MAIL ORDER MADE EASY
CONTENTS
Introduction
The Nature of Mail Order
So What Can I Sell?
Getting Started
Classified Advertising
Office Routine
Direct Mail
INTRODUCTION
Mail order is big business. It can also be risky business.
People start mail order operations in the belief that it is easy.
After all, there are literally thousands of ads in Exchange and
Mart, so it must be easy! The truth is, it isn't. And the mail
order minefield is littered with the shattered dreams of those
people who thought it was.
Although you will often hear about the mail order business, the
truth is that it isn't a business at all. In fact mail order is
only a way of doing business. As such, it has its drawbacks, and
its advantages. To make a success of it, you must understand both
of these aspects. Then you can exploit the advantages, and
minimise the drawbacks. When you are able to do this, you are on
your way.
In order to start a business using mail order, you should first
assess whether you are suited to it. By its very nature, mail
order is a very lonely business. If you are hoping to start up as
a sole trader, you probably won't see anyone in the course of your
working day.
They say that writing is the loneliest profession in the world. I
would say that mail order comes a very close second. If you enjoy
meeting people, mail order is not going to provide much in the way
of job satisfaction.
To become a success it takes total commitment. It is not enough
just to want to be rich. And in order to give your total
commitment, you must enjoy what you are doing.
Take stock of yourself now. If you can't spend hours performing
the repetitive tasks which mail order often involves - you won't
enjoy it.
You should also have an interest in advertising. This is by far
the largest part of a mail order operation, and your business will
stand or fall on the strength of your ads.
I prefer to look upon mail order as 'active' selling. You are in
a position where your ads account for 100% of your business.
A shop owner succeeds through 'passive' selling. His products are
there for his customers to see. He doesn't have to tell them
what is good about them - they can see for themselves.
You will have to rely upon your advertising to pull in custom. If
your advertising is good - you have the best chance of success.
If it is lifeless and uninspiring - you will certainly fail.
Of course there are many advantages in mail order. You don't have
the restriction of working to a set pattern. You don't have to
start at 8.30 or finish at 5.00. You don't need premises, with
all the expense that they incur. You don't have to wear special
clothes. Your business is not affected by the weather. You don't
need a large investment in stock, and as such you don't need a
great deal of capital.
If you decide to go ahead with your plans, this book will show you
the very best way to start your business, to keep it going and to
develop it into a real money-earner.
There are so many ways to use mail order, both good and bad. If
you know the best ways to take advantage of the opportunities
provided by enquiry ads, and how to enjoy the monopoly of being
your product source - the sky is the limit for you. This book
will explain these aspects, and will guide you to success.
So, is mail order the right method of business for you? Or to be
more accurate - are you the right person for the job? If the
answer is yes, read on ...
1. THE NATURE OF MAIL ORDER
This book has been written with the aim of showing you the best
way into mail order on a low budget. Obviously there are many
forms of mail order operation, big and small. But we are not
Great Universal, and it would not suit the purpose of this book to
show you the methods of the monsters! Instead I will give you the
ins and outs of starting your own small mail order business.
Don't misunderstand me when I say small. Anyone just starting in
mail order is small in comparison with the giants like Readers
Digest, and the major catalogue houses. What I mean to say is,
here are the techniques for establishing your own mail order
operation, and developing it to the best effect. How much further
you allow it to grow is entirely up to you.
YOUR BLUEPRINT FOR SUCCESS
In mail order, most mistakes are made at the very beginning. And
because of those mistakes, the beginning is usually as far as you
get. The key to a successful mail order operation is to be
economical. Start with one product.
But how can you run a business with just one product? Maybe you
can't. But if there is no demand for this product by mail order,
then you still have the chance to change it. By selling one
product in the beginning, you can gauge the demand for it. If it
takes off, then add another one if you wish.
Your main goal in the beginning is to stay in business. If you
put all your eggs in one basket, you run a greater risk of instant
extinction!
Don't make the mistake of choosing the first product that comes
into your head. You must choose your product very carefully.
Some products are better suited to mail order than others. Some
aren't suited to mail order at all. Your job is to find one that
is. And this product must also be suited to you.
A very important step to mail order success is choosing a product
that you can sell. Remember, the key lies in your advertisements.
You must know something about your product in order to be able to
highlight the best things about it. The next chapter will help
you to evaluate a product for your mail order operation. It is
important that you read it carefully.
When you have selected a product, you will then have to design an
advertisement. This is not as easy as you may think. You have to
appeal to the right people, and you have to motivate them into
action. In a small classified ad you have to say the right things
in the most concise way possible.
This form of advertising is the best way to get started in mail
order. It is not the best way of selling, but this is not the
most important thing for the moment! If that seems like a
ridiculous statement - bear with me.
Mail order is not most people's ideal way of buying. We have all
heard of those characters who offer you the ultimate product, ask
you to send your cash, leaving you wish nothing but a bitter taste
in your mouth.
As a result of this sort of fraud, people are always cautious of
new products or new firms. And justifiably so. It is for this
reason that you won't get rich overnight. And because of this,
you need to run your ad for at least six continuous weeks. Unless
you are selling your product for less than £5.00, you should offer
to send further details to anyone who is interested.
Now let me clarify the previous statement. A small classified ad
is the best way of starting in mail order. This is because it is
a cheap way of reaching a lot of people, and because it performs
the job of recruiting future customers.
As I said, it is not the best way of selling, but it is crucial to
your success. You will use the best selling technique in six
months time, and your press ad will provide the keystone to this.
This is when your mail order business will step up into top gear.
By using your enquiry ads to the best effect, you are laying the
foundation upon which your success will be guaranteed. The
chapter on direct mail will fully explain the principle behind
this.
If you are still confused by my statement that selling is not the
most important thing for the moment, let me explain. Obviously
you have to sell your product in order to stay in business. But
when you are first starting up, it is unlikely that your
classified ad will produce the sort of results you may have been
expecting. You won't be snowed under with enquiries. Read that
again. If you were expecting to be an overnight success, I'm
afraid you are going to be disappointed.
In the beginning you will generate enquiries from interested
people. They will ask for the further details you promised them,
and you will respond with your sales literature. If they are
pleased with your offer they may buy from you. The majority of
them won't. This is the truth. But the key here is the fact that
they enquired in the first place.
For this reason, you must assume that they are interested in the
kind of product you are selling, but for some reason they choose
not to buy your particular product.
There could be any amount of reasons why they didn't buy your
product. Perhaps the price was too high (or too low), or they
decided to look around to see what other traders were offering.
Maybe they found a similar product in the shops, and bought that
because they wanted it urgently.
But remember, you are only trying to get established, and one of
the most important things in mail order is building up a list of
customers and potential customers.
Every enquiry, whether they buy from you or not, is another name
to add to your list. It is this list that will ensure your future
success. Look upon your enquiries as a success. If they buy from
you - well, that's a bonus! Consider your classified ad as a
recruitment officer that will establish the long-term success of
your business.
If you are still confused, don't worry. This chapter is only
intended as a rough outline to brief you on the methods and
requirements of mail order. The rest of this book will show you
the best way to turn your ideas into a money making venture that
should provide you with financial independence for life.
2. SO WHAT CAN I SELL?
It is an untruth to say that anything can be sold by mail order.
Theoretically, of course, anything could be - but to be done
successfully, it must be suitable for selling by mail. When you
are deciding on a product (or indeed, a service), you should
always consider how much trouble it is likely to cause you when
you come to fulfil the order.
POSTAGE AND PACKING
Those little letters P&P are always a minor irritation to
potential customers of mail order. They think, of yes - the
product costs £5, but the postage and packing is £1.95. All that
extra on top just to get the product. It hardly seems worth it!
While providing minor irritation to the customer, P&P can be a
major problem for the mail order operator. If he decides to sell
a heavy object, he has to allow for crippling postage and packing
expenses. These have to be met by someone, and quite often it is
the trader who is forced to pay the lion's share.
If you offer a product for £1.50 cheaper than the shops are
selling it, you have a good chance of appealing to the reader of
your advertisement. But if, after reading through the rest of
your ad, he finds it will cost him a further £2 in postage and
packing, he is unlikely to be so eager to buy!
When you are considering a product, always try to go for something
that won't be an expensive nightmare to pack, and that won't cost
you an arm and a leg to send. If it can fit snugly into a large
padded envelope, or a small package, it will save you time,
trouble, and money.
BEING THE PRODUCT SOURCE
The most popular way of getting started is to find a product, and
then find a manufacturer or wholesaler from who to buy it.
If you are skilled at making a popular product, or are capable of
supplying your own product in some way, you have a much better
chance of making a lot of money. By doing this, you become the
product source, and you should enjoy a large proportion of the
money made from selling it.
By cutting out the supplier or wholesaler, you will save a lot of
money. If your process of manufacture is not too costly, and will
work out cheaper than buying it from either of these sources, you
should proceed in this fashion.
Probably the most common way of providing a product yourself is to
copy and sell books. If you look through the Business
Opportunities section of Exchange and Mart you will find numerous
ads for books. Many of these have reproduction rights (like this
book), which allows you to copy and sell the book yourself for a
profit!
Alternatively you could write your own books, hence saving you
money from not having to buy the book in the first place. This is
where you can make the biggest profit of all. By writing a book
yourself, and then offering it for sale with or without
reproduction rights, you will be able to make a very large overall
profit. If this appeals to you, I recommend that you read
"Publish For Profit!" which covers this highly lucrative method of
business.
POOR QUALITY - BIG PROBLEMS
A money-back guarantee is one of the selling-points of the mail
order business. As I said, mail order is not the favourite way of
buying, and one of the appeals of mail order for most people, is
the chance to return the goods if they are dissatisfied with them.
Those people who are not altogether keen on the thought of buying
by mail order may be pushed into it by the money-back guarantee.
Offering a guarantee often leads to greater sales. This is an
important part of your sales campaign, and one you should
consider. Whether your guarantee for or against you will depend
largely on the quality of your product.
Quality is a very important consideration in choosing your
product. If you sell a product at a low price, the chances are
you will make a lot of sales. But if this product is of very low
quality, you can also expect a lot of returns. The key is to
offer a good quality product at a reasonable price. This way you
can ensure that people will be attracted to the price, and buy
your product. The good quality will also ensure a minimum of
returns.
KEEP IT SIMPLE
In the beginning you will be advertising in the press. This will
probably be a short classified ad, so it is important that you can
get your sales message across in the briefest manner possible.
If you are selling a strange new gadget that people are unfamiliar
with, it may be very difficult to do it justice in so few words.
For this reason, it is best to start with a product that people
know, or can understand. Save your complicated products for later
on.
WILL IT MAKE A PROFIT?
Obviously you need to make a profit from your product, without
pricing yourself out of the market. The best way to generalise is
to charge three times as much as what it cost you in the first
place.
For example, if you are buying your product from a wholesaler for
£8, you should aim to sell it for at least £24. This is not
blatant profiteering, just good business sense. Remember, you
have to cover your costs as well as pay the rent. You have to
advertise your product, you have to package and post it, and you
have to eat!
When you consider a product, assess whether or not you can sell it
for at least three times what it will cost you to buy, or produce
it. If the price is too high for people to be attracted to it,
you should reconsider your product. Check whether or not you can
obtain it at a cheaper price, or if you can save on your
production costs. If not, forget it. Look for something else.
CHOOSE A 'SELLER'
When you are choosing a product, try and pick one that you know
has a market. In other words you want a proven type of product.
This gives you the knowledge that there is a market for it, and
you can aim your advertising at that.
Take a look through Exchange and Mart and see what products are
being offered. The more advertisers there are - the bigger the
market for that type of product. You want something that is
selling now, and is likely to continue selling for some time to
come.
Don't make the mistake of thinking that you can make a killing by
selling something that no one else is selling. You will soon find
out why no one is selling it - because no one wants to buy it!
Avoid the latest 'fads' and fashions. These tend to be 'ten day
wonders', and you won't be able to develop a profitable business
by constantly changing your product. Aim yourself at an
established and thriving market, and proceed to carve a niche for
yourself in that.
SECURING YOUR FUTURE
In order to maintain a good steady demand for your product, you
should choose one that has good follow-up possibilities. this
means that the people who buy from you will come back to buy more,
or similar, products from you again.
Some products offer great follow-up possibilities, while others
don't. In order to establish your business, it is wise to choose
something that will guarantee repeat custom.
Your press advertising will bring in many enquiries from people
who are interested in your type of product, and even if they don't
buy from you now, they are still potential customers.
If you decide to specialise in computers, then you will generate
interest from people who are hoping to buy one. If they don't buy
from you, then you can assume they brought one from someone else.
But this is not the end of the story for you. Later, when you add
further products like computer discs and other software to your
range, you can write to your enquirers, and offer them these.
It is the follow-up possibilities that will secure the future of
your business, so choose a product accordingly. Once you have
built up a good name list of customers and enquirers, you will be
in a good position to introduce further products related to what
you are currently selling.
You will be able to see the importance of this in six months time.
This is when you will apply the selling method most likely to
bring in big business. In the meantime, choose a suitable
product, and start out by selling it in the classified ad section
of Exchange and Mart, and any other magazines that cater for your
particular product.
And when you get an enquiry, write their name and address on your
list ...
3. GETTING STARTED
Having chosen your product, the next step is to set up your
business. The basics of actually starting a small business is not
within the scope of this book, and I direct you towards another
book for this. That book is Up and Running.
This book goes into great detail on the ins and outs of starting
up in business, and is to be recommended if you are starting up
for the first time. It will also give you a lot of valuable
advice and inside secrets on making a success of your venture.
Whatever you do, get professional advice from the beginning. This
is vital. Make sure you open a business bank account, and talk to
an accountant and a solicitor. You will need these people at some
point or another. You will also need to notify your local tax
inspector of your intention to start up in business, as well as
the DHSS.
I also recommend that you obtain copies of the Fair Trading Act,
the Sale of Goods Act, and the Trade Descriptions Act, all
available from HMSO bookshops. These will give you guidelines on
some of the legislation governing mail order selling.
LOOK LIKE A SUCCESS - BEFORE YOU ARE
Your first purchase should be good printed stationery. Nothing
has more immediate influence than a good letterhead and envelopes.
Good quality here is essential. Try and stretch to 100 gms paper,
and incorporate some colour into your letterheads. This will give
an impression of success and reliability long before you have it.
In the beginning you will be approaching suppliers and other
important business organisations. Do it on your letterheads. If
you can, wait until you have your letterheads before you approach
them. You will be surprised at the respect they will show you
when you look professional. This can be especially valuable in
getting credit facilities with suppliers.
Depending on what product you decide to sell, you may need
compliment slips and business cards. Have them all matching your
letterheads. You can often get a discount on 'business packs' of
matching letterheads, envelopes, compliment slips, and business
cards. Make sure you get off to the best start here.
If you are unsure of what to put on a letterhead, ask the printer.
He will always be happy to help you in designing a layout, and
choosing a typestyle for your stationery.
YOUR OFFICE
The beauty of mail order is that you don't need premises. As such
you can run a successful mail order operation from your back
bedroom at home. All you need do is have a typewriter and a
telephone installed there (even a telephone is not always
essential), and away you go.
Your basic equipment needn't run to great length either. As well
as a typewriter, you may consider the usual stuff like a stapler,
paper punch, a couple of ring binders, a date stamp and some
postal scales. You will need to make some provision for filing,
but some of the best files I've seen are nothing more than
ordinary cardboard boxes!
Don't consider anything expensive at this stage. You can always
have any photocopies you need run off at any local copy shop. The
key here is in keeping your costs down until you are actually
making money. Don't make the mistake of splashing out on a
computer or photocopier unless you can really afford to.
You will also need adequate storage space for your stock. How
much space you need obviously depends on how large your product
is. It is always wise to keep a reasonable amount of stock, but
again you don't have to pile it up.
INCREASING YOUR RESPONSE
At this early stage you might like to consider using some of the
facilities offered by the Post Office to increase response to your
advertising.
A good method of increasing your enquiry rate is to use the
freepost service. By using the word FREEPOST in your advertising,
your enquirer doesn't have to use a stamp when making his enquiry.
This is a good way of catching those 'borderline' enquirers, who
put their enquiry in their pocket with the vague intention of
sending it off, but never seem to get around to buying a stamp.
Freepost is always a second class postage service.
As well a freepost, there is another method of paying for your
potential customer's postage, and this is the Business Reply
Service. With this you enclose a business reply envelope in
response to an enquiry, so all your potential customer has to do
is put in his order and post it off. You have a choice of first
or second class in this service.
Ask your local postal sales representative for information on
these, and other services which can help you in your mail order
venture.
If you intend to take advantage of the freepost offer, do it now
before you start to advertise. This way you can ensure the best
possible response rate to your advertising.
As soon as you are ready, your next step is to advertise your
product to the nation. The next chapter will cover classified
advertising in the press.
4. CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING
Once you have set up your office, and acquired a reasonable amount
of stock, you should then proceed to advertise it. In the first
instance your best bet is to use classified advertising. This is
cheap and will reach a lot of people, which is your main
intention.
THE RIGHT PLACE TO ADVERTISE
Your obvious choice of publication is Exchange and Mart. There
are many categories in this magazine, and there is bound to be one
to suit your product. Buy a copy and turn to the section which
covers your product. If there are other traders there selling
similar products to your own, then this is where you should start.
You can, if you wish, use only Exchange and Mart for your
advertising. But if there are any specialist magazines for your
product, then it would be a shame to miss out on the chance of
appealing to these readers. Have a look at the classified ad
section in specialist magazines and consider placing a small ad
there.
Remember who you are trying to reach. It is customers you are
hoping to attract, not other traders. Don't place an ad in a
magazine that caters mostly to the trader. You want one that is
widely read by the people actually buying your product.
CREATING AN AD
Your ads are your salesman. In mail order this is your first
contact with any potential customer. Therefore your advertising
must be up to scratch. A classified ad can be as long, or as
short as you wish. But regardless of its length it must do one
vital thing - sell.
There are four components in an ad. The best way to remember them
is to use an acronym. This is a word formed from the initial
letters of another group of words (as in NATO). In this case we
have:
A ATTENTION
I INTEREST
D DESIRE
A ACTION
Every good ad will encapsulate all of these components. To see
how they apply, we will take them one by one.
ATTENTION
The reader of any magazine is a moving target. He will only read
what appeals to him, or what grabs his attention. For this reason
you must make your ad shout at him. To do this you must grab an
intriguing or exciting introduction. Use words that grab the
attention. Examples of such words as "MONEY", "CASH", "POWER",
"SUCCESS", "FORTUNE", "SEX", "LOVE", and so on. Anything that can
grab the attention of your reader will draw him into reading your
ad. If you don't achieve this, you have lost a potential
customer.
Try to offer your reader a benefit - something that can make his
life more rewarding. If he can't see what's in it for him, he is
unlikely to want to take up your offer.
INTEREST
Now you have caught the attention of your reader, you must
immediately arouse his interest. To do this it is best to go into
further detail about your headline. Explain more about the
benefit waiting for him. A common mistake here is to lose the
excitement generated by the headline. Keep the reader interested.
Tell him more about what you have just described.
DESIRE
The next step in your ad is to create desire in your reader. This
is where you make him realise that he would be doing himself a
favour by responding to your ad. Tell him how his life would be
bettered by having your product. This is where you must create
sufficient desire to make him want to part with his money, or
write a letter of enquiry.
ACTION
This is the finale to your ad, and it is where you tell the reader
what to do. Be it an enquiry, or payment - tell him what to do,
and how to do it. tip him over the edge, and into action.
Reinforce your sales message by telling him again how he would
benefit by responding to your advertisement, NOW!
Don't falter now, because this is the last thing he will remember
about your ad. You must be firm and confident here.
EXAMPLE
In order to clarify these components, let's see how all this
applies to an example classified ad that might be run by someone
in the business of selling a body-building course:
ATTENTION
MASSIVE MUSCLES FAST!
INTEREST
See the body of your dreams taking form within
days with the fastest muscle-building system
there is!
DESIRE
Imagine the looks of admiration when you walk
onto the beach!
ACTION
Get the revolutionary Muscle Manual, NOW!
Send stamp for free exciting details, to:
Notice the mention of 'fastest muscle-building system there is'.
This is another important part of a good ad. This is a USP
(Unique Selling Proposition). This manual can boast something
that no other can. It produces results in the fastest time. You
may not always have a USP, but some can be found from the most
unlikely source.
For example, did you know that oral painkillers such as aspirin
and paracetamol are absorbed into the bloodstream at the same
speed? Because of the manner of absorption, all painkillers work
at the same rate. Now, how many of you are immediately thinking
of Anadin? Do you think that works faster? Perhaps you do - but
why? Because of their slogan - "Nothing acts faster than Anadin!"
Now sit and think about that slogan for a moment. What does it
actually mean? It doesn't mean that Anadin is faster than the
rest. It just means that nothing acts faster, precisely because
they all act at the same speed. It was a very clever advertising
slogan that did little harm to the sales of Anadin. So, even when
you are selling the same as hundreds of others, there is still a
USP to be found!
SUBMITTING A NEW AD
When you have prepared your ad, you must then send it to the
appropriate magazine. When you do this, it will save you
considerable time if you also send details of your business and
product. Magazines like to know something about new advertisers
and their products, as well as any literature you will send to
people who will enquire about your product.
Send them a brief description of your business, and the product
you are selling. Also send them some copies of the literature you
will send to enquirers. This will save you the time and trouble
of having your ad delayed while they wait for this information.
DURATION
In the beginning, it will be best to run your ad for six
continuous weeks. This will give you a good indication of its
success as an ad. Assess your ad after four weeks. If it is
pulling in plenty of enquiries, then you can continue running it
unchanged. If you are getting very little response, then you can
change it in plenty of time, so that your new ad can take over
directly from when your old is due to finish.
Keep a note of advertising deadlines. Some magazines will require
ads to be at their offices weeks before your planned first
publication date.
Keep running your good classified ads, making a note of all your
enquirers' names and addresses. In six month's time, you will be
able to use your list of names to mount a direct mail campaign,
which should boost your sales dramatically.
5. OFFICE ROUTINE
When you start to generate enquiries, you should be prepared to
handle them in the swiftest way possible. Eventually you will
also be receiving orders, so good office routine is essential to a
smooth operation.
ENQUIRIES
You should already have prepared some sales material and an order
form to send to those who will enquire of your product. When
enquiries come in, add the name and address to your list, and
prepare your sales package.
Write or stamp the date on the back of your enquiry letters and
put them into a file marked 'ENQUIRIES'. Always put new enquiries
at the back of the file, so they run in date order from oldest to
newest. This is so you can write a follow-up letter after a few
weeks if they haven't responded to your first sales package, and
you will know who to write to first.
ORDERS
You have two choices when you receive orders. You can either wait
for their cheques to clear before filling the order, or you can
send them immediately. This will usually depend on you who are
dealing with. If you are selling to the public, you are probably
best waiting for cheques to clear. This saves you the hassle of
cheques bouncing, after having parted with the goods.
Just as with the enquiry letters, write the date on the back of
the order and file them in an 'ORDERS' file, newest to the back.
If you have more than one product, enclose details of the others
with the order when you send it off. This is the best form of
free advertising there is, and is something you should always take
advantage of.
RETURNS
If you get a return, that is someone sending your product back for
a refund, write them a cheque for the appropriate amount (minus
production costs if it is in a bad condition), and send it with a
brief letter or complement slip, explaining what the cheque is
for.
FOLLOW-UP LETTERS
If, after three to four weeks after sending details, you have
received no order, prepare a follow up letter. Send them the same
details as before, and remind them once again of your offer. You
may at this point offer them an inducement. This is a further
offer to their benefit if they reply with their order promptly.
This could be in the form of a discount voucher, entitling them to
money off of the original price if they reply before a certain
date. You may think up your own inducement depending upon your
product, but make sure you can afford to do it.
It is up to you how many times you issue follow-up letters in the
hope that someone will eventually buy your product. Some firms
send up to ten follow-up letters, with even further inducements
and discounts, but be careful here. Obviously a sale is
preferable to no sale at all, but you don't want to get to the
stage where you are almost giving your product away.
6. DIRECT MAIL
After six months of solid advertising, you should have built up a
good list of names and addresses. When this time has elapsed, you
should consider adding a further new product to your range. You
will then advertise this using direct mail.
The companion book to MAIL ORDER MADE EASY is a comprehensive
treatment of this, called INSIDE DIRECT MAIL. Intended as the
partner to this book, it is to be recommended for when you are
ready to take up a direct mailshot. This form of advertising is
by far the most effective, allowing you to speak directly to those
people you know to be interested in your products.
When you have a new product, prepare your sales material and send
a copy to every person on your mailing list. Enclose details of
any of your other products if you have any, but don't advertise
too many, or your sales target will be lost. During this time,
you should still continue to advertise as normal in the press.
If you have less than one hundred names on your list, which is
unlikely after six months of advertising, or you would prefer a
much larger mailshot than the one you have, your next step should
be to find a good mailing list. This would be a list brought from
an established trader in your field.
If you do decide to buy a list, make sure you are getting one that
is up to date, and has existing buyers of similar goods to your
own. Some firms use lists that are years old, which means they are
as good as useless.
Remember, people move away, die, or lose interest, and lists get
less effective with age. The list is the most crucial part of
your mailshot. It doesn't matter how good your sales literature
is if it's going to 'dead' names.
Make a regular habit of sending a mailshot. The best way is to
send a mailing to new names every couple of months. If you
introduce another product, then you can send a mailshot straight
away. Direct mail is a very powerful advertising technique, and
can be very profitable when it is done correctly.
Don't forget to keep your own list up to date. When a customer
moves house, change his address on your list so you can ensure
your sales literature is still going to the right people. In time
you will be able to offer your own mailing lists for hire, giving
you a secondary income for little expense!
Keep tabs on your advertising as well, so you know if its working
as it should. If your enquiry rate should start to decline to the
point where you are making a loss, change your ad.
Always stay on top of things, and be aware of any new product that
you can add to your range. Don't make the mistake of becoming
complacent. Get off to the best possible start, and plan
carefully. In this way you can be assured of building up the good
regular custom that will guarantee the future of your mail order
business.
Take time to study the points raised in this book, and then apply
them to your own product. Very soon you will feel the excitement
of waiting for your post to come, knowing that somewhere amongst
those letters is a few more orders!