A short time ago I did a little research on the subject of working from home with a view to deciding my approach to develop a niche for marketing a wellness drink. The following information therefore is something you might like to consider – especially if you’re considering or already working from home in Australia
The following information should be enlightening because whilst most of us like to think we’re capable of making a wise choice, these observations may throw new light on the topic.
A study done a couple of years ago on the results of ways of making money online discovered a massive 95% failure rate!
In a publication – Wednesday, July 23, 2008 Pro Consumer Guide, in their report entitled “Make Money Online Programs – Do They Really Work?” had this to say about ways of making money online which were studied,
“Around 95% of these programs failed our strict testing procedure, and thus were rated as very poor quality. Some of the characteristic features that led to poor quality grades on all such programs include but are not limited to:
Too little information provided:
Whilst the concepts and methods were presented fairly well, there was no further information of practical or instructional value. This left us a little lost.
Poor quality of information:
In some cases the program merely consisted of an E-book in PDF format ranging from 50 to 80 pages with an inflated font-size to make the book appear more than what it actually is. The information was poor, confusing and the content had many spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. These were very unprofessional products. And we were surprised that such highly advertised programs could be of such low quality
Hidden fees and huge up-sells:
A number of these programs did not disclose that there were further fees for the use of certain resources they offered, and many others offered an “up-sell” which is offering you a higher value item at the point of purchase.
No clear privacy or refund policy:
Many of the poor quality programs did not offer a clear privacy policy nor a refund policy. We attempted to get refunds for some of the extremely poor programs but were unsuccessful in most cases.
Selling of mentoring programs:
Our personal information was used (or passed on to other organizations) and we received a few emails and calls in some instances attempting to sell us expensive mentoring schemes.
Poor customer support:
The poor quality programs had support that was not very responsive and in some cases, non-existent.
Conclusion
Our tests over a period of 12 weeks proved very disappointing for the most part. The majority of these programs were a waste of time and money, and proved next to useless in the end. With a 95% failure rate in our study it is important that people ensure they join only the highest quality programs since it is very possible to make a reasonable income online. Our tests revealed only two decent programs which showed promising results.”
Now this is not an isolated, one-off report. There are many other so called ‘watch-dogs’ out there. The key is finding them and listening to what they have to say about starting a home based business because unfortunately, most people searching for ways to make money online get hooked early in their research because they lack the know-how or aren’t aware of such scams!
Another way to research is to look for specific reports by people who collect information and study these companies over a long period of time (as many such programs “die” within weeks or months of their launch date).
One such book that the writer was referred to and found to be extremely informative was “How to select a network marketing company” by Daren C. Falter who spent thousands of hours doing his own due diligence and research. Undoubtedly, others are available and may be found by spending a few minutes – even hours online. After all, working from home starting a home based business is a serious step and as such deserves good, well-balanced judgment when making a choice.
Another solution to find ways of making money online is to talk to lots of people who have seen both sides of the equation. People have experienced losses through making hasty decisions, not being thorough enough and so on or simply making the wrong choice of opportunity for whatever reason.
In this respect, as someone who has searched for ways of starting a home based business and making money online at different times during the past nine years, the writer is happy to suggest you look at one which he was introduced to 18 months ago for the following reasons:
- It was a recommendation from a person of long standing association and was a key player in bringing the opportunity to a group of people who knew and trusted him.
- The writer observed the start-up and the first three months of the group’s operation results before joining.
- Joining the business was accomplished once all aspects had been satisfied and checked out with satisfaction.
Happy to say, 20 years experience finally paid off and following the above process paid off. there were no surprises and little or no stress attached.
Finding Hot Selling Products to Sell
Despite the proliferation of the Internet and working online, the fact is around 95% of people don’t make money online. There’s plenty of evidence to support that and one good way to check that is to talk to people you know who have tried!
There’s many reasons for this but one fundamental reason central to the process surely is the inability for someone online to build trust with a perfect stranger.
Think about it, ever since Network Marketing began (over 50 years now) the fundamental strength of the process has been referral selling and has often times been the main reasons for rapid growth of a business. When people try something and it works – they tell their friends. When people make money doing something ‘easy’ they often tell their friends and invite them to join them.
So it remains today – even though there’s been a huge shift in the way network marketing is done people have adapted and modified the means by which they communicate but they still communicate, discuss, chat and refer but now they do it more from home and online using social media such as Twitter, Facebook and V.O.I.P. online meetings.If you’re still trying to herd prospects into the local hotel for weekly presentations or personally delivering products across your city on a daily basis it’s time to check what others are doing. You may need to find a company that does it for you! So it makes sense that for any company to continue and grow their market share these days they must embrace all the modern trends.
- that means developing innovative products that fill niche markets and find a way for connecting them with people working from home.Example: Share and Earn; Wellness Challenge surveys etc.
- helping their affiliates by driving the market to them with targeted promotions and advertising
- providing communication strategies that work and support mechanisms that help their affiliates
Probably the most favored trends has been the Health and Wellness industry which, not surprisingly was forecast ten years ago to be a “Trillion dollar industry”. It surely has surpassed all expectations. Thanks to them marketing the educational aspects and real benefits experienced by users of the products, people are more knowledgeable these days in the value of eating and drinking healthy products. For instance, who knew what “Antioxidants” are ten years ago?
Nowadays, you can find mention of that word (antioxidants) in anything from dog biscuits and energy drinks to sun cream! The good news is, it is not about to change soon and that is one niche that anyone working from home should recognize. Here’s another reason; the science doesn’t stop. It speeds up – no doubt to help us satisfy our ” to-go ” lifestyle on the run. It keeps discovering and creating new products – products and new marketing niches like health and wellness drinks!