Guideline #3: The Price Is Not a Secret. I'll be honest. This practice annoys me a lot, and it has me mystified. It's peculiar online sales tactic of making customer work really hard to discover what something costs. You go to a Web site or you receive a piece of email promoting a particular product or service. However, no pricing information is available. It may not even be readily apparent that item is for sale. You click your way through a big Web site, finally to locate pricing information in tiny print in an obscure corner. Sometimes there's just an invitation to phone them or to send an email for more information. I dunno…It seems to me customer should not have to work really hard to buy something. However, I'm open to hearing opposing viewpoints. If someone out there knows of a good reason why it's best to avoid mentioning money when conducting e-commerce, I'd be pleased to hear what it is.

Guideline #4: Forget Jargon. I received a press release that went like this: "Our remarkable new solution that promotes integrated data management of media content that will realize better return on investment (ROI), and that, in fact GISTICS has evaluated potential ROI to be as high as 16:1. (GISTICS, 1997) with general benefits …." Nuff said. If anyone understands what devil they're selling, let me know.

Third: Dress part. This may seem silly, but it's really important. If you're dressed for business, you're more likely to keep your mind on business. Be comfortable, but look sharp. You don't have to wear a business suit, since you're at home you can go a little more casual, just don't sit around in your pajamas all day. You'll be surprised how lethargic that can make you.

Fourth: Create an effective work space. The basics of daily life are more disruptive than you realize. If you're stopping every few minutes to deal with kids, dog, and spouse, if there's a television on in room or if you're right by family phone, you're not going to get a lot done. Set aside a quiet, out-of-the-way office space in your house and make it off limits during your work hours. This may be a spare room, or just corner of your bedroom. Whichever you choose, just make sure there's a door between you and world.

Once you have your space, decorate it and keep it neat. Set up your space like a real office. Put up a couple of pictures, hang up your diploma, get a plant, whatever you think will motivate you. Then keep your papers organized and your trash bin emptied. A nice looking, organized space will really contribute to your productivity.

Take your home business seriously. If you follow these tips, you'll find yourself getting a lot more work done, and that only means more profit. There's money to be made out there if you know how to do it.