| You can make a million dollars or more in mail order, | | | | actual profit... |
| but it's going to require a complete understanding of | | | | The point is that before you invest, you should figure |
| the business as well as a little bit of know-how on your | | | | out the costs of producing the product or service |
| part. New millionaires are made every day in mail | | | | you're offering for sale... You should know how much |
| order, but not before they've "paid their dues", and put | | | | it's costing you to sell each unit of your product and |
| up a sizable investment. | | | | get it to your customers - And you had better have a |
| Profitable mail order operations are money-makers | | | | follow-up line of products to sell after you've made |
| because of three basic things: | | | | that first sale... |
| 1) They offer a product that costs very little to | | | | Some of the "Insider Secrets" used by successful mail |
| produce; it's something that once produced, can be | | | | order operators include setting up partnership |
| reproduced in quantity at little or virtually no cost; and it | | | | investments - you offer professional advertising |
| costs very little to deliver it to their customers - not | | | | copywriters a percentage of the business in exchange |
| withstanding the fact that this product must be | | | | for their help with your advertising needs... You offer |
| something "everyone would like to have". | | | | printing shops a percentage of the business in |
| 2) They promote their products with first class | | | | exchange for supplying you with your printing needs... |
| advertising - reaching their potential customer via | | | | Besides offering your potential customers with things |
| every means possible. | | | | to buy, you include other things such as mailing lists, |
| 3) They use good business management and/or cost | | | | print and mail services and product dealerships... |
| control to keep their production, advertising, printing and | | | | It's important that you know what your costs are to |
| shipping costs at a bare minimum. | | | | sell your products; to use your imagination to get other |
| With these things in mind, let's talk about the product... | | | | mail order operators to share your costs with you; and |
| In selecting a product to sell, one should always to his | | | | to reduce your expenses as much as you can. This |
| homework, or market research, before investing too | | | | means that if your costs per sale amounts to $1.50, |
| much of his time or money. This simply means "finding | | | | leaving you with a profit of 50 cents per sale, you're |
| out" what the people "want to buy;" determining his | | | | going to have to make 200 sales before claiming $100 |
| costs to produce and sell this product to them; and | | | | in profits. Considering you were able to pull in a |
| ultimately, knowing what his true profit picture is going | | | | response of 3% from a mailing of 1,000 offers, you'd |
| to be. | | | | end up with ninety sales and a profit of less than $50... |
| Thus, the important thing to remember "BEFORE" you | | | | What we're trying to pass along is simply that before |
| get going with a mail order business, is that if you don't | | | | you get involved in a mail order business, be sure that |
| have the "right" product, you'll never do much more | | | | you select a product that the whole world "wants" to |
| than break even. To much money, time and effort is | | | | buy - then make sure that your advertising reaches |
| wasted by people trying to sell something that no one | | | | the people "standing in line" and wanting to buy |
| wants to buy! | | | | whatever it is you're trying to sell - and finally that |
| The second thing to know, and fully understand about | | | | you've got all of your costs reduced to the bare |
| profitable mail order operations is advertising... | | | | minimum... |
| Advertising is the "life-blood" of any business, but | | | | Too many people wanting to "get rich quick" in mail |
| particularly so with a mail order business - otherwise | | | | order sales, jump in without knowledge of whether or |
| how are your potential customers going to know what | | | | not the product or service they're offering will sell. |
| you have for sale? The better your advertising, and | | | | They invest money in pre-furnished advertising |
| your abilities to use it profitably, the more money you're | | | | materials, envelopes, a rubber stamp with their name |
| going to take in. It's just that simple, but there's a whole | | | | and address, time to fold and stuff these advertising |
| lot more to it than just a quick reading of these words. | | | | materials, mailing lists and postage. From there on, it's |
| Mail order advertising means the ads you place in all | | | | an unending "rat race" to recoup their money and time. |
| the publications catering to your potential customers. It | | | | Our advice is simply to investigate everything before |
| also includes the sales letters and/or circulars you send | | | | you get involved - be assured of how many sales you |
| out via direct mail or as follow-up materials with your | | | | can make relative to the number of offers you send |
| orders. And, it also encompasses any radio/television | | | | out - your printing and mailing costs to bring in orders, |
| as well as word of mouth or free publicity blurbs you | | | | as well as how much time you're going to have to |
| might get. | | | | devote - and finally exactly how much of a real profit |
| In order to turn a profit with a mail order business, | | | | you can claim... |
| you've got to know how to write a good classified ad | | | | The more you know about mail order sales, the easier |
| - how to put together an order-pulling display ad -how | | | | it'll be for you to select a product or service that you |
| to write/design a winning advertising circular - and how | | | | can use to pile up a fortune for yourself. So, it is just |
| to create an image of credibility, as well as "angles to | | | | everyday common sense to "look into the possibilities" |
| play" in order to get free publicity. The bottom line here | | | | before committing yourself - laying out a complete plan |
| is simply that if you don't understand advertising, and in | | | | for a mail order business on paper -getting all the |
| particular, mail order advertising - and you can't afford | | | | helpers or services lined up at absolute minimum costs |
| to pay a proven, professional mail order advertising | | | | to yourself - and then launching your business with |
| copywriter to do it for you - then you're either going to | | | | confidence as well as dedication. |
| have to learn how to do it for yourself or forget the | | | | Don't get involved in a mail order business without |
| dream of making a fortune in mail order. Remember, | | | | market research, plus complete awareness of all |
| you're going to have to invest advertising dollars to | | | | costs needed to launch and/or sustain your business; |
| make money in mail order, but unless your advertising | | | | and of course the kind of profit you can count on. At |
| pulls in the orders for you, you'll just be wasting your | | | | the bottom line, it's going to cost you an investment of |
| time and money. Finally, let's discuss profitable business | | | | time and money, regardless of what you try to sell by |
| management and cost control... Very few people | | | | mail order - check it out before you get involved... |
| invest money in a new car, a new house or the | | | | Copyright 2004 by DeAnna Spencer |
| selection of a doctor without "finding out" as much | | | | Note to editors: |
| about their contemplated investment as possible. | | | | To show my appreciation to the editors that use my |
| Starting or getting involved in a mail order business | | | | articles, I offer a free solo ad. Simply send an email to |
| should be taken just as seriously. It's imperative to learn | | | | me by using the form on the contact me page on my |
| all there is to know about running a mail order business | | | | website to tell me the url the article was used on or |
| - to know your actual investment in time, money and | | | | send me a copy of the ezine it was used in. |