Need advice please for a Sales Rep getting into IM...

Hello All;

I have been hanging out here for a little while and I thought I'd try and get some feedback as to the best route to take for getting into IM.

I am a commissioned outside sales rep and I deal with small businesses in a specific industry. I am looking for ways to supplement and possibly replace my current income. As many of you already know, it is hard to make the transition of building a business while working your full time job.

I have looked at a lot of options in IM and I thought about trying to be an affiliate or do CPA and work on it at night after work. But those niches are very crowded and I know nothing about SEO, PPC, etc.. What I believe is that I am best served selling, i.e., cold calling, setting appointments, presentations, closing, etc... I do have some occasional "down time" during my day and I would like to use that towards building an IM business. The problem is, the downtime is sporadic and sometimes I have no down time for days. I can see that it might be difficult to keep set appointments and service/follow up could be tough as well. I was going to partner with a local tech guy where I would sell and he would build FB fan pages. But I didn't think it would be fair to him to have him waiting if there was an entire week where I couldn't devote any time to it or provide proper follow up.

I think that the best thing for me right now is to be the "door opener" for an IM company and let them handle all the service. I could try and set appointments but I would also just do cold walk-ins to small businesses to see if I can get a few minutes with the decision maker. If I can't close them on the spot then I can leave some material and/or follow up with them during my down time. I have looked at companies like EZlocal and impromptubiz.com and I think that this is my best route for starting in IM, at least for now.

I am sure many of you have been in this situation of trying to make the transition and I appreciate any feedback you have. I also appreciate any advice on what route to take or what companies might be best for me to work with.

Thanks much.

John