
                 HOW TO START YOUR OWN MAILORDER BUSINESS

    The mailorder business can be a very lucrative business.  However,
    it does take persistence and it definitely does not happen
    overnight, as some would have you believe in their advertisements.

    It also isn't as difficult as others portray.  Hopefully, after
    reading this introduction to mailorder and analyzing the
    inexpensive offers contained within, you will be able to begin
    your successful start toward financial independence.

                               WHAT SELLS BEST?

    One of the safest and easiest products to sell by mail is
    information.  It is probably the best product for a beginner to
    start merchandising.  At the same time, there are many people who
    earn their entire income from this type of product.  Informational
    books and reports are always in demand.  They are timeless.  They
    can't be damaged in the mails, and there are few returns, if you
    are marketing useful information.

                         CHECK OUT THE COMPETITION

    Take a look through any classified section in an opportunity type
    magazine or a national tabloid.  In fact, look at almost any
    magazine that offers a classified ad section.  Even go back
    several years.  Many ads will be selling informational reports and
    booklets for $1.00 to $5.00.  Why?  Because there is a constant
    market for them.

    Mailorder advertising is just about the only form of advertising
    that can be tracked.  You will learn how to code your advertising.
    You will know exactly what advertising is working and what isn't.
    Even though this is a pre-printed booklet, whoever sent it to you
    will know exactly which of their ads you responded to.

    They probably had several slightly different ads running at the
    same time.  They will know the publication and the date.  All
    responses are placed on a chart.  They will know which ad copy and
    which publications are the most responsive.  This is an ongoing
    process in the mailorder business.

                          TEST BEFORE YOU JUMP IN

    Think about it.  Large (non-mailorder) companies spend thousands
    and sometimes tens of thousands of dollars for just one display ad
    in a given magazine or newspaper.  They have no idea whether or
    not a particular ad helped to sell a particular product.

    In mailorder, you know exactly what is working and what is not.
    it doesn't matter what you're selling: reports, books, gifts,
    gadgets, records, tapes, novelty items, etc.  You should test the
    response to your ads in smaller and less expensive magazines
    before investing in large publications like House Beautiful,
    Income Opportunities or any of the supermarket tabloids, just to
    name a few.

    If you have an ineffective ad, you don't repeat it and you haven't
    lost much.  With the ads that are pulling responses, you upgrade
    to a publication which has a larger circulation.  Obviously, it
    will cost you more to advertise there, but you are now working
    with an ad that you know is effective.

                           ADVERTISING THAT WORKS

    Naturally, you have to have effective sales literature and
    circulars along with a useful product, to eventually make the
    sale.  The reason many people fail in this business is that they
    try to start at the top.  There may be nothing wrong with their
    product or its price.  They put together an ad campaign they think
    is good.  Then they place an ad in a publication like the National
    Enquirer, Star, or Income Opportunities.

    A small, twenty to thirty word classified will cost them between
    $125 and $200.  If their ad is successful, they're off to a good
    start.  If it turns out to be a dud, they've lost over $100.  One
    or two losses like that in the beginning and they quit.

                        USE THE "LITTLE GUYS" FIRST

    It would be much safer to place a few variations of the same ad in
    much smaller and less expensive publications.  When you determine
    which is the most effective ad, then place it with the larger
    publications.

    Another couple of points to remember: contrary to what you may be
    thinking, use a publication that has a sizable classified ad
    section.  Don't be afraid of competition.  In fact, look for it.

    If a publication has a decent sized classified ad section that
    usually means people are reading it.  If it has only a few
    classified ads, you probably won't get much exposure.

                           AIM AT THE RIGHT PEOPLE

    That's a general rule.  There are always exceptions, and you'll
    have to make a few tests.  Also, be sure your product is aimed at
    the type of readership that magazine enjoys.  In other words, if
    you have a cookie recipe, don't advertise it in Popular Mechanics.

    Many products may have "general appeal".  Again, use some common
    sense and run a few tests.  There is some risk and experimentation
    necessary in this business.  It "comes with the territory", but it
    can be limited.  However, when you find a winning ad, it will more
    than make up for several losers.

                            READ ALL ABOUT IT!

    In the beginning.  be satisfied with small gains, Start small,
    test and grow.  My advice is to read as much as you possible can
    on the subject of mailorder.  A couple of excellent authors on
    this subject are Carl T. O'Shea and ray Thomas.  They each have
    more than 20 years of experience selling a variety of products
    through the mail.  They don't "just write books".

    You can also purchase many money making reports and booklets at
    reasonable prices.  In many cases, you may be allowed to reprint
    and resell them for almost 100% profit.  Use them to get your
    start in the mailorder business and build a mailing list for
    future offers.

    Anyone can make big money in this business if they are willing to
    learn, are able to be persistent, and are willing to take limited
    risks.  There are no special skills or talents required.  The
    potential for earning money is mind boggling.  It's happening to
    me as I write.  You'll learn something every single day in this
    business.  Always give more than you advertise.It'll pay you
    dividends in the long run.

                                 ASK QUESTIONS

    Also, especially in the beginning, as you purchase material from
    other dealers, if you have questions, ask them.  If your questions
    don't require lengthy written explanations, most dealers will be
    happy to answer them with your order.  In addition to the written
    matter I've purchased, I've gained much information from other
    mail order dealers.  As you become active in the mailorder
    business you will find there is a lot of buying and selling of
    printed matter between mailorder dealers.  That is an entire
    market within itself.

    Sure -- I've made mistakes.  I've wasted advertising dollars and
    sales literature.  Not all of my ads produced orders.  Some never
    will.  Sometimes, I've advertised in the wrong publications.  Many
    times it took several attempts to get the wording right so as to
    get my message across.  I'll probably make more mistakes in the
    future.

    The point is: I learn from my mistakes.  I never felt there was a
    problem with the product I was marketing.  It was the manner in
    which I was presenting or advertising it.

    Even the millionaires in this business don't always have winning
    ad campaigns.  They'll be the first to admit it.  But if you test
    your ads in the less expensive publications first, your losses
    will be minimal.

                        GIVE MORE THAN YOU OFFER

    Your winning ad campaigns in the higher circulation publications
    will more than make up for your small losing ones.  Again,
    remember: if you always give more than what you advertise, you'll
    build a satisfied customer list, which will become your most
    important asset.

    As you expand your business and add new and different products,
    you want your customers to remember the name on your letterhead.

    Both Stanford Research and the Wall Street Journal have said that
    between 50% and 65% of all goods and services will be sold through
    direct market- ing methods in the 1990's.  That doesn't mean just
    Sears and J.C.  Penney.  In fact, today there are literally
    thousands of people, each quietly earning thousands of dollars a
    month, from their homes.  You can do it, too.

    In the last few minutes, I hope I've been able to give you a
    little insight into the potential in the mailorder business.
    There is no way I could explain everything.  First of all, I don't
    claim to know everything.  After all, there are literally volumes
    of information from which you can gain knowledge on this subject,
    written by persons more experienced than I.

    As mentioned before, Carl T. O'Shea and Ray Thomas are two
    excellent authors on the subject of mailorder.  Melvin Powers is
    another, and there are many more.

    These people write from experience, not theory.  Besides learning
    from my own practical experience, I am continually reading books
    about the mailorder business.  This is a business that can be
    started from your home in your spare time.  It can be expanded
    into whatever you want it to be.

    Very possibly, this could be your main source of income a few
    years from now.  And a very lucrative one, at that.

    Now it's up to you.





