The start up of any sales or marketing effort demands total commitment to attaining specific, attainable & measurable goals.

The old rule of thumb is that sales is a game of numbers. If you don't do the numbers you will not make the grade. But it is not enough to just produce numbers. You must also TARGET YOUR MARKET. Pick a niche. Markets are too broad to take on in one fell swoop.

You need a product or service to sell. It doesn't have to be ingenious but it does have to be marketable.

One client I have moves dirt. They are the most competitive, efficient & the best at it. They almost have a monopoly on their territory. They picked a service, identified the market area, gave the best prices, increased volume levels and delivered on time - every time. They picked a niche.

You must of keep in mind the cost to develop your market. You have to set an upper and a lower level on your business costs. There might be a job that you can take on but realistically it requires to much capital to finance. Your greed wants you to go for it but your pocketbook tells you not to do it. Be careful. Don't bite off more than you can chew.

Make a simple, straight forward business plan. Do not make the business plan your life ambition. In fact, 2 days after you finish your business plan it will be out of date. So put it on a word processing program and change it to suit you as situations develop. Define your specific targets and move to that end.

In everything you do - USE COMMON SENSE.