Home based selling: A survival guide

As online shopping grows increasingly popular, home based businesses are booming. I should know – I run one. The appeal for customers is clear: unique, curated products which are often hard to find in the mainstream markets available at a click of a button.

However, a seller’s job is not as easy as it seems. We are constantly dealing with angry, invisible customers who fear we are out to cheat them.  After running a clothing line over the course of three years, I have had to learn the art of customer satisfaction, crisis management and smart selling. Here are some of the secrets I learned:  

Managing a home based business along with the other chores is a task in itself. Everyone at my house is involved. They help in preparing orders, packaging them, dispatching them if I’m unable to do it myself since I work alongside this business. A good portion of my house has become dedicated to business logistics. The dynamics are very different than routine small businesses.

I believe in giving as much detail about my products as possible. This is the key to develop the interest of the buyer.

Some clients don’t realize that sellers are as human as they are and have a life besides selling products online.

Then there are the frustrating times when I get an untimely Whats App messages and calls from customers who expect me to answer promptly. They don’t realize that sellers are as human as they are and have a life besides selling products online.

“Your product is expensive. We get the same stuff at Rabi Centre for lower rates – kuch kam kar dein”.

How do you deal with such scenarios? I clearly tell these clients “Aap market se khareed lein!” These negotiations are tedious and time consuming. Some clients simply don’t understand that the facility of being able to order online and availing home delivery comes with an additional cost. It is better to not argue, and let it pass.