9 Reasons Why Working From Home Is the Best Idea in 2020
Do you dread going into your office every day? We've got a solution for you.
Working from home is a vague and foreign concept to most people who were brought up in the pre-digital age. What you may not know, though, is that there are more and more remote employment opportunities out there and we're seeing a serious shift in the mindset of the working public toward working from home.
Today, we're going to tell you why that's a good thing by giving you 8 of the biggest benefits of working remotely. If you've never considered it before, this should plant the seed of it in your mind, if you've been thinking long and hard about it, this might be what puts you over the edge.
It might not be for everyone, but if you're an independent person that revels in the peace and quiet of your home, then you should probably be working there.
1. Your Office Adapts to You
When you work from home, you don't have to go into an office on a regular basis, which leaves you with numerous options. Many people like to set up a home office to do their work, while others like to do it from the couch or at a nearby cafe.
The beauty of it is that your office environment adapts to how you're feeling that day, so if you're tired of sitting at your desk, you can take your laptop and head to a restaurant or coffee shop for a few hours. When you need another change of scenery, head back home and set up there once again.
2. Save Money While Making Money
Because you don't have to perform the daily task of getting up, getting dressed, heading to the bus or getting in your car, and going to work, you don't have the same expenses that you would if you did. Not only are you going to save on gas or bus change, but you'll save on things like food, coffee, and even work clothes.
It might not seem like a huge amount of savings when you're talking about a short drive or a single bus fare to the office, but when you start adding these things up over months and years, it becomes huge.
3. Work-Life Balance
You'll hear a lot of people that work from home talk about the work-life balance. This is essentially how much your work interferes with your ability to live your life, which is a huge problem for many. When your job encroaches on your life in a negative way, it becomes difficult to separate yourself from your job.
In some ways, working from home blurs the line between work and life, but most people appreciate the ability to mix work and pleasure throughout the course of a day. A healthy balance of the two is proven to increase overall happiness and enjoyment of your work.
4. Staying Healthy in Body and Mind
With the balancing of work and life, you'll feel like you have more time to do things that make you happy. Many decide to take on a more active lifestyle, going for runs or to the gym in the middle of the day to blow off some steam. You simply don't have this luxury when you're in the office all day.
You're obligated to be there and when you make your way home at 5 or 6 pm, usually the last thing you want to do is go lift weights for another hour. So, you're more likely to get fit when you work at home, which will also give your mental health a significant boost.
5. Fewer Distractions
You might think that working from home would distract you more than usual, having no one looking over your shoulder and all of your possessions around you. While that may be true for some people (they'll need to work on this aspect), many find it much more distracting to be surrounded by their coworkers all day.
If you're easily distracted by people talking about their work or asking you for help in your office, you'll be delighted to know that you don't have coworkers in your home. We have all the resources available to us now to set up face-to-face meetings and phone calls online with as many people as necessary.
6. The Benefits of Working Remotely for Your Employer
You might also think that your employer would never go for you working from home, but there are a lot of benefits to the employer as well. Because you have more freedom, you're much more likely to be happy about your position at your company and a happy employee is a more productive one.
In addition, having employees working from home allows your employer to downsize the office and save money on things that keep the brick and mortar running.
7. More Time With Family
By removing your morning and nighttime commute from your day, you can spend a lot more time with your loved ones. If you've got a partner and children, you might only end up seeing them first thing in the morning and right before they go to sleep when you have to go to and from the office.
When you're already home, then you get to clock out whenever you need to be there for your family. That means soccer games, dance recitals, and more alone time with your partner.
8. Stress-Free Work Life
The simple fact of the traditional office environment is that people find it stressful. The drab colors, bright lights, and clanking of keyboards can be incredibly depressing for people that are normally outgoing. Not to mention, there are so many interpersonal issues that crop up in the office setting.
Working from home allows you to enjoy a stress-free environment. You can communicate with your bosses and coworkers digitally, checking-in and asking questions whenever you need to, then focus more on what you have to get done.
You'll Never Look Back
There are more benefits of working remotely than we could possibly list here. If we've convinced you of the virtues of working from home here today, then pay us a visit at Sales Data Pro.
Our partner program gives you the opportunity to earn a substantial income in direct sales and by referring our products and services to your network of potential customers. It's all done remotely and it'll change your life.
9 Brilliant Ideas on How to Maximize Effectiveness When Working From Home
About 8 million people in the country are already working from home. That number is expected to leap higher than ever as social distancing is becoming a new norm.
If you're new to working remotely, it can feel like a big adjustment. With these nine tips, you can learn how to work from home successfully without it hurting your productivity. It's all about finding the right balance between your work and personal life.
With these tips, you'll find working from home is easier than you realized. Start boosting your productivity and finding that work/life balance with these nine tips!
1. Keep Regular Work Hours
The first step you need to take when working from home is to change nothing.
That's right. If you usually get up at 7 a.m. to go for a jog, stick to it. If you used to drink a protein smoothie before driving to work, make that smoothie.
Either way, you want to create a routine and stick with it.
Sticking with your usual routine will tell your body and mind, "Hey, it's time to go to work." Even if you're not leaving your home, keeping to a routine will help you maintain your worker bee mindset.
It's also important to set boundaries for yourself. Working from home gives you the flexibility to start early or extend your day. However, you should still set clear "start" and "stop" times for yourself.
Have clear guidelines about when you'll start working and when it's time to log off.
If you're not working a clear nine-to-five schedule, determine your schedule ahead of time. That way, you'll know when it's time to shut off "work" mode and let your personal routine take over.
2. Set Some Ground Rules
Are there other people at home with you? If so, it's important to set ground rules about when and where you'll work.
If you have children at home, make it clear that there are activities they can and can't do when you're working. Otherwise, you might hear loud music playing during your next conference call.
When learning how to work from home successfully, these ground rules are key. Let your family members or roommates know you can't let service people in or take the dog for a walk. Set your work hours and make it clear you need to stick to your schedule.
Otherwise, your at-home life will eat away at your productivity.
3. Take a Break
Does your company have a policy about breaks? If so, stick to that policy at home as well.
If you're self-employed, take a break from the computer every few hours. Glance away from the screen and give your eyes a break.
Try taking an hour lunch break and two 15-hour breaks during the day. These breaks will give you a short chance to recharge and refocus on the task at hand.
4. Leave the House
Completing a full workday at home only to finish the day off by lounging on the house isn't healthy. In fact, you'll probably go a little stir crazy if you don't head outside.
Try to leave the building at least once a day. Go for a walk and enjoy the fresh air. A little exercise will do your body good.
Make sure to soak in a little vitamin D, too. Your body needs the sunshine as a natural mood booster.
5. Dedicate Your Space
When you first start working from home, make sure to dedicate a space for yourself. You don't need an entire office. Instead, try to create a workspace that's outside of your bedroom.
Have everything you need within reach, including your laptop, a monitor, and your favorite mug.
When it's time to work, try to keep your laptop off your lap. Make it clear that you're working by sitting at your at-home office. When it's personal time, pull your laptop onto your lap.
Establishing this difference will help you maintain the divide between your work and personal life.
6. Keep a Separate Phone Number
In order to keep that work/life balance, try to divide your personal and work tools if you can. For example, try to use a separate phone for calls with colleagues and clients. You don't need a separate phone or landline anymore.
Instead, consider getting a free VoIP service through Google Voice or Skype.
Otherwise, make sure to use a VPN when you're on a network you can't control. For example, you'll want to use a VPN if you're connected to the internet at a cafe or airport.
Some organizations even have their own VPNs for off-site employees. Ask your company if they offer one.
Otherwise, you might want to consider using a VPN while you're at home, too.
7. Socialize With Colleagues
86% of employees say they're most productive when they work alone. When you're working from home, you don't have to worry about distractions like unnecessary meetings or load work environments. However, it's still important to take the time to socialize with your colleagues on occasion.
Isolation can have a major impact on your mental health. When learning how to work from home successfully, don't ignore the importance of socializing.
Check with your company's remote work culture. See if they have chat channels where you can communicate with your colleagues. Maybe you want to schedule a weekly video conference together.
Socializing with your colleagues will help you take a mental break from work. It can also help improve your company's remote culture or help you brainstorm as a team.
8. Overcommunicate
To work from home successfully, it's important to overcommunicate with your team. When you complete a task, speak up. Let people know about your schedule and availability.
Otherwise, you're creating an opportunity for people to make assumptions.
Take the time to learn new skills, too. For example, try these strategies for improving your direct sales. Then, share what you learned with your team.
9. Remain Positive
Above all else, make sure to remain positive as you use these tips for working from home. Try to avoid sounding brash when you communicate with your team. Embrace the exclamation point or use emojis to keep communication lighthearted and fun.
How to Work From Home Successfully: 9 Tips to Boost Your Productivity
Now that you know how to work from home successfully, put these tips to work! These tips for working from home will help you improve your productivity. In the meantime, they can also make adapting to this sudden change a lot easier.
Embrace the remote working culture today!
Want to discover more ways to boost productivity for your business? Contact us today to discover how we can help.
Your Customer Retention Guide: What Is Retention and Why Is It Important for Sales Professionals?
There are multiple marketing strategies that you can use for your business. While acquiring new customers is a great hack, it’s just one part of the puzzle. The other part of this picture is retention.
Customer retention is an aspect of your business that can save you tons of money in acquisition. Doing this part right is important and should be given a good amount of attention.
If you're looking to understand how to retain customers in your business, check out this quick guide to learn what is retention and why it's important for sales professionals.
What is Retention?
Customer retention is a percentage that measures the number of existing customers after a certain period. The rate is affected by the number of new customers acquired and the old customers come in. The latter can be by closing a contract, not returning to buy, and canceling their subscription.
Customer retention is calculated as follows:
Retention Rate = (# of Customers at End of Period - # of Customers Acquired During Period) / # of Customers at Start of Period) X 100
You can decide on the duration of the period. It can be quarterly or even annually, depending on the nature of your business.
Why is Customer Retention Important?
Now that you understand what is retention let’s get to the nitty-gritty of why it’s crucial to a business.
Besides being just an equation, customer retention is about being able to continuously serve the people that have already experienced your business. Customer retention enables you to increase your profit margin in many ways. It eliminates that need to constantly need to generate new leads just for your business to survive.
Here are a few reasons why customer retention is vital in every business.
Save on Money on Marketing
The process of acquiring new customers can be tedious and expensive. Think about it. You’ve got to do some or even all of these things, depending on the competition in your industry.
- PPC
- SEO
- Outbound sales team
- Social media marketing
- Email marketing
Each of the above strategies can be expensive. There are factors included such as hiring specialists to undertake the task, training your employees on the tasks, or buying the required tools.
According to a study, after all these efforts, there is only a 60-70% chance of selling to an old customer. You’ll also need to invest in keeping your customers happy. For example, by increasing the number of customer care staff.
Upsell and Cross-Sell
This is the easiest way anyone asking “what is retention" can benefit from. Many salespeople think that once a sale is made then everything is done. But you could get a new opportunity if you listen to your customers well.
For example, let’s say you specialize in lady clothes. You may realize that most of them are continually complaining about how hard getting new-born attires is. This means they may be willing to buy baby clothes from you.
If you’ve got the capital, you can test the market and add the product to your store. The best part is that you got a loyal customer base already, so it won’t be like you’ll start from scratch.
Referral System
Relying solely on cold pitching isn't the only way to build clientele. Gaining referrals is probably the best part of retaining customers. They refer you to their friends, colleagues, and relatives.
Getting a referral is like free marketing, and it’s the most effective marketing tactic. When a loved one recommends a product or service to you, you usually trust their opinion. You’re confident they are referring to you based on their personal experience or their trusted chain of friends.
Yet once a salesperson calls you, you feel like their motive is to sell to you. So as much as the product may be good, you might be a bit hesitant in making the purchase.
This is why you need to spend more on customer retention. To encourage your existing customers to refer you to their network of friends, invest in a referral program. For instance, you can offer a discount or a gift card for every person who refers a new client.
Customer Advocates
Besides the referrals, there are customers who tell everyone who cares to listen how great and solid your product and services are. The best part is that they do it free of charge.
They are extremely vital in persuading customers to purchase your products online, and it’s just not through word of mouth and referrals. Advocates are also very active online.
You’ll find them on social media platforms, websites, product review sites, eCommerce sites, and forums. With the buyer’s journey starting online, it’s very important that you have the people passing a good word for you on your behalf.
Another way advocates help in your business is when you end up in a conflict with a customer. Remember, the angriest voices are the loudest, and they could significantly affect the reputation of your business.
Advocates help in correcting the image by building up, on the positive aspect of your business to keep the balance.
Knowing What Is Retention Can Help Your Business
Understanding what is retention is something that every marketer needs to get acquainted with. You might be putting so much effort into acquiring new customers, and yet your profit margin remains low. Focusing on adding in a strategy for retaining customers can be the answer to your troubles.
Set aside funds and excellent customer care training to keep your existing customers around. Remember, they can help you spread a good word for your business as they continue buying from you.
If you're looking for help with coming up with a customer retention strategy, feel free to contact us today.