To many of you this may seem elementary. However to many people who come into the MLM/Network Marketing industry, they have never owned a home-based business or in fact any kind of business before and therefore don’t fully appreciate the importance of separating oneself from the rest of the house. I thought I would run through some quick ideas and strategies here. No matter if you’re just getting started or you’ve been around a while, you may find some helpful hints here.
Firstly, as soon as you get started, it’s imperative to put this simple task to the top of your priority list. Find somewhere in your home that is away from the main living areas. Away from the phone, away from the TV, away from the kids. Just away from all of the noise and distractions.
There is quite simply nothing more unprofessional than getting on the phone to a prospect and either the dog is barking, the hubby is yelling at the TV or the kids’ are fighting. And worse still – you having to intervene. It just gives an impression to the person on the other end of the line that you don’t take your business seriously, you come across as disorganised and not focussing completely on the prospect.
I mean, would you do business with your banker or insurance rep if he or she kept interrupting and talking to someone sitting next to them or yelling at someone? Probably not. So make sure you treat your business as any other profession – be in a physical space whereby you can focus your entire attention on the person you are talking to.
Secondly, it’s not entirely the physical aspect of placing your ‘office’ somewhere quiet, it is equally important mentally. If you are working from your kitchen table, then once again you are not fully present. It’s easy to allow the distraction of seeing the washing that needs putting away or the dishes that need doing. The physical act of moving yourself to your home office will mentally trigger your mind into transitioning into work mode.
You can’t expect to take your work seriously if you’re lazing in front of the TV watching your favourite show (even if it’s on mute) while you are conducting a call with a prospect. The truth is, it will be mentally quite challenging to be completely present if you are mentally still in ‘home’ mode and not in ‘work’ mode. Even if you don’t have a designated room to make into an office, even the corner in your bedroom will suffice in just mentally making that transition from down time to work time.
Thirdly, when you segregate your workspace in your home, you tend to equally segregate your work life from your personal life from an organizational perspective. For me, my office contains very few personal items. Even the books in my office are either business, reference or personal development related. Any other books go in other rooms of my house. That’s not to say that I don’t have things around my office that I like to look at like car models, photos and nic nacs. I just don’t keep personal mail, clothes or anything that is my personal life in my office.
Lastly, the importance of having a separate space for work is equally important for those around you as it is for yourself. In our house, my son knows that when the office door is closed, either myself or my partner are on a call and are not to be disturbed. If I’m coaching someone, I have a specific sign for the door that basically says “Do Not Disturb”.
What I’ve found through years of working at home is that friends and family tend to take the attitude of “well, she’s at home, so I can drop around or call”. Not so. It’s critical to ‘train’ those around you and keep them updated on your work hours. In the same way that many commute to a workplace and your friends and family don’t drop in and ask you to come out for coffee spontaneously, your home office needs to be treated the same. Inform your family members and friends when you are and, more importantly, not available. It’s a difficult distraction, however stay firm.
Don’t be afraid to say ‘no’ to people if they do drop over or call. If a friend does call me during the day and I’m busy, I always politely tell them that I’m not available right now and can I call them back in 10 minutes, an hour, that afternoon – whenever I know I’ll be available again next. Don’t allow yourself to fall into the trap of taking calls or disappearing off for coffee every time a friend or family member calls. It demonstrates that you don’t value your time, you don’t take your work seriously and your friends and family won’t take your business aspirations seriously either.
It’s needless to say that your pets are in this same category. If you know the dog barks, don’t keep them with you in your office. And if that cat has a tendency to sit on your computer and accidentally press buttons, put them in another part of the house. You don’t take your pets to an traditional workplace, so don’t have them around if you know they will become a distraction for you.
I hope these quick strategies have helped to establish yourself as a serious home-business entrepreneur. Sometimes the simple things can forge strong foundational habits that can build into bigger and better things. So make sure you take your workspace seriously and in turn, your business will develop into the serious enterprise you started it to be – because you are treating it thus. As always, I would love to hear your experiences with this. Feel free to message me on Facebook, tweet or e-mail me.
Fiona is the CEO and Founder of “The Networking Formula” and is regarded as one of Australia’s leading MLM/Network Marketing business transformation and training experts. She is a seasoned Networker with over 22 years’ of experience with several companies and is passionate about the industry, calling herself an “Evangelist”. Fiona combines a unique mix of Life Coaching processes and Law of Attraction philosophies in empowering other Networkers to transform not only themselves and their businesses, but those of their teams and communities.
When not coaching clients, blogging or writing, Fiona can be found on her 50 acre property in the Victorian High Country with her partner Lars – an IT Architect and Microsoft MVP – sons Jordan and Christian, German Shepherd Zara and two rescue cats Boots and Paddy, swimming, playing tennis or motor racing.
Currently, Fiona runs her MLM/Network Marketing business, a media & personal development agency and Life Coaching practice – www.SerendipityLifeCoaching.com – from home and is proprietor of a boutique retreat venue and luxury B&B – www.MittagongHomestead.com.au For more hints, tips, tools, strategies and free resources to transform yourself and your MLM/Network Marketing business, visit her site www.FionaJLindsay.com
