| |
| |
|
Marketing Information |
|
|
|
The Beginners Mail Order Opportunity Guide
The "Mail Order" business is not a business of itself, but isanother way of DOING business. Mail Order is nothing more or lessthan selling a product or service via advertising and the offersyou send out by mail. Therefore, to start and succeed in a mail order business of your own, you need just as much, and in some cases, more business than you would need in any other mode of business. Remember too there are "good guys" in mail order, and there are"bad guys", just like in any other business. So, your best betfor a "proper start" with the greatest chance for success isafter a thorough investigation of the products being offered andbeing sold; an analysis of the costs involved to get a fledgingmail order operation off the ground; and a good "sixth sense" ofwhat your potential customers will buy. You'll need a great dealof practice, and persistence as well. Mail Order is over saturated with plans, directories, salesmaterial and products that have been around for ten, fifteen,twenty years and longer. Many of these materials were not thatgood in the beginning, and yet they're still being sold as "quicksecrets to wealth and fame". This is part of the reason for the"junk mail" reputation of mail order. Just a little investigation on your part will show that mostsuccessful people doing business by mail are always on the alertfor "new products" and they quickly add these products to theirown sales inventories as they become available. This is a "mustfor success" rule, regardless of whether you do or don't produceyour own products. It's almost impossible to gain much success with a singleproduct...report, booklet, book or manual. The best way is tosearch around for a number of related products, then, afterarranging "drop shipping" deals with the suppliers of theproducts you want to include in your listing along with your ownself-produced product, make up a "catalog listing". It is best ifthis is a single 8x11 sheet of paper, printed on both sides,listing the titles of the reports and/or books you haveavailable, including your own, with a "tear off" order coupon atthe bottom. One of the best programs available in mail order today is offeredby Premier Publishers. This company offers you a variety ofcirculars, with an order coupon on the bottom of each circular.At present, they can provide six different circulars, listingover 100 different low-cost reports and manuals, such as thereport you are reading now. The circulars are grouped accordingto price range and subject matter of the reports described in thecircular. There is an open space on the order coupon for you toinsert your name and address. After inserting your name, you cantake or send the circular to the printer of your choice, and havecopies printed in the quantity you need. The next step is toinsert these circulars, along with one of your own productcirculars, in all your mailings. Premier Publishers allows you afull 50% commission on each sale of items on their circulars.They will dropship you, keeping your customer's nameconfidential, and in no way encroaching upon them. In addition,discounts up to 80% off the retail price are available to youwhen you are ready to carry your own stock, and buy reports orbooks in quantity. This is what you need for a "money-making" start in thisbusiness: a full page circular advertising your own product, plusanother full page circular listing products or titles related toyour primary offering. Premier Publishers advise you to send twofull page circulars; one advertising your own product (if youdon't have a primary product of your own, they'll furnish you asingle book circulars to feature), and another advertising a listof related products ot titles available to your customer. Once you start receiving orders form this mailing, you mustimmediately acknowledge receipt of the orders and follow up withother offers. The "follow-up" offer is where most beginners fail.Either they don't have follow-up materials to send or they justdon't send out these follow-up offers. Here again, PremierPublishers can provide the material for the follow-up. They cansupply you with a 24 page Unique Books catalog, which list 400titles for your customer to choose from. These catalogs can beordered in small quantities, with your name and return addressalready imprinted. To follow-up after receiving orders from yourcustomers, simply write a short note, thanking your customer forhis patronage, and advising him when to expect to receive hisorder, and then include a follow-up offer, such as the bookcatalog, in the mailing. And that's how you will build yourbusiness, and attain success in mail order. But, let's get back to the beginning and help you to learn whatit takes to succeed in mail order. Don't believe those ads thattell you it doesn't take any money. First off, you are going toneed envelopes: #10 mailing envelopes with your name and returnaddress imprinted in the upper left corner. You'll also need areturn reply envelope with your name and address on the face ofthe envelope with each #10 envelope you send out. These can beeither #6 or #9 return envelopes. Ask your printer or officesupply store to let you inspect samples. To realize profits of any consequence, you'll need to send out atleast a thousand, preferably five thousand letters per mailing.And back this up, you'll need a supply of envelopes for youracknowledgement and follow-up offers. you can purchase imprintedmailing and return reply envelopes form your local quick printshop; but for better prices, and with the thought in mind ofkeeping costs in line, it is best to shop around for the bestprices. Generally speaking, you'll find the lowest prices offeredby those printer who do business by mail. Look for "printing bymail" advertisements in all the mail order publications you comeacross. Write them for a price list and a sampling of their work.For envelopes, we suggest you contact any of the firms listed onthe next page for their current prices. The mail order business is very closely tied inwith the printing business. Unless you have your own printingplant, always shop around for the best prices and keep your"production costs" in line. Once you've gotten your envelopes ready, and your circulars madeup, you'll need a potential customer list. Again, don't believethe advertisements and "free" advice that states that all youhave to do is send your materials out to a "fresh opportunityseekers" list. We have found that the best prospects are thosepeople who have purchased similar or related items. When selecting a supplier to work with in the mail orderbusiness, always be sure they are quick to fill orders. Customercomplaints are the last thing you want, and poor service leads toa dissatisfied and lost customers. Always be sure your supplier"protects" your customer list, and always make sure he goes that"extra mile" to work with you, and not just for his own profits.This is the kind of service you want from your supplier. Finally, you'll need to consider advertising the differentofferings you have for sale. We suggest that you start small witha few experimental ads in your local paper or shopping news. Then Copyright 2004 by DeAnna Spencer Resource box.
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Marketing And Patience "Get your positioning and your programs implemented properly, and the numbers will come. But you've got to have some patience. The Path To Your Prospects Wallet Begins At His Heart You want your prospect to make the decision to buy your product or service. So you show him what you have to offer in your sales letter, web page, ad or commercial. Top Web Site Blunders by Coaches, Consultants and Experts Of all the web sites belonging to coaches, consultants and experts that I have reviewed, more than three-quarters shared a very serious marketing blunder: Their potential clients wouldn't understand from their home page precisely what they do. Jargon gets in the way. Attracting New Business on a Shoestring Budget In a recent marketing workshop I attended, I discovered that most business owners rely on just two or three strategies to attract new business. Even well-established companies tend to rely on one or two strategies. Mastering the ABCDs of Small Business Marketing & Selling I believe that small business marketing and selling follows a certain flow. The pace of the flow may differ depending on what you're selling, but I still see the flow for virtually every small business. Are We There Yet? Small business marketing is not like taking a family vacation.Did anybody take a family vacation this summer? Do you have children of your own, or do you remember what it was like when you were a kid taking a trip somewhere?I can still remember the family vacations as a youngster growing up. How to Make Profits With a Commission Mailing Business There are many mailorder publications that will list your nameunder this directory.. Independent Professionals: What Stands Between You and Your Artist Statement? What Stands Between You and Writing an Artist Statement or Professional Statement?Is it a dry creek bed, or the Grand Canyon? A closed door, or the Chase Manhattan Bank vault? Or maybe, it's the whisper of many doubts: Artist statements are so predictably icky. What can you say about your work that someone else can't simply see? What's the point of words for a visual experience? How am I going to be authentic, but not arrogant? Sincere, but not sentimental?And yet, you know that pros consider artist statements an essential part of a good portfolio (or About Me pages essential to a web site). Stay in Touch with Leads and Get More Closes How many leads have come into your business since the beginning of time that never closed? That is a salient question. Who knows how many, but I bet there are a lot. 20 Tricks to Help Get That Envelope Opened When your envelopes aren't opened, you can't make money! Beforeyou can get an order, the recipient of your mailing package mustfirst open the envelope. Unfortunately, many recipients ofdirect mail simply discard the material without opening theenvelope. The Secret to Good Writing Skilful business writing involves getting your message across simply and quickly. This often means writing in a style that is easily read and understood by a broad audience. Want to Increase Your Business? First You Need to Understand where You are at! Are you having trouble understanding basic situational marekting concepts? Then this article is for you.Alex Margarit shows you a simple step by step way on how to put together a basic situational analysis. Time for A Marketing Tune-up If you have been in business any length of time, I can assure you that habits, not conscious thought, are guiding your marketing actions. Many business people are great optimists, or they probably wouldn't have gotten into the game to begin with. Where Are Your Leads Coming From? Most B2B marketers spend a great deal of time analyzing the performance of their programs and initiatives. The reason is obvious: With the growing pressure on marketing to produce measurable results, it's critical that every marketing dollar is invested wisely. How to Manage Your Marketing Mix Here's the deal: advertisement is not marketing. It's like saying you want to have a garden, but you're only willing to plant the flowers. Mailing Lists - Keeping it Simple The right direct mailing list targets people who want your product or service.The direct mail mailing list is a key factor in a successful direct mail marketing campaign and a major point to consider in small business marketing strategies where marketing ROI (Return On Investment) is a key concern. Using a Marketing Calendar Template Owning a small business isn't easy, especially if you are running it alone. Between moving products, taking orders, paying bills, and taking care of family, it is easy to lose track of everything you need to do. Profitable Marketing Programs Part 2: Figuring Break Even Point In Part 1 -- http://www.websitemarketingplan. Direct Mail - Dont Assume, Just Test and Track Where to Start:Most novice marketers have definite fixed ideas about direct mail that are way off base - most often in the area of what to spend and how much to do. You should determine what you are able to spend for your marketing budget, spend it, and determine the maximum number of leads that you can create. Using Purchased Leads A little advice about using leads that you purchase from another source;These are not opt-in leads per-say, that you have gathered using lead capture pages.They might join your list, but initially this is a whole different animal.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
