There are few people who wouldn't welcome the opportunity to earn extra money. After all, the sluggishness of the economy means that our money just doesn't go as far as it used to. When you add in the mortgage crisis and job outsourcing, it only makes sense to find ways to make money at home. In times like these, extra cash can help make ends meet or pad your bank account a bit just in case the unthinkable happens.

Unfortunately, many people who want to work from home don't take the steps necessary to find the right opportunities and ensure their success. Here are five tips to get started and stay on the right track.

1. Write down your motivations. To find the right opportunity, it helps to get clear on why you want to earn money from home. Do you want to supplement your income, to have part-time work while the kids are in school, or do you want to save for a vacation? Whether you are looking for some extra spending money or you need the money for necessities, putting pen to paper and outlining why you want to earn money will help you focus and stay motivated.

2. Make money online. If you have a high-speed Internet connection (as most people do), it literally pays to look for ways to make money online. After all, you already have a computer, so why not work at home and make your own hours? Hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of people are already making part - or full-time incomes online. Shouldn't you be one of them?

3. Find the right opportunities. It's sometimes difficult to figure out which work at home opportunities are legitimate and which will work well with your skills and interest. The best place to start looking is a website that provides visitors with a comprehensive listing of the top-rated opportunities to earn money from home. That way, you can be assured that the opportunities have been researched and investigated, and that the company or companies you choose to work with pay on time, give excellent support, and will help you earn from home.

4. Do the math. Once you've written down your motivations and have reviewed opportunities to work at home and make money online, you need to determine your financial needs. When you know how much you want to make, you can do the math and figure out the amount of time you'll need to commit to reach your goals.

5. Treat it like a job. While it's true that working from home means that you can set your own hours and work as little or as much as you'd like, the only way you'll truly succeed and earn money at home is if you treat it like a job. That means setting regular "office hours" where you're free from distractions and can concentrate on your efforts to make money online. Perhaps you want to work while the kids are in school, or maybe you're a night owl and want to work from midnight until three in the morning. To increase your likelihood of success, though, set a regular schedule and stick with it.

As a new business owner, you probably started out accepting cash and checks but not credit cards. Or if you have a business online, you might have accepted PayPal but no other payment options.

As your business grows, you will have more people asking for more varied payment options, and as your budget allows, you should expand to offer as many different payment options as you can.

Paying with credit cards and debit cards is becoming very popular. You might be hesitant to accept credit cards because of all the fess associated with them, but the truth is you might make up the cost of the fees in increased sales.

People are likely to spend more when they are using plastic and to make more impulse buys than they would if they were paying with cash or a check.

In addition to accepting credit cards, you should also get a payment processing device that allows you to accept debit cards, meaning it has a keypad on which customers type their PIN numbers. Many people like using a debit card because it's faster than writing a check but still makes them control their expenses since the money is coming right out of their bank account.

Accepting debit cards is great for you as well because you know the customer has the money if the debit card payment goes through. The fees are also lower when accepting a debit card transaction than they are on a credit card sale.

These days customers want flexibility. They, just like you, are busier than ever. There are a lot of people out there who never carry cash and who hate to write checks. If you don't offer a credit card or debit card option, you've lost a sale -- potentially a lot of sales.

Opening up to different methods of payment will make your customers happier and bring you more profits. It doesn't have to take a lot of time or money to get set up with a merchant account, and once you do you'll wonder why you waited for so long. Some payment processing companies even offer free equipment and have very competitive rates that mean you'll get to keep more of your money and put it back into building your business.

Having a merchant account is part of the price of doing business in the 21st century. Do some research about the different payment processing options and move forward on accepting credit cards as soon as you can. You'll be glad you did.

Each day people are looking for a way to earn money at home. Sometimes it is in addition to a regular job, or as a main source of income. The opportunities are unlimited in finding home employment today.

A home-based business is not dependent on a person's location or prior experience. By searching for yourself through the various online offerings, you will be able to find a way to earn money at home based on your individual skills and interests. There are also many companies that offer training for a home based business.

Finding Credit Solutions for Others

Finding credit solutions for others and money brokering are effectual ways to earn money while working at home. You would be able to work full or part time as your time and schedule allows. By providing this kind of service you will be able to expand business by receiving referrals from satisfied clients and by advertising.

Becoming more independent is an important goal for many people. They might want to open their own business and need financing. Or perhaps they are in too much debt and need a credit solution to release them from financial stress. There are people every day that need help and don't know how to handle their situation. You can be the one to help them as you earn a lucrative income at home.

Help Others and Earn Money At Home

Learning how to help people with a credit dilemma or helping them to get started can be a rewarding and lucrative business. Help your clients learn how to use financing, credit cards, how to begin saving and avoiding bankruptcy.

Help people to manage their money and become free of the debt they owe. Teach them to live with a budget and avoid going deep in debt. Show them ways to cut household expenses and easy ways to save money. Teach them money skills that can be passed along to their family. Using practical steps to keep them financially stable will give them the opportunity to realize their dreams.

Another Way to Earn Money At Home

While you earn money at home through finding credit solutions for others, you can also earn extra money by signing up for a free affiliate program. Earn commissions by advertising for others and bringing sales to those companies.

Home Based Business

When considering a way to earn money at home, take time to visit websites that offer training and help in getting started. The financial rewards are only limited by your time and effort. With a just small investment, you will be able to enter into a profitable endeavor, helping others with credit solutions while working in your own home.

From the traditional point of view, cold calling conversations should constantly lead towards making a sale. We’ve been given only one path to follow, and that’s getting a "yes."

This is why our language and energy feels stilted. We aren’t being genuine, and we aren’t inviting the other person to tell us the truth about where they stand.

Here are four powerful reasons to relax and stop trying to force cold calls into sales:

1. When we’re carrying "forward energy momentum," others feel pressured

Most cold calls break down the moment potential clients feel a lot of "forward energy momentum." That’s because it brings a feeling of being pressured. Noone likes to feel even a little manipulated, and that’s what pressure is all about.

Sales pressure is a mighty saboteur that comes in all shapes, sizes, and flavors. Making any cold call with the anticipation of a sale puts the whole conversation under pressure. This doesn’t normally create good outcomes. It triggers resistance and tension.

2. Anticipation of a sale blocks the flow of normal conversation

Most of us truly believe that our product or service can help others, so we assume that anyone who fits the profile of a potential client should buy what we have to offer. Isn’t that one of the first things we learn in our sales training?

But this is a recipe for disaster when it comes to cold calling. When we make a cold call presuming someone will be interested, we’ve automatically moved into expectations. This means we’re focused on trying to "guide" the conversation into a sale. Genuine dialogue goes into the back seat, and sales pressure climbs to the front.

Move away from making any assumptions when making cold calls. After all, how much sense is it to have assumptions about someone you’ve never spoken with? How much can you possibly know about their problems, issues, needs, budget, or other key information?

If you approach your cold calls from a place of genuine interest rather than expectations, both of you will relax and the interaction will flow naturally.

3. When you explore whether you’re a "fit," then you stop chasing invisible sales

If you’re always focused just on making the sale, then you’ll miss the signals that a prospect isn’t really going to buy from you. You find yourself chasing phantom sales and wasting a lot of energy. You can diffuse this by first determining whether you and the potential client are a good fit. Invite the other person to focus on this with you. Determine together whether a good business relationship might genuinely be possible.

When our honest objective is not to make a sale but rather discover the truth of the situation, we’re less likely to get carried away with "possibilities and potentials," and more likely to hear the truth of what’s being said. We can disengage from people who really don’t intend to buy from us, and focus instead on potential clients who have a problem we can solve.

4. When we’re always trying to close the sale, sincere interest doesn’t have the chance to participate in the conversation

Whenever our aim is to "get the sale," we can’t relax and let the other person move things forward. We’re high energy and full of pressure.

This means our potential client is always responding or reacting, rather than initiating anything. When all you’re thinking about is leading the conversation to a "next step," you're trying to do two things at once.

You're trying to have a sincere conversation while still controlling the outcome. Your potential clients can feel this conflict. They feel suspicious and react by holding back the truth of their situation. They simply don’t trust your intentions.

When you release any hidden agenda with moving your conversation toward a close, people feel that you’re focused on their needs and issues. They begin to trust you. Thus, they will share truthfully what their real needs are and whether your product is a fit for them.

When you’re not focused exclusively on making the sale, then you can close with the phrase, "Well, where do you think we should go from here?" This gives the green light for your potential clients to share clearly where they stand with you.

You’ll be amazed at how often your prospect is the one who sets the appointment.