Most
entrepreneurs have at some point considered mail order.
And
indeed, it can be very lucrative. But -
there is a way
of
making it even more lucrative, by restricting your
operations
to one of the most lucrative parts ever!
Mailing
out mailshots can be big business. A big
business
that
can be yours if you decide to sell through the post in
this
fascinating way!
A
mailing business couldn't be simpler.
All you do is select
a
suitable product - you can start with just one.
Then,
produce
an effective, high impact mailing to sell it.
Post
off
the mailings and just wait for the orders to flood in!
All
the best of mail order, without the frustration and
difficulty
of preparing press ads, that general mail order
dealers
have.
The
sheer success of mailing is based on a simple unwritten
law. Basically, you can find a minimum response
rate for
your
product. In other words, a guarantee that
so many
mailings
will produce so many orders. This way
you can be
virtually
sure that if you mail so many circulars you will
make
a set and firm amount of sheer profit! Mail order at its
best.
PROFIT
POTENTIAL
The
attraction of this branch of mail order is that you can
often
set your income. Make so many mailings -
get so much
money
back!
Mail
order traders usually rate their response on a per
thousand
basis for comparison. Some good products
sold by
mailing
have been known to sell 200 out of 1,000 i.e. out of
1,000
circulars sent out 200 orders resulted.
A huge profit!
By
comparison a poor mailing might only make 10 sales per
1,000
- probably a loss. So, you are probably
safe to bet on
50
orders per 1,000 mailings. It may well
be higher, but
work
on a mere 5% return, and you're sure to profit.
Knowing
what sort of response to expect can enable you to
plan
for profit. The amount you must sell
must cover all
your
costs - and profit. So set price levels
accordingly.
Usually
higher priced products are best.
Just
imagine you prepared a 1,000 mailings at an inclusive
cost
of about $200. From that you obtained 50
orders for a
product
at $30. That's a 'take' of $1,500 -
ample to cover
your
costs and with plenty of profit left over!
Next,
assume you could repeat your example over hundreds of
thousands
of mailings. The sheer profit potential,
almost
guaranteed,
is easy to access.
CHOOSING
A PRODUCT
For
success with mailings it is vital to choose the right
product. It is usual in the trade to 'test' several
before
homing
in on the most successful.
Products
should be those that are frequently sold by mail
order. Don't try to be too different. They should be
attractive
and exciting and just 'beg' to be bought.
You
should
also be able to obtain stocks, handle them - and pack
and
post easily.
The
most important criteria in product selection is the
eventual
selling price. This should be high,
though this
does
not mean sales will be low. If you are
only making 3,
4,
5% sales, it should probably sell at no less than $20 per
item. Larger amounts, perhaps up to $100 would be
ideal.
Also
make sure your product offers a good profit margin.
Anything
less than 60% would be unsuitable, up to 99% is not
unknown! If you can't meet these standards with a
single
item,
try 'lumping' several together in one mailing.
Do
remember there are no right or wrong things to sell.
There
are thousands of possibles - and people do buy by mail
order,
running into hundreds of pounds. Just do
be sure to
inexpensively
test products until you find one that really
works.
PREPARING
A MAILSHOT
Your
mailshot is of course vital. And, you
may want to
experiment
with different approaches. A mailing
expert or
writer
could be used for this, but you can prepare it
yourself.
All
the best mailshots centre round a brochure.
This should
be
on coloured paper and ideally illustrated and worded
attractively. Support this with a sales letter (always
white
paper). This should introduce and explain your
product as
well
as convincing the reader to buy it. Use
high impact
wording
to make them want - and make them order -
immediately.
Each
mailing should include a return order form to make
buying
really easy. And, a return envelope
which is prepaid
through
the Post Office Business Reply Service.
The cost is
usually
repaid many times over.
It
is best to put the printing of your mailing in the hands
of
a high quality printer. Obtain several
quotes first.
Poor
quality literature is definitely a false economy. Some
printers
will print all your requirements and also pack and
seal
it into envelopes to save you a lot of time.
For
best results use good envelopes. These
should be printed
with
an eye catching slogan to really grab attention.
MOST
FROM THE POST
Your
next job is to post your mailshots - and this can be
quite
a technical operation. For a start you
can't just mail
anywhere. You must mail to recognised mail order
buyers.
The
names and addresses of such people can be bought from
list
brokers. There are many firms, but try
several to find
those
with the best lists.
Purchase
buyer names can usually only be used once for one
payment. But, most brokers will supply their names
printed
onto
address labels. This makes your job
really easy!
Before
mailing circulars, contact your local head post
office. From time to time, there are special
introductory
postage
discounts. And, bulk mailings of several
thousand
qualify
for quantities of free postage.
It's
probably best to release your mailings in batches to
produce
a steady flow of orders. Experiment with
the actual
day
of posting which hence affects the day of receipt.
Mailings
received on Monday are often less successful - but
those
received on other days can do either well or extremely
well. Test and see!
ORDER
HANDLING
People
who do best in mailing give little regard to order
handling. Yes - it should be prompt and careful, but
you
should
give most time to preparing and mailing circulars.
If
you can, take payments on trust and post orders by return
-
within 7/14 days at least. Always
enclose details of
additional
products when fulfilling orders. Past
customers
are
highly likely to buy again. Also keep
addresses of past
customers
- mail new offers to them as they are launched.
Again,
they are likely buyers.
Nothing
is better for business than a delighted customer.
But,
if you do receive complaints, it's best to make a full
refund. That customer may well remain loyal!
The
whole future success of circular mailing sits behind
giving
good service and getting repeat orders.
If you can
attain
this, you won't need to spend much money on
advertising
in future.
ACTING
ON INFORMATION RECEIVED!
Studying
your market and results obtained is crucial to the
success
of mailing. Basically, the idea is to
minimise
failures
and maximise successes for a huge overall gain.
If
you
send enough mailings you are sure to be able to tell
which
are most successful.
The
business is really a continual testing process.
Try with
different
approaches and different methods. Try
different
products
- different prices - different wordings.
All these
things
can combine to make either a disappointing result - or
an
outstanding success. This is just the
same procedure used
by
the 'millionaire' type mail order venture.
Some
mailings you make are bound to be less than
satisfactory. But, the trick is to monitor and record
results
carefully so you can spot such mailings.
Then - cut
your
losses. On the other hand you will be
able to quickly
spot
your successes - and cash in on them.
For
example, you might find that a particular product priced
at $25.50
is selling poorly, despite what appears to be good
advertising. So, why not experiment with a cut in price to
$24.99? This is just the sort of thing that can boost
response
by hundreds of orders - it has happened!
A
sensible approach is to prepare mailings for the same
product,
but in different ways. Record what you
send out -
and
record the orders that come in. You can
then spot which
works
best and concentrate on that. Try enough
variations
and
you're bound to find a highly efficient approach that
will
make you a lot of money.
Success
in mailings is very much a matter of 'trying
anything',
keeping your eyes and ears open - and then jumping
on
the bandwagon when you find a success. A
good success can
be
very good indeed.
A
FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH
Mail
order has always been known to be a powerful business.
But,
many successful mailers are not full mail order dealers.
They
know how powerful circulars can be and just concentrate
on
that part of the market. You are best to
start that way
too.
Circular
mailing is so potentially profitable because it is a
very
exact science. Something you can succeed
in with
minimal
effort now you know the success secret.
Never
vary from the proven principle of trying, testing and
aiming
for what works best. Quite simply,
success breeds
success
and a mailing that pulls 50 orders out of 1,000 could
just
as well pull 5,000 out of 10,000. At
perhaps $50 per
sale
that's no small sum - and it can all start from a
handful
of mailings sent out to locate just one that really
works. A powerful medium indeed!
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