What Not to Do

Here’s the first half of an insightful articles on things not to do when you work from home as a freight broker or in any other capacity. I edited Mary’s article a bit to be a quicker read and to focus on things I’ve learned as a successful home based business owner.

10 Ways to Get Fired From a Home-Based Position
By MARY NAYLOR, CEO AND FOUNDER OF VIPDESK

There are more opportunities than ever for people to work from home. From data transcription to home-based concierge, companies are recognizing the myriad benefits of utilizing a remote work force. To be successful in a home-based position, however, telecommuters (or home based business owners) should ensure their workspace and behavior closely resemble that of a professional work environment. A failure to treat your position with the same level of professionalism that you would any traditional office structure can yield the same result of termination.
In order to carve a successful niche in a home-based position, here are a few behaviors and activities to avoid while "at work."

1. Having customers hear your kids playing in the background
Working in a noisy area or with the TV on is distracting and no way to excel. A quiet workplace is the key to success when working from home - it is essential for concentration and for receiving business calls. When customers can hear kids, dogs, TV and other noises in the background, they most likely will assume you are not devoting your full attention to your work.

2. Setting up shop on your kitchen table, coffee table or bed
Working from different areas of the house can be a distraction or create a disorganized environment possibly causing a loss of focus or important materials. Having an area that's sole purpose is work is necessary to put some space between your work life and your home life.

3. Letting your computer lead a "double life"
Having your computer hacked and a customer's personal information stolen while a family member is surfing the Internet or downloading music is a quick way to lose your job. Data security is becoming an increasing concern and you're likely to have access to personal information that needs to be kept private and away form potential viruses and hackers. Sharing your work computer or passwords with your family can open it up to a wide range of problems.

4. Using "ancient" technology
Frequently losing Internet or phone connection while working from home will prevent you from doing your job and ultimately lead to losing customers.

5. Not knowing how to "Google" something
Not knowing how to turn your computer on, what a mouse is or how to perform basic troubleshooting are surefire ways to get the ax. You don't have to be a computer genius, but basic and sometimes intermediate computer skills are needed for work-from-home customer service jobs. Your computer and phone are your links to the company and clients so it is necessary to have a basic understanding of how to run them.

6-10 tomorrow. Have a successful brokering day.

Moving forward,

Jeff Roach
www.brooketraining.com