product among multiple bidders. In order for a person to take part in an auction, they must pay a set price for each bid. For example, if a person wanted to bid on a fifty dollar Amazon gift card then he would spend a dollar for each time a bid placed. If he ended up winning the gift card, then he would only have spent a few dollars for a fifty dollar gift card. Usually penny auctions sell bids in packages.
HOW PENNY AUCTIONS WORK!
The main foundation of penny auctions is the pay-per-bid format. It is the key that allows bidders to win items at the fraction of their retail value and allows the auction owners to keep their site profitable. Most y auction sites run on the same premise: people pay a set amount for each bid, whenever a person places a bid within the closing seconds of the auction time will be added, the last person left with a unique bid after the clocks runs out will win the item. There are a large variety of items that can be won, but they tend to be popular electronics or gift cards to popular stores.
There are two types of auctions: lowest unique bid auction and highest unique bid auction. Lowest unique auction sounds confusing but it is actually quite simple. A unique bid is when only one person has a bid at a certain price. Bids usually start at one penny, a bidder can then place a bid at two pennies. Until another bidder places a higher bid, the most recent bidder will be the lowest unique bid because that was the only bid at two cents and nobody bid higher. However, penny auctions generally don’t stop at one penny. It is not uncommon to find auctions that end up at a couple hundred dollars based on the popularity of the item being auctioned. However, the same principles apply for those auctions. Highest unique bid auctions follow the more traditional auction format such as eBay. The person with the highest bid at the end of the auction wins the item.
Auction site owners turn a profit by selling bids. Say twenty people are bidding on a ten dollar gift card at one dollar per bid, at the end of the auction if there were twenty bids placed in total then the site owner would have made twenty dollars with a ten dollar profit.Auctions do seem like a win-win situation:The site owner makes money while the bidder gets an item for dirt cheap. However, not everyone wins in penny auctions. The people who paid one dollar each bid but left with nothing to show for their investments will not be so happy.
HOW TO WIN!
Penny auction has a lot of chance mixed into it, but one can incorporate strategy that will help raise the chances of winning. Playing smart can make all the difference between gambling and auctioning.
The first crucial tip to winning penny auctions is to know how to manage your bids. Your goal should be to win as much as possible without spending a ton of money buying bids. Managing your bids means that you should already know how much you are willing to risk in order to win an item. The amount of capital you are willing to risk will determine how many bids you can use. Once you know how many bids you have to spend on an item, then you will be better able to manage how and when you place a bid. That will keep you from blowing away all of your bids in the first few seconds of the auction.
The next tip is to practice time management. When fighting in the trenches of penny auctions, you have two enemies: other bidders and time. Knowing when to bid is a must if you want to have success. Placing a bid when there is a lot of time left on the clock is never a good idea. You have to remember that the key to winning a penny auction is being the last one standing when the clock runs out and that each bid increases the amount of time left. It would be a good practice to wait until the last few minutes of the auction before you begin to bid.
The final tip for successful auctioning is to keep your emotions under control.Auctions have a lot of similarities to gambling, and just like gambling, your spending can get out of control. If you keep your emotions level, it will keep you from making rash decisions and blowing loads of cash. Keep your mind clear so that you can gage the behavior of the other bidders and outsmart them.
HOW TO AVOID SCAM SITES!
Penny auctions are a great addition to the web whether you want to win an item that otherwise you wouldn’t be able to afford or if you simply enjoy the thrill that comes with bidding in auctions. Unfortunately, scam sites have tarnished the reputation of the legitimate penny auction sites. However, there are ways that you can protect yourself from scamers and enjoy your auctioning without having to worry about losing your money due to dishonesty.
Checking the reputation of the auction site before you start spending your hard earned money is always a good idea. Chances are other people have tried the site before you and some of them have left reviews. The reviews are your way to gage whether a auction site is trustworthy or not. If a site is getting overwhelmingly negative reviews, then that is a clear indication that you should steer your business elsewhere.
Another tool you can use to protect yourself is checking the Alexia ranks of the auction sites. Alexia rank will give a solid view of how much traffic the auction is getting. If you see a huge difference in the amount of traffic Alexia is projecting and the amount of active bidders on the site, then warning signals should be ringing in your head. Some auction sites have been known to set up robots that automatically bid on projects in order to keep the auction going and inflate the price. That is known as shill bidding. You can sniff out those sites by comparing the traffic the site should be getting to the amount of users using this site.
CONCLUSION!
New legislation may come out later down the road that will officially make penny auctions gambling, but until then, it is a fun, exciting auction that allows one to win the item they’ve always wanted but couldn’t afford.Auctions are also quite lucrative for the site owners because of the pay-per-bid strategy they’ve incorporated. Penny auctions had humble beginnings with farmers who just wanted to get back at the banks who kicked them out of their house. More recently, auctions have enjoyed an explosion in popularity with the rise of the internet.
There are two main formats fora auctions, lowest and highest unique auction, however they both run on the same premise where the last unique bid wins the item. Winning a penny auction will require a certain amount of mental tactic and a bit of luck. However, you can increase your odds of winning by practicing certain techniques such as managing your bids wisely, learning how to work with the time, and keeping a level head and your emotions under control. When you combine those three strategies to your bidding plan, you will find that you win a lot more often.
It is important that you do your due diligence to protect yourself when participating in auctions. Not every auction is run by honest and trustworthy people. There are people out there who just want to take your money. You can protect yourself by ensuring that you only bid on sites that already have a very positive reputation from real users.
How to Find Great Live Auctions for Resale Items
Hi, my name is Walt. I’m an auctioneer with 25 years of experience in the auction business and licensed in the state of MA. I own Quick Auction Service, a company that specializes in building and running custom auctions, I’m also the webmaster of my own site and have been on eBay for 8 years. Besides eBay, the types of auctions I run most frequently are antiques and on-site estate auctions, although I’ve run everything from business overstock auctions to charity & special event auctions.
I enjoy sharing my knowledge and stories of the auction business. My goal for article is to help folks get the absolute most out of their auction experience.
Whether your fresh out of the package or a seasoned dealer I think I can offer something in this article to help you with your auciton adventures.
There may be as many reasons to attend auctions as there are types of auctions to attend. Maybe you want to attend an auction to buy items for re-sale on eBay, or some other market. Maybe you want to furnish your home with wonderful antiques, or you want to furnish your home as inexpensively without sacrificing quality.Some folks are just looking for a fun night out. With a little perseverance all these things are possible.
There are antiques and estate auctions, auto auctions, overstock auctions, absolute and no reserve auctions, real estate auctions, specialty auctions where only one genre of items are sold, tailgate auctions, live auctions, online auctions, sealed bid auctions, silent auctions, charity and fund raising auctions and many more.
Can you really buy for pennies on the dollar at an auction? You bet! Many times I’ve seen folks buy and re-sell at the same auction on the same night for a good profit, although be advised, this should only be done after the auction is over.
There are a lot of ways to find an auction, but here are some tips on how to find and attend the best ones.
Visit the genre of shops in the area that apply to the type of auction you want to attend. IE: If your looking for a good antique auction to attend, stop in the local antiques shops and ask for what there are for good auctions in the area. Sounds obvious right? But listen to what they don’t say as well as what they do say. Oftentimes when a dealer speaks poorly about an auction he or she attends, it may be likely that they are trying to keep a good thing secret. Think for a moment, why would a dealer keep attending a lousy auction?
Newspaper ads: I personally like to find ads in the classified ad section rather than flashy display ads. Flashy ads are usually indicative of an auction that will be high priced, may have reserves, (a set price on an item), and usually an enormous crowd. While any auction can be profitable to attend, it is usually best to steer clear of the glitzy ones, at least for the beginner.
Here’s the minimum you want to find out before you go. If there is a phone number in the ad, call and ask for the terms of the sale. What forms of payment do they accept? Is it an absolute auction? An absolute auction is one that has no minimum or reserve bids on items. These are the best auctions to attend! Is there a buyers premium? A buyers premium is like a tax that everyone who makes purchases at that auction must pay above the winning bid price. Most auctions these days do charge a buyers premium, 10% is not unreasonable but I feel much more than that is greedy, and the auctioneer that charges over 10% is counting on most bidders not doing the extra math as the bids quicken in pace.
A fair auction will have ample time to inspect the merchandise, usually at least 2 or 3 hours. Find out when inspection starts and make sure to attend! Never attend an auction if you can’t make the inspection, not unless your prepared to gamble. Most auctioneers sell at a rate of about 100 items per hour, which is why they sell “as is”. They simply don’t have the time to give a detailed description of all the items. Since almost all items at auction are sold AS IS, there are sure to be some damaged, refinished, fake and incomplete items at any given auction. Beware of any auctions that offer very little or no inspection time.
Good auctions will usually have 150 to 400 lots. A lot may be one item or a group of items. The exception to this are specialty auctions, auto auctions, real estate auctions etc.
When you attend your first sale, take note of the 1/2 dozen or so dealers that buy the most often. See if you can find out about other area auctions they attend.
When you do find an excellent auction, attend it as often as possible. By frequenting good sales, you help increase the bottom line of that business. It’s difficult for many auctioneers to keep the quality of merchandise consistent, so good attendance certainly helps. And when an auctioneer gets to know you as a buyer, he/she will go out of the way to accommodate you, to keep you coming back.
Hiring An Auction Company
Estimating your assets value:
Typically, one of the first questions a business owner will ask me is, “how much will the assets bring at an auction”. After taking the time to review the assets, the auctioneer should give the client a conservative estimate of the sale based upon his experience and the current market trends. It is important that the company give realistic expectations so the seller can make informed decisions based on their best interest.
Compensation and Expenses:
Is the company you are considering working for you or against you? The agreement you decide may determine this.
A business owner should carefully consider how the auction company is compensated. The most common commission structures include: straight commission, outright purchase of assets, guaranteed base with a split above to both auctioneer and seller, guaranteed base with anything above going to auctioneer or a flat fee structure.
In a straight commission structure, the company is paid an agreed upon percentage of the total sale.
In an outright purchase agreement, the auctioneer simply becomes your end buyer. The company purchases your assets and relocates them. While this can be an option in some unique situations, keep in mind that they will want to purchase your assets at a very reduced price to make a profit at a later date.
In a minimum base guarantee, the auction company guarantees the seller that the auction will generate a minimum amount of sales. Anything above that amount either goes to the auction company or split with the seller. While a seller might feel more comfortable doing an auction knowing that he is guaranteed a minimum amount for his sale, keep in mind that it is the best interest of the auction company to secure a minimum base price as low as possible in order reduce their financial liability to the seller and secure higher compensation for the sale.
In a flat fee structure, the auctioneer agrees to show up for the sale and call the auction. There is no incentive for the auctioneer to get the best prices for your assets. The auction company is compensated regardless of the outcome of your sale.
What is the best option for business owners? In my experience, an agreed upon straight commission structure. This puts the responsibility on the auction company to offer the best outcome for everyone involved. There is an incentive for the auction company to work hard for both parties, set up and run a professional sale, get the highest bid and sell every item on the inventory. Successful auctions translate to a higher bottom line for both the seller and the auction company.
Auction Expenses:
In most auction agreements the expenses to conduct an auction are passed to the seller. If the auction company pays for the expenses, it is simply absorbed in higher commission rates.
All expenses should be agreed upon in advance in a written contract. Typical expenses will include the costs of advertising, labor, legal fees, travel, equipment rentals, security, postage and printing. A reputable auction company will be able to estimate all expenses based upon their experience in previous auctions. An agreement should be actual costs charged as expenses, not an estimated amount.
Advertising is typically the highest cost in conducting an auction. The auction company needs to set up an advertising campaign that will promote the sale to its best advantage and not overspend to simply advertise the auction company.
Once the auction is complete, the auction company should provide a complete breakdown of all expenses to the seller, including copies of receipts within the auction summary report.
Buyer’s Premium:
What is a buyer’s premium? If you attend auctions regularly, you are very familiar with this term. The auction company charges a fee to the buyer when they buy an item at auction.
The buyer’s premium has been around since the 1980′s and is standard auction practice. It was first used by auction houses to help offset costs of running brick and mortar permanent auction facilities. Since then, it has spread to all aspects of the auction industry. It is prominent in online auctions and allows auction companies to cover added expenses incurred from online sales.
It is the responsibility of the auction company to provide clear disclosure of the buyer’s premium to both the buyers and the sellers. Those not familiar with auctions are often taken back by the buyer’s premium. They looked upon it as an under handed way for the auction company to make more money. Reputable auction companies will provide full disclosure within the auction contract, advertisement and bidder registration.
Typically, an auction company will charge online buyers a higher buyer’s premium percentage than those attending an auction in person. Extra fees are incurred with online bidding and are charged accordingly to online buyers. This provides the seller a level playing field for both online buyers and those attending the auction in person. Without the buyer’s premium, there is no way to do this.
Pre-Sales:
We’ve all been there. We’re looking forward to attending an auction only to find that some items were sold prior to the auction date.
As an auctioneer with over thirty-six years of experience, I can honestly state that pre-sales will hurt an auction. When a company decides to liquidate their assets, it is easy to sell off high-end pieces of equipment through online sources, equipment vendors or to other businesses. The seller receives instant cash and avoids paying a commission to an auction company.
Auctioneer’s find themselves appearing to acting in a self-serving capacity when potential clients say they are planning to sell off parts of their inventory prior to an auction. It’s hard not to consider the auctioneer’s commission when they warn you not to pre-sell anything. Yes, the auctioneer wants to earn a commission on those sales but it is more important that the auctioneer protect the sale from potential negative backlash that comes from pre-selling. The buying public knows when an auction has been “cherry picked” prior to the sale and it reflects in their bidding. It becomes a sale of “leftovers” and that impacts prices.
A buyer who purchases prior to the auction usually does not attend the sale. They already bought equipment at a good price with no competition. If they do attend the auction, they tend to let others know of their great pre-sale purchases which again, impacts prices and the overall excitement of the sale.
It is important to understand that auctions work best with a complete inventory. You want competition on your higher end equipment. The easy to sell items make it possible to gain respectable prices for hard to sell items.
When a business owner decides to liquidate their equipment assets, there is only one opportunity to do it right. Hiring a reputable auction company will assist you with a professional, orderly and timely liquidation.