Can anyone give me some advice on building a customer base for a recently started home based business?

From peronsal experience, word of mouth is the best method to get your product known!

If one customer buys your products, then that customer will then tell his/her friends & relatives, etc.

Other ways are to create your own website and read books on marketing.

The "Dummies" books are excellent sources.

I hope this helps!

You don't specify what kind of home-based business you're doing your best to establish. I'm sort-of "shooting in the dark".

I would like to inform you what, possibly, NOT to do. THEN what you should do. THEN you should be able to make your decisions and proceed from there.

DON'T fax every person in every office the same fax about rates and services. It's not necessary. Many offices have a bulletin board or the agents can go on-line to YOUR web site.

DON'T text message clients for the same reasons.

DON'T use direct mail to promote your rates and services.

Some time ago, I read a statistic which may or may not be true today:
FOR EVERY piece of direct mail a company or an individual sends, ONLY 1 in 100 will respond to that direct-mail promotion.

At today's postal rates - 1st class - that's $43 per hundred you could use for other purposes. THAT'S the cost JUST for the response! This DOES NOT include the cost of buying the stationery and envelopes, toner etc.

JUST to get the appointment is 1 in about 250-500. Your costs are accelerating, aren't they? AND you STILL DON'T have a sale!

It takes ABOUT 1 piece of direct mail to generate 1 appointment. It takes about 1,500 to 2,000 direct mail pieces to get JUST one appointment ALL the way to the closing/settlement/escrow.
That's about $600 to $800+ before you see one dollar - not to mentin your time - "spinning your wheels", wasting your time.

((((You haven't made the sale - yet.)))))

DON'T lease or spend [notice I didn't say "invest"] your hard-earned money for a piece of equipment with automatic phone dialing and recording/speaking features, telling agents about your rates and services.
Do you like getting those telemarketing calls?
Do you like or mind getting any telemarketing calls?

If I haven't discouraged you, we'll move on to the "grey area": "cold canvassing".
It's a terrific way to meet people face-to-face, one-on-one! It requires going to the same offices about once every two weeks - or even more frequently.

To save yourself some time, you MAY have to make a presentation in front of a group of agents - JUST for them to see you're a real, live, breathing, cooperative, "knowledgeable" individual. You know your product. You know how to solve various situations ["problems"] which arise on a regular basis.

When you DON'T know how to solve those problems, you KNOW what hoops and hurdles you have jump over, under, around and through to speak with the right person to get the answers and solutions to close your deals.

The above are the DON'Ts, here are a couple DOs:

What about the cost of your business cards? Do you think you can "cut corners" and make a good impression with those thin, flat, lifeless, computer-generated cards?

PLEASE DO yourself a HUGE favor: Invest your time to sit down and properly design your business cards. If you aren't sure, please go to a professional printer or graphic arts store and ask for help and guidance. Those folks should amaze you with ideas and concepts. In the long run, good, professionally printed business cards with raised lettering and features, go a long way to show others you care - about yourself, about your business and about your clients.

When you leave, your contacts and clients have two things:
1] Good, bad or indifferent - the impression you left.
2] Your business card.

Don't you think it makes good sense to invest your money in a good, quality business card? Have your cards professionally printed.

Invest you time and money joining a club or group with those hobbies and interests which you are interested in. &&&&&&&&&&&&& BE ACTIVE!!!! Get on committees, get to be known as a "can do" type of person. You should have fun [and Yes, some aggravation, too]. You should make some friends and begin building your client base. You should get leads! AND look how much time, money and aggravation you should save! LOTS!

Find an investment group - or two - or more with professional investors. JOIN it/them AND BE ACTIVE FOR THE SAME REASONS!

As the saying goes, "Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door."

What the saying doesn't tell anyone or even mention is: YOU MUST get out there and let "the world" know about that better mousetrap!

Thanks for asking your Q! I enjoyed answering it!

VTY,
Ron Berue
Yes, that is my real last name!

Sources: My wonderful family!

In the real estate business over 34 years in Pennsylvania.

THE ABSOLUTE BEST, MOST WONDERFUL real estate investment group in the world, which I was very proud to be a member of!

"THE University of Hard Knocks"
also known as ("a/k/a") "life's valuable lessons"

Advertising.

Try to work with other business'that cater to the same demographic you are looking at - maybe they woul dpass your info - by word of mouth or if you havea pamphlet/cards they could give their customers - giving these business'free samples, or other incentives would entice them to promote your services.

Maybe if you tell me the type of business.

I've found Oppseekers to be a good source for qualified leads for any Home-Based Business.

Check them out at this address: http://www.oppseekingleads.biz/2071