The main consensus is that if you start your own home based business is that there is little work, and tons of income.Nothing could be farther from the truth.1. Working your home based business take time, training and yes, moneyIf you are seriously thinking that you want to work your own home based business please take a moment to digest some helpful advice.Home based businesses whether they are working with digital downloadable products or inventory products, takes work. You cannot simply sign up with something and expect not to do anything to make it work. You will have to put training, time and money into it.Now before you leave me because that is not what you want to hear, consider this. You went to school and got your education, you put time, training and more likely than not money, to get that education. You got the education which got you a job. You more than likely had to train for a period of time before they left you to your own, and you probably had to buy cloths or tools to work that job, and you put your time in everyday. This will be no different.If you are working a job or career it may take you a little longer to get things moving with the home based business, simply because you will have to divide the remaining time in your day to be with the family, friends or other commitments plus try to work your business. You may even find that you will have to lose a little sleep so that you can work without distractions.2. HonestyBe honest with yourself and with others. There is nothing more devastating than being deceived. If you have tried to work from home in the past and joined a program because they made you believe it was going to be so easy and that you will become rich in no time. You know how you felt when you did not make a penny, and that you spent your hard earned dollars for nothing. You felt mad and cheated.Do not use trickery to sell your products, this will only generate returns and bad business. If you are selling a product, know that product either by using it yourself or by doing major research on that product. It is easier to sell a product if you know it works.The more honesty you use the more repeat business you will get because people will trust you.3.DiligenceAs defined by Wikipedia: a zealous and careful nature in your actions and work, exemplified by a decisive work ethic, budgeting of your time, monitoring your own activities to guard against laziness, and putting forth full concentration in your work. If you have the determination and the drive to work hard, your home based business will have no chance at failure.When you find what you want to do for your home based business make your schedule board right at the very beginning. Put it in your work space where you will be able to see it every time you are sitting there getting ready to work your business. Follow it without fail, this will become routine and you will eventually be able to take it down, or use it for other purposes.My work space board (to do list) has my list of things that I need to do along with my goals for a 3 month period. I sit at my work space first thing in the morning and go from top to bottom of my list. Then I look a little further down and see if I am getting close to my goals. If I am not, then I work a little harder at getting some of them accomplished.If you are not doing well in a business do not hop around for something else before you ask yourself these few questions: Did I try hard enough? Was I being realistic when I pick this particular business to get in, or did it just sound good? Did I follow through with the training?Those are good questions to ask even before you find your business. If you answer no to any one of those questions, you did not pick the right business for working from home.

The simple answer to the question ‘why do we advertise?’ is that either we have something we want to sell, or someone else has something we want to buy. Alternatively, we may want to give something away, seek an exchange or invite donors or gifts. We advertise, or make known, our offer or need. We bring together people who would not otherwise know of the existence of those able to supply and those with a demand, very often complete strangers. Most people use advertising at some time, either privately or in business. And most people respond to advertisements and so enjoy the choices available to them in every sphere of life.

The elementary answer applies whether we want to sell a private house, raise funds for a charity, sell the production of a million pound business, buy a pre-owned car, attract buyers to our store, launch a new product, engage staff or simply find a pen friend. The technique is same: there is merely a difference of magnitude and sophistication between an inexpensive classified advertisement to sell a charter yacht tour plan and a global campaign on the World Wide Web to sell the same. In short, advertising is the means by which we make known what we have to sell or what we want to buy.

However, with growing numbers of online users across the world, we notice a transition of our interest from paper-based advertisement to online advertisement. We may call it a ‘platform escalation’ that results from rapid progress of technology. But, whatever the modes of advertisements are, their objectives and reasons have been all similar. Let’s discuss them.

Specific Reasons for Advertising:

To announce a new product or service
To expand the market to new buyers
To announce a modification
To announce a new pack
To make a special offer
To educate consumers
To maintain sales

To announce a new product or service: Announcements for a new product or service are very necessary to make them known to the public. To promote something new the entrepreneurs have to take up this means at the very onset of starting with their enterprise. If they can make their promotional appeal bold, dramatic, persuasive and convincing, they can expect a quicker success for their business.

To expand the market to new buyers: A good example of this is when a solar energy system has been used successfully for industrial or commercial purpose, and is then packaged and promoted to the consumer market. The do-it-yourself (DIY) markets are full of such products; put there by advertising. The advertising in such case is likely to have greater impact because the goods have already been proved in professional, commercial or some other accepted use.

To announce a modification: An existing product may be given a ‘face-lift’ with an additive, a refinement, a new finish or casing, or perhaps even a new pack or container. The attempt may be made to revive the sale of a product whose life-cycle is waning too quickly because of competition or some other reasons.

To announce a new pack: Pack identification at the point-of-sale is always important, and is a reason why packages are shown in advertisements. Colorful advertisements work well in this regard. This becomes even more important if there is a change of pack.

To make a special offer: For various reasons, such as competition, slack season, policy to expand sales, advertising may be used to make a special offer. It could be a banded pack, a premium offer, a limited time price reduction or free gifts or samples. New products may be launched with ‘introductory’ special offers. Dry cleaners, cloth merchants, and others may make such special offers when trade is quiet. Again, travel agencies may also offer special low rates to public during out-of-season weeks of the year.

To educate consumers: Rather unfairly it is sometimes said by critics of advertising that there are two kinds, informative and persuasive, and that the former is more socially acceptable or ethical than the latter. The educational advertisement is necessary when a commodity, service or an offer needs careful explanation. This technique can also be used to show new uses for a well-established product. The market can often be extended if extra uses can be suggested.

To maintain sales: One of the secrets of successful advertising is that it should be continuous, in one form or another, however seasonal the main emphasis may be. Not all advertising is aimed at promoting new and exciting products or services. There are everyday products, such as toothpaste, branded beverages, and many more which have been on the market for generations.

These days, the platform of advertisement has widened much greater than the previous days. This has been possible due to the popular Web World. Now, reaching out to millions of customers spread all over the world is just a click away dream, and it has helped all volumes of businesses to expand their business sphere beyond the limits. Though traditional advertisement is still going on, the craze for online advertising has outgrown it to a surprising extent. It has been possible due to greater visibility, wider scope and much lower costs. But, whatever the advantages and distinctions there are, both of their objectives are similar.

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.