Tuesday, October 30, 2007

COGNIGEN

How would you like to get paid for the telecommunication services you use every day? Sign up to be a COGNIGEN agent and that's what happens. Click on the link above and sign up under BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY. THIS IS A FREE BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY AND COSTS YOU NOTHING TO BECOME AN AGENT.

SIGN UP TODAY!!! Visit ld.net/?debtfree2007 , to sign up

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Liveops

One of the first companies I applied for when trying to transition from a 9 to 5 to working at home was Liveops. I was referred to this company by a long time friend and comrade who also has a strong entrepreneurial spirit. While to trying to pinpoint honest and real work at home opportunities, my spirit lead me to look up an old time friend. My quest to find her was somewhat difficult because my old contact number was incorrect. I finally found a current phone number through a mutual contact. Upon contacting her we caught up on events in our lives. We talked about opportunities available and she recommended Liveops.

I immediately looked up the company on the Internet. I proceeded with the application process, the background check, purchased a corded land line phone while I was waiting and was accepted. I completed my online training, and finally was ready to start taking calls. To be honest I was petrified. I had never done anything like this before. And did not know of anyone who had done this from home. Somehow, I completed my first phone order and took another and another.

For those of you who are wondering "Well how do you get paid?" Well, Liveops actually manages the time you are on the phone. I submit an invoice and get paid bi-weekly. Very simple.

Some people have asked me about qualifications for this type of work as far as credit or crimanal records. As far as criminal records I am not sure. I can say my credit was not perfect when I applied, as a matter of fact I would say it was less than perfect. Once you go thru the initial steps of the application process you will know then if credit or criminal records will be an issue. You will be rejected or accepted during the initial application procaess. All I can suggest that it's worth a try if this is something that interests you. The worst that can happen is rejection. And don't we all have to go accept rejection in our lives. And even if you are rejected from one company don't give up. There are many more companies out there that hire independent contractors to work from home. It just depends on what you will be required to do. Continue to follow my blog as I will share my experiences or knowledge concerning other companies that are legit.

Liveops.com is a very user friendly community or organization. All work and training is done on line. The company is very technologically advanced. You will be very impressed as I have been. I have learned a great deal in working for them. They have certainly expanded my horizon and I am grateful for that. Check them out. Remember, to take your time filling out the application. Be professional. Ask for help from family or friends if you need to. The more experience you have in sales the better. When and if you have to do the phone interview, make sure you speak clearly, and make sure there is no back ground noise. Be prepared to have to spend $30 to $40.00 for a background check. What is so great about these companies that allow you to work from the comfort of your home is that you can plan your work schedule around your personal or professional life.

As far as your work schedule you can schedule or (commit) yourself to work in as few as 30 minute increments. (love that option) They do however, operate 24 hours all around the world. This has helped me tremendously when I needed to help out with family, transportation, (yes I am an unpaid chauffeur too many times, but I am thankful to be able to help my family and friends when needed) grandchildren, etc.

In addition you must have a computer with proper specs, (I would recommend a laptop because of the flexibility;s although I use a desktop at time as well), a land line phone with no features(no voicemail, call waiting, caller id, etc.) and a corded phone with a headset.

As I stated before I have learned a lot from this company and from my fellow Liveopers in forums, emails, telephone conversations. They are the best of the best. If I can be of assistance let me know.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Companies that Hire Independent Contractors

Hi Everyone

I have listed some companies to the left of this page that I have applied for, or worked for that hire customer service reps to work from home. Believe it or not, there are many legitimate companies to work for. Most of the time the only out of pocket money is the cost of a back ground check (usually $30 to $40 dollars) and your equipment. When you apply with these companies, take your time. Apply when you can really focus on the application process. It will mean the difference between rejection and acceptance. (It will also make the application process easier if you have a copy of your resume saved somewhere on your computer.)

A word of advice, most of these companies expect you to have reserved an area in your home to take or place calls that is free from distractions. So if you have an extra bedroom, a basement space, that would be perfect. What they want to hear during the phone interview is that you have an in your home, apt, etc. that is set up with your required equipment and is free from distractions. Most companies will require a phone interview, you will probably be reading from a script, so practice first. Most do allow you an opportunity to redo if you make an error.

Also each company has a different application process. With some the application process is very user friendly, with others you'll want to pull your hair out. So before your start the application process, get a cup of coffee or a cold Mountain Dew, allow an hour or two and just do it. Also keep records or notes somewhere of who you sent an application to and when. Make sure you watch your email after applying. Lastly, be prepared to apply with several companies. As an independent contractor, you can work for more than one company unless there is a conflict of interest.

I will be posting other opportunities so stay tuned, bookmark me if possible and feel free to ask questions or comments if you want. I have been operating a home based business for almost 2 years as well as doing research on legitimate work-at-home companies.

Good luck and keep me posted on your progress.

Love ya.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Is Working at Home For You??

I'm back as promised. First of all Working From Home is not for Everyone. It is for the disciplined. Most work at home jobs require high speed Internet, a computer(assuming you are computer literate folks, a dedicated phone line, and a corded phone with a headset feature.

You just can't have a computer, are pecking to find the j key, the s key, and when a customer tells you their e-mail address is "at ....... dot net", you must know the (at) they are referring to is the ampersand key and do not type a..t... You get my drift? You must be computer literate, be able to process orders or provide information over the phone using your computer. You may be taking orders or taking calls from someone in Hawaii, and you may be in Maryland, It may be 4:00 pm where you are but 2:00 a.m. where the caller is from. So mind you they may have just gotten up to smoke a cigarette, turned on the TV, watched an infomercial, called the number on the screen, and voila they get you. So, my point is they may be short on patience, at 2:00 am in the morning, much less have patience for a person on the other end taking their order who does not know where the keys are on the keyboard. So if you are now where I was 10 ears ago, and not even know how to turn on a computer, then try taking a computer class, ( I'm sure there are some in your area for free, or do as I did and order the Video Professor beginner's lessons at http://www.videoprofessor.com/. There is a cost to purchase his videos but you can learn at your own pace, stop, rewind, and keep trying until you get it right. There is a cost to his lessons, but, you have to be of the mind set of an independent contractor, you have to have the mindset that you are willing to invest in your future and progress. You no longer work for someone else you contract yourself out to work for other companies. So, therefore, you have to invest in your self to make yourself marketable.

Another important fact. You have to have an area that is quiet that you can take calls free from noises and distraction. So for those that have dogs or cats or other distractions, when your phone rings, the customer on the other end must not hear a dog barking, a cat's meow, or a child crying. Also, I would suggest you do not have the cat in your lap when you are trying to type, with his tail in your face because he wants some attention. Nope, can't have the cat walking across the keyboard trying to get your attention because you have been on the phone for 4 hours now, and the cat is hungry. (You all know how cat's do:).

Now lets talk about those adorable kids and grand kids. NOBODY WANTS TO HEAR THEM, RECEIVE EMAILS ABOUT THEM, OR TALK TO THEM!!!!! while you are working from the comfort of your home taking calls. Get It? The caller on the other end of the phone did not call to hear you talk about your grand children, your children, your cousin, step daughter, etc. As a matter of fact, the caller should ever know you have children, because THEY SHOULD NOT HEAR THEM.!!!

So make sure your children and fed, attended to if need be, are trained not to come to your work area while you are on the phone working. The customer on the other end of that phone should never know that you are taking their call from your home.

Now that we have the pets and the children trained and under control, let's focus on the husband, boyfriend, the brother, that has no place to stay right now, but in your home. What will they be doing while you spend endless hours on the phone and your weekly or bi-weekly check is going ca-ching, ca-ching. What on earth will your husband, lover, boy fiend, relative, be doing? CERTAINLY NOT TALKING, PLAYING, DISTRACTING YOU!!! Start preparing your mates now, there will be some cold showers, only take the Viagra, when you know you are not scheduled to work. And tell the brother, or relative, that he'll have to start watching the kids as well as eat all your food. That's right get everyone straight, prior to accepting the calls. Let everyone know IT'S ALL ABOUT THE DOLLAR BILL Y'ALL. Don't be scared now, I got your
back Boo!!

Next time we will focus on your work area and equipment needed to have a successful home based business. I will share with you my experiences and the amount of money I have been able to make from the comfort of my home.

Friday, October 12, 2007

I Just Can't do the Nine to Five Thing

From being an employee, manager, independent contractor, entrepreneur, I have finally come to the conclusion that a Nine to Five J.O.B is not for me. I've tried it, quit, gotten fired, etc. and it is just not for me. Maybe it's that strong entrepreneurial spirit in me, or the fact that I cannot give an employer 8 to 10 hours of my creative mind.

I have been working in the comfort of my home for about a year and 2 months now. I LOVE IT!!!. I can schedule my time in 30 minute increments. I can schedule, commit, uncommit depending on my needs or the needs of myself, family or friends. I can be available if need be for unexpected emergencies, grandchildren, etc. See, I determined on my last nine to five that Allah(God) wanted be to make myself available for a larger whole. The job was crazy and the Masters (management style) was crazy. Can I just take a minute of your time, (well this make take 10 minutes, I haven't released enough since I quit this job (2 years ago?). Okay I was working for a third party collection agency. Granted I also had previous experience working for one of the Major credit card companies, as a collector, and then promoted to the retention dept. This later company had great benefits, incentives, vacation pay, etc. It was the job I prayed to get (and you know what they say, "be careful what you pray for". It was a great job until I ended up in the physiologist's office like 70 % of the staff. I figured out why they granted so much vacation pay, sick leave, etc. ...Because you were going to need it!!!

Okay, so let's go back to the last job I QUIT!! Yep QUIT!! Said take this job and SHOVE IT!!! Bare with me people, I'm releasing here. Now as I mentioned earlier this was a third party debt collection agency. Therefore customers were seriously delinquent. We were strongly encouraged to be mean to people, rude, some supervisors were downright fraudulent in collecting payments. The retention of employees for this company was probably around 10 % in my estimate. They hired them and fired them. Not only that but it was a call center environment, and whenever someone collected a payment, the whole office had to blow whistles, clap, scream, whatever to applaud that collectors success. Never mind you had a customer on the phone. And then there was your quota. In the midst of this madness you had to meet daily, monthly quotas. And get this, when the supervisors had an announcement to make they just screamed at the top of their lungs, (whether they were behind you, beside you, and you did were talking to a customer, It did not matter to them.) Management promoted no respect for customers or me. After about 6 months of this I said, "You know what, I am not going to participate in this madness. I did not struggle all these years to dehumanize myself.

Their firing policy consisted of calling you in the office, and while you were in the office, they packed your things, put them in a box and put the box outside the door. So when you came out of the office you were escorted out the door with or where your box was.

Which leads me back to the reason for my posting today. Now I work from the comfort of my home. I have made as much as $1600 in a two week pay period. It was hard, but I had that option to achieve it. And spent much time in my pajamas working.

So stay tuned and I'll give you some insight to finding legitimate companies that hire Independent Contractors or employees to work from home. Feel free to post and tell me why you are ready to "STOP DOING THE NINE TO FIVE THING".