You get what you pay for:
While this is true in many cases such as, when you pay for boneless chicken breasts you are getting quality white meat with no bones. Pay for a chicken neck and you get a chicken neck, that’s it, cut and dry. But how many times do you see ads for similar products, one cost 5.00 another 40.00 and another for 150.00 ? Does that mean that the most costly one is best?
Not always, Remember what I said about the information costing the person who wants to make it available. Consider how much it’s costing them, true their time and experience is invaluable but once you look past that, you want to consider how much IS a fair price. You know that they are paying for advertising, printing, postage, most likely a web site and for their credit card processing. So you realize that they need to cover all that and make a profit.
BUT does a 30 page manual or a CD cost them enough to justify 150.00? Doubtful. But then again will 5.00 cover it? Most likely not, the print must be very large and the information very small. In this case the honest seller is most likely to be the one who sells it for 40.00. However if it’s a fairly “basic” business and you need the “how to get started info” then you most likely only need the “legalities” of what you must do and how to do it and maybe some good tips. A short manual for 10.00 – 15.00 will probably fill your needs. You don’t need a 100 page essay on “How To Clean Your Oven” you just need a simple guide. Just use your common sense to make the best decision.
Read between the “keywords” lines:
Of course sellers try to use all the right “keywords” not only to get their site a better listing in the search engines but also to get you to buy. Whenever you read someone’s ad, make sure than you FULLY read it. Don’t just skim over it and connect with the keywords. Of course certain words are meant to trigger you to buy but you NEED to read all the information to find out exactly what it is they are selling.
“Buy this product and be rich in 10 days” might sound like a good plan but what exactly is the product and what do you have to do with it for all this money to appear? You need to know, do they provide you with a free website? If so, do you have to buy website hosting from them ? Do you have to buy a mailing list from them to “resell” this product to make all that money? Do you have to set up a merchant account through them to charge for this product?
The point is that many sites SELL you the “plan ” but for the action to be taken you have to buy more, more and more to make that money. Most times with these it amounts to having you sale the same thing you just bought – a promotion package to sell – and it never goes any further into doing what you had thought it was going to be at all.
Then you have the “buy now” keywords, beware, watch out! I’m always leery of any sales ad that says something to the effect of : “You must act now! The retail value is over 800.00 but today your price is only 39.95!” “My partners already say I’m nut’s so the price will be going up, double maybe even triple today’s price at any time” And of course the old standby: “We will only be offering this to a select amount of people and then this offer will be closed so get in now before it’s too late!”
I always had a “gut feeling” about these types of ads so I would put them in my favorites and then check again next day, next week, a month later and sure enough, there they were still there with that same “now or never” gimmick.
Sales pitch 101 says “call the customer to action” most sales are “impulse buys”. That’s why so many use these tactics, they want your money! If a person is selling a true valuable product then they are confident enough in it to relax “sales pitch 101” and let you make an educated decision about making the purchase. They know that what is truly needed is to have the price clearly listed and purchase options easy.
Having a sale price is ok, everyone runs a sale now and again that’s not a “red flag”. Or simply stating that the price listed is for a limited time is ok also. That is just to inform you that the price is subject to increase due to their expenses. They aren’t pressuring you but rather, informing you so that if you come back later and see that the price has gone up you won’t say “HEY WHAT’S UP WITH THIS?
Pick something you love – we’ve all heard this:
That’s easier said than done! While it’s true that if you hate snakes then you wouldn’t want to start a snake farm. But then again you can’t always expect that you are going to LOVE and embrace every part of the business you start. Why can’t LIKE be an option? What is most important is finding something that you do well and mildly enjoy. If you actually love it, great! That’s a bonus but don’t close your eyes to all the opportunities just because it’s not on your “love list”
There is so much more to being a business owner than the “task” part of it. If you are a people person you may really love calling on your clients even if you only like the “work” you are doing for them. Most of your joy will come with the knowledge that you own and operate your own business. That gives you a feeling of self worth and pride!
All said and done:
I’ve given you the best tips and ideas that I can come up with. Hopefully some of this has been of help. The main thing is to remember; starting your own business should be exciting. If you are looking at an idea that flat out does not appeal to you but you think it might be prosperous – think hard about it first. If you can find some parts that seem encouraging, that would be fun or exciting, then it’s worth considering. Decide it there is enough good in it to make it worth doing long term. If not, don’t do it! For any Translation related help, visit Translation Company UK
