Where are all the new jobs going to come from?

According to the government, the next few years should bring continued growth in two major areas: green jobs and self employment.

Like many Americans, I’ve been thrilled by Obama’s focus on strengthening the green economy. I think it’s good for the country on many levels.

What I didn’t realize until recently was that the number of self-employed Americans is going through the roof. In 2006, 19% of Americans were self employed. By last year that number had risen to 26%!

Among the self employed are contractors, artists, small business owners and consultants. It’s a very long list and includes many of your friends and relatives, once you really stop to think about it.

If you’ve ever thought about being your own boss, there is a very green home business you need to look into as soon as possible. It just might be the answer to your financial worries whether you seek full or part time income.

Jump on the current employment trend: Join the green economy!

Simple, common sense ideas to improve your success rate over the phone:

1. Never pick up the phone to call a lead when you are in a bad mood! Even though your prospect can’t see you he or she can sense if you are “off” in any way. Make sure you feel rested, confident and in a cheerful mood before picking up the phone. It is estimated that 75% of closing the sale has to do with your initial attitude over the phone.

2. It helps tremendously to make calls while standing up. I am not sure why, but it’s true. Maybe it has to do with feeling too comfortable in a chair. When you stand up you project more enthusiasm and more of a sense of urgency about your business opportunity.

3. Coffee, coffee, coffee!

4. Develop a script for your sales calls and never make a call without that script in front of you! You will, of course, improvise with each prospect but having the main points you wish to make in front of you in black and white is of immeasurable value.

5. Stay in control. The one who asks the most questions wins. If you allow your prospect to ask too many questions, you’ve lost control of the call. The best way to maintain control when making a sales call is to stick to the script, assure the prospect that all their questions will be answered the day of the actual appointment, and then to be ready with a polite reason why you must end the call.

If you treat your home business like a real business then it will pay you like a business. If you treat it like a hobby, it will pay you like a hobby.

Think about it!

Several years ago, while out in the heartland visiting family, a relative introduced me to the comedian Jeff Foxworthy and his blue collar brand of humor. Every line began with, “You might be a red-neck if…(fill in the blank)” My favorite joke was, “You might be a red-neck if you think the Star Spangled Banner begins with ‘Gentlemen, start your engines!’” This particular brand of humor was well received because the folks laughing the hardest were the ones who loved Nascar.

Fast forward to the other day when I was reading an article about the pitfalls of Multi-Level Marketing Companies, commonly known as MLMs. It occurred to me that the article might have been more memorable if it had been written in the Jeff Foxworthy format. For example, you might be involved in a MLM if… those hyped-up promises aren’t really coming true!

Of all the home businesses out there, old-fashioned MLMs are the most problematic. If you get sucked into one, you risk losing lots of time and money. Of course, someone is always making money in one of these operations but usually those few souls at the top of the organization rely on a fresh supply of people willing to invest time and money in the business.

You might be involved in a MLM if … you feel pressured to increase your own personal volume in order to qualify yourself or your team for bonuses. In other words, are you buying more stuff than you need or want?

You might be involved in a MLM if… you feel pressured to attend meetings that spend more time on cultish team building activities than teaching sound business strategies.

You might be involved in a MLM if…you must carry inventory.

You might be involved in a MLM if…you are ashamed to show anyone your earnings.

You might be involved in a MLM if…you feel guilty about getting people you care about involved in your business.

What should you do if you realize you’re stuck in a MLM?

1. Appreciate that it is never too late to change horses!

2. Understand that your sales background and contacts are worth a fortune.

3. Recognize that there is a home business out there that will compensate you on introducing real products to real people who have a real need. No fluff. No hype. No empty promises.

Its like burning 700 fewer gallons of gasoline per year!

It’s true — by making the simple switch to 100% wind power in my home, I will be joining the thousands of people in my area who are taking a big step towards lowering our carbon foot print!

Yesterday I received an invitation to make the switch from my utility company, Washington Gas and Energy Services. Montgomery county has set up an easy program to allow qualified electricity suppliers to to pass on a 0.5 cent per kilowatt-hour credit to customers for the purchase of wind power.

I estimate my additional monthly cost to be between $16 and $20 per month — a small price to pay for such a massive green dividend!

Effective almost immediately, my home and business will no longer be spewing sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, or carbon dioxide into the environment! And all I had to do was go to a web site and make a few clicks!

By supporting renewable energy by purchasing wind power I am also supporting something dear to my heart — job growth in the “green” industry!