Consistency is the key to a profitable home-based business
I make my share of long drives. During these journeys, I continue a long-running experiment: My car is equipped with a trip computer that displays both my mileage and distance to empty in real time. Even tiny changes in speed have a huge effect; accelerating a little can give me up to 4 extra miles per gallon. Slowing down may also increase mileage to a point, before it starts dropping again. Hard acceleration also takes a big bite out of my distance to empty. Leaving the freeway for even a little in-town driving? My mileage plummets. With careful management and no exiting the freeway, I can average over 32MPG… which is pretty good for a 260-horsepower V6!
I notice other things as well. Easing off the gas as I come over the top of a hill and easing back on just as a start up another hill is the most efficient way to handle the road’s ups and downs. Oregon and parts of Washington have lower speed limits, which helps allow one tank of gas to last the entire 460-mile distance from Ashland, Oregon to Seattle, Washington.
Why is this story relevant to your home-based business?
Pacing, consistency, and subtlety are the keys to getting great gas mileage. The same is true for getting the most out of your home-based business.
Pacing: My normal cruising speed is about 65-70 miles per hour (depending on the speed limit). Slowing to 60 or 55 increases my mileage but also increases my trip time. Speeds below 55 tend to reduce my mileage. Speeds much above 70 also reduce my mileage.
It’s the same with your home-based business. The faster you want to go, the more resources you need to invest. Slow down too much and you’ll need to spend more to make up for your spotty efforts. Finding your own “sweet spot” for your marketing will give your efforts the best balance of coverage and longevity. How often should you advertise? Should you contact your email list every week or every month? Should you focus on finding new prospects or following up with existing enrollees? What combination of marketing and management methods will give you the most mileage for your limited resources?
Consistent freeway driving is much more efficient than stop-and-go city driving. I sometimes leave the interstate for 5 miles or even less to have lunch. Each mile I drive in town costs me several miles of freeway range. Stop at a traffic light and you’ll expend copious amounts of fuel getting back up to speed. Stop your marketing and you’ll need a heavy investment of time, money, and effort to make up for lost time. The old saw about “out of sight, out of mind” certainly applies in business!
Never market, promote, or manage your home-based business unless you’re committed for the long haul. You may not like the drudgery or the expense and that that’s natural. But the only way to succeed as quickly and as lastingly as possible is to knuckle down and just do it.
Subtlety is also important. Hard acceleration requires lots of gas. It also tends to rattle your passengers. Gradual speed changes aren’t nearly as sexy (especially when you’ve got a purring V6 begging for more), but they require far less fuel and don’t jar the contents. Students at my marketing training sessions are always coming up with all kinds of suggestions for seasonal marketing campaigns and logo modifications for all the major holidays. Each such change entails costs for a graphic designer, printer, Web master, and more. It also strays from the original marketing message and confuses the target audience who may not necessarily associate the changes with your home-based business.
How about subtle changes that leave the original logo/theme/etc. intact and add a tiny touch? Cooking is like marketing: A little dab, a tiny change in the recipe can have a big effect Limiting yourself to small, gradual changes is also a lot less costly. Remember, the aim of marketing is not to look fancy or to showcase your artistic talents and whimsy. Your single goal with your marketing is ultimately to increase your profits- something that’s rather hard to do if you’re not always seeking to extract the most mileage from your efforts.
Market your home-based business as if you were driving a car down the freeway trying to extract every last inch of distance from your limited (and increasingly costly) fuel supply and you will go far—literally.
Anthony Hernandez
Anthony Hernandez is a Certified Guerrilla Marketing Business Association Coach and author of Guerrilla Marketing Success Secrets with over 20 years of successful self-employment experience. He is proud to be a co-founding member of the MOXXOR WORKS Team. Visit the MOXXOR WORKS Web page to learn more about the MOXXOR WORKS Team and our home-based opportunity.