If you’re working from home, you’re going to be selling something.

There are tons of companies and MLM pyramids that will tell you that you’re not selling anything, you’re just sharing the information. I’m here to tell you they’re full of shit. If you go around sharing information without asking for a sale, you’re going to be far less successful than the person that says, “Would you like to charge it or write a check?”

Even if you’re a service provider, you have to sell yourself. It’s not that much different from a hooker on a street corner. Whoever is strutting the corner looking the most disease-free, is rocking the shortest skirt and the highest heels wins. You need to have your hooker outfit ready and be willing to show someone a good time when you get the chance.

Take me, for instance. I write. That’s how I make my money, and I make (what I consider) a good full-time income doing it. Here is what I did to get – and keep – my main gig:

1. Filled out the application. It was long, it asked for samples, and it took me over an hour to fill out…with no promise of even getting back to me. I didn’t have writing samples at the time and had to write them from scratch.
2. Found out stuff about the company. The company had a podcast – so I listened. The company had a call in for writers and “aspiring writers” – so I called in and listened and asked questions.
3. Picked up the phone. Probably the number one most important thing I did. I knew who to call because I heard her on the podcast and her title was “talent wrangler.” She answered the phone and I charmed her pants off. Asked her to “wrangle me, baby.” It was a fun phone call and put me on the fast track to being the company’s favorite writer.
4. Followed up. One phone call with some great bonding isn’t enough. You have to let them know you’re ready to work. I emailed about once a week with a “Hey, how’s it going?” email to let them know I existed and was ready to go to work when they needed me.
5. Didn’t screw it up. When I did get an assignment I turned it in on time. My first assignment was a $5 article rewrite. I got it back to her in ten minutes. I’ve never been late on an assignment since and they know I’m dependable. When we had a power outage? I went to a library in a neighboring town to do my work and submit it online. (Your library card doesn’t just get you on your local library’s computers, in most cases.)
6. Sweetened the deal. When I finished my first “big girl” assignment all my own I sent the editors, the owner, and the accountant a small box of truffles. It cost $60 to buy and send all that – but made an impression that has never gone away. I still send holiday gifts. They pay me thousands a month – I can suck it up and send out chocolate bunnies for Easter.
7. Don’t listen to the hype. I’ve seen forum posts and blog posts and blog entries about the company I work with and how you can’t make any money with them. How they only pay two cents a word and that’s just downright insulting. For another writer, this job might be awful because it does pay (in many cases, but not any I’m working on now) two cents a word. But if you type over a hundred words like I do you can easily make $40-$60 an hour, and when you’re talking about sitting on your ass in front of a computer making an average of $50/hr? Who cares what the price-per-word is? I’m all about my bottom line.

Jen is a work-from-home mom that actually works. She balances a full time writing career with two toddlers and a bun in the oven. She pretends that this is easy for her and causes no stress, so don’t burst her bubble and tell her she’s freaking out, okay?