Do
you enjoy reading the small Mail Order Dealer magazines?
Do
you enjoy working with new Mail Order Dealers and Opportunity
seekers?
Do
you enjoy ordering and receiving "Big Mails"?
If
your answer is YES to all of these questions, then it would
probably
be profitable and pleasurable for you to start a "Big
Mail"
service.
In
the pages that follow, I will show you how to set up a Big Mail
Service.
I'll
show you how to advertise your service and I'll also show you
how
to use the Big Mails that you receive in your own mail to your
own
advantage.
I'll
show you how to use commission circulars (and how to get a
lot
of them free!) and I'll also show you how to keep track of
them.
We'll
talk about co-publishing, and we'll discuss circular mailing
(you'll
learn how to get people to pay you cash to mail their
circulars
for them!)
I'll
show you a simple trick that will get you a lot of free
advertising,
and I'll show you where to get a free mailing list
that
will create a lot of new customers for you, if you are
willing
to put in a little work to get them.
But,
before we go into all this, I would like to give you a word
of
caution.
Big
Mail selling looks easy and it sounds easy - but IT IS NOT!
Selling
Big Mails is a lot of work, HARD WORK.
And
it is NOT a way to get rich quick!
You
will probably not make any money at all for at least a few
months.
In
fact, you will have to invest more than you take in.
If
you are willing to invest a little of your money, and a lot of
your
time, then you can gain invaluable experience selling Big
Mails,
and then you will make money.
You
will gain experience that you could gain nowhere else in the
whole
world.
And
if you are alert, creative, and AMBITIOUS, you can eventually
turn
your mail order business into a very lucrative enterprise.
If
you are still interested - and I hope you are - please read on!
The
first thing you should do is sit down with the latest issue of
say,
the Exchange and Mart, and order at least twelve Big Mails.
After
that, get into the habit of ordering at least one Big Mail
EVERY
DAY!
Then
devote a portion of EACH DAY to STUDYING them.
And
I do mean STUDY!
Feed
your mind and your imagination with all kinds of ideas.
The
Mail Order Business is a very creative and imaginative one.
The
more you feed your imagination, the more it will do for you!
Set
up a personal notebook.
I
would suggest you divide it into four sections:
Commission
Circular Sources
Sources
of Low Cost Printing
Prospective
Mailing Customers (save the circulars that other
dealers
have been paid to mail. I'll show you
why later on.)
Good
ideas.
You
can set your personal notebook up any way you like, but I use
a
loose-leaf notebook and scotch-tape the ads, circulars, etc.
Read
and re-read every circular and mail order magazine that you
can
get your hands on.
SAVE
ANY IDEA THAT APPEALS TO YOU!
Start
ordering SMALL supplies of "commission circulars" that
APPEAL
to you. (Never try to sell anything
merely because it pays
a
BIG commission).
When
you are satisfied that you really want to start selling Big
Mails,
there are two very practical things you must do.
1. Order a name and address rubber stamp.
Ensure
it is SMALL enough to use on commission circulars.
2. Open a PERSONAL CHEQUE BOOK ACCOUNT.
Open
it in your OWN NAME. When you start to
advertise, use your
own
name. If you do that, there will be no
problem when you go to
the
bank to deposit checks that your customers will send you.
Your
next step is to place an ad in at least SIX mail order
magazines
or ad-sheets.
In
the beginning you will have to use publications that will
accept
handwritten or typewritten copy, since you do not yet have
"camera
ready" ads.
Your
ad should read something like this:
BIG
MAIL - 50p. COMMISSION CIRCULARS MAILED FREE!
(your name and
address).
A
simple ad like this will pull better than one with a lot of
words
in it.
You
probably already know which magazines or ad sheets you want to
advertise
in.
That
is fine!
But
I would like to suggest you start off by advertising in at
least
one or two of the following:
*
Exchange and Mart
*
The Opportunist
*
Trading Places
All
of these are publications which will set your ad up for you.
They
appear regularly EVERY MONTH ON TIME, and almost everyone
interested
in mail order reads them!
There
are also many publications that are CO-PUBLISHABLE, the
publishers
of each publication will send you 50-100 copies to
include
in your Big Mails. You pay between œ4 to
œ8 per issue to
co-publish,
and you will usually get a free ad in the paper.
Your
name will appear on your copies as the CO-PUBLISHER. You
will
get to keep around 50% as your commission on any ads or
subscriptions
you sell.
If
you are faithful in mailing your copies, you can often make
enough
profit on ads and subscriptions to pay for all your ads!
This
way your ads actually cost you nothing.
Each
advertiser is also mailing his copies to his customers or
mailing
list, and every last copy mailed has YOUR ad in it.
The
publisher is also mailing a copy to every person on his
subscription
list, so usually within about ten days after your ad
appears
in print, you will start receiving letters with money in
them
asking for your Big Mail.
Some
advertisers, for one reason or another, are quite slow in
mailing
their copies, but this can work to your advantage.
You
will often get orders two or three months after your ad
appears!
COMMISSION
CIRCULARS
Long
before you start receiving orders for your Big Mail, you
should
have acquired a starting supply of Commission Circulars.
You
will want to include them in every one of your Big Mails.
Commission
circulars are usually A4 sized, offering such things
as:
Rubber
Stamps, Folios, Magazine Samples, Envelopes, Business
Directories,
Drop Ship Samples, Mail Order Plans, Mailing Lists,
Printed
Stationery, Catalogue Samples, Circulars, Books, Magazine
Subscriptions,
etc, etc, etc.
Wholesale
firms supply commission circulars to mail order dealers,
usually
at cost.
The
dealer stamps his name in the blank space under "Order From"
and
mails them to prospective customers.
When
he receives orders (and he will if he mails them regularly),
he
keeps his commission, which is usually about 50%.
He
then sends the balance, along with his shipping label, to the
wholesaler,
who drop ships the order directly to the customer
under
the dealer's shipping label.
Commission
circulars can be profitable for you, as a Big Mail
Dealer,
if you are very careful to select only those circulars
which
appeal to Mail Order Beginners.
You
will soon learn that gift items and general merchandise rarely
appeal
to people who are ordering Big Mails, unless you can offer
them
something on a wholesale basis.
If
you can work at it, you can make a lot of extra money by
including
good commission circulars in your mails.
Test
a few hundred copies of each commission circular. If it
evokes
no interest, discontinue it. But if it
produces an order
or
two, then include one in every piece of mail you send.
When
you have found a circular that "pulls", try to have them
printed
with your name and address on them (printed circulars will
often
pull FIVE times better than stamped ones).
Don't
mail poorly printed circulars.
They
tend to make your entire mailing look sloppy.
You
will also find that A4 circulars pull better than any other
size.
Once
your ad appears (stating COMMISSION CIRCULARS MAILED FREE)
you
will start receiving free commission circulars.
Test
every circular that is given to you.
Push
the winners - discontinue the duds.
Eventually
you will develop a list of real money makers to include
in
your Big Mails.
Most
of the suppliers of commission circulars are honest people.
They
offer items of real worth.
But
occasionally you will find circulars that you should not mail.
They
will get you into trouble!
*
Adult Offers (pornography).
Even
if you do not object to this, some of your customers will ...
and
some of your customers may be minors.
*
Stuff and Address Envelopes at Home.
Send œ10 for starting kit.
These
offers are illegal. People have been
convicted in court for
selling
them. Besides, the plans are worthless.
*
Chain Letters.
These
are also illegal. Beware of any circular
that says you will
receive
œ20,000 in sixty days if you will mail œ3, or œ5, and
"follow
these instructions", etc.
There
is one other thing I would like to caution you about.
There
are many standard folios that have been around the Mail
Order
Business for the last twenty years or so.
They
are excellent folios, well written, well printed, and the
advice
in them is absolutely valid.
But
it is a waste of time trying to sell them to mail order
beginners.
Most
of them already know where to get them at wholesale prices!
If
you receive FREE commission circulars offering these folios, by
all
means, mail them.
You
may get an order or two.
But
if you are going to buy expensive circulars, be sure you are
offering
something NEW, something which every mail order dealer
has
not already seen at least one hundred times!
FACTS AT YOUR
FINGERTIPS
As
a Big Mail Dealer, you will be selling many things.
So
that you fill each order accurately and promptly, I suggest
that
you start another loose-leaf notebook.
Divide it into
three sections:
1. Commission Circular Information.
2. Co-Publishing Information.
3. Advertising Schedule.
1. Commission Circular Information
Every
time you receive a new supply of commission circulars, sit
down
and examine them (sometimes you will receive two or three
varieties
in one envelope).
Tape
one sample of each circular in your notebook.
Underneath
it, write:
*
Name and Address of the Drop-Shipper.
*
Amount to forward to the Drop-Shipper.
*
How to obtain additional circulars (are they available with your
name and address imprinted on them?)
2. Co-Publishing Information
Most
publishers of mail order magazines will send you details
about
their publication.
If
they do, simply sellotape the sheet in your notebook.
If
not, record these facts yourself.
*
Name and address of the publisher.
*
How much to forward on new advertising, subscriptions, etc.
3. Advertising Schedule
To
keep your ads running CONTINUOUSLY, you will have to keep track
of
"closing dates" (the last date on which a publisher will accept
advertisements).
Here
is a simple method for you to use:
Take
a page of common notebook paper.
At
the top of the page, write the name of the month. Then number
down
the page from 1 to 31 (use one line for each day of the
month).
The
closing date for, say, The Opportunist is the 20th of each
month,
but you will want to mail your ad in by the 15th (always
mail
in your ads early).
So
next to number 15, write "The Opportunist".
If
you will check this sheet religiously every day, you will never
forget
a closing date.
Before
you mail your ad, turn to the page for the following month,
and
make a note of that month's closing date.
If
you use this system (or your own variation), you will remember
every
deadline, whether you are advertising in five magazines or
twenty
five!
CIRCULAR MAILING
Once
your Big Mail ads are appearing regularly, you will start to
receive
orders for them regularly.
As
soon as you are averaging five a day, you can advertise
yourself
as a CIRCULAR MAILER.
It's
easy to get started.
Each
time you renew your Big Mail ad, send in another ad (as a
Co-Publisher,
your ad cost you half the advertised price -
sometimes
you are entitled to FREE ads).
Cut
rate prices will NOT get you more orders.
A
circular mailing ad will almost ALWAYS pay for itself
immediately.
Incidentally,
many dealers have tried to run combination Big Mail
and
Circular Mailing Ads. They do not work
half as well as Two
Separate
Ads.
As
soon as you receive a circular mailing order, send your
customer
a sample mailing.
Be
sure it is neat and be sure it includes the LATEST issues of
several
mail order magazines (all of which you co-publish).
Then
include ONE of his circulars in every Big Mail you send until
you
have finished mailing them.
If
you have not received any more circulars to mail, send him a
friendly
thank you note, and let him know that you have finished
mailing
his circulars.
Tell
him you hope he receives some orders from your mailing.
Include
some new circulars from new advertisers, and a NEW
magazine.
If
he has any more circulars to mail, he will very likely send
them
to YOU!
Remember,
circular mailing depends on REPEAT customers.
Never
exaggerate your mailing capacity (either in personal letters
or
in ads).
If
you really try to get orders for your customers, they will be
back
for more!
HOW TO GET FREE
ADS
There
are many editors of mail order magazines and ad sheets who
will
print your ad free if you will mail 100 to 200 copies of
their
publication.
Here
is a very effective way to get them to run YOUR ads:
Take
a sheet of white typing paper.
Type
the following words on it:
PUBLISHERS
If
you will print any of these ads in your publication, I will
mail
100 copies for you FREE!
(With
Co-Publishing Rights, I'll mail 200 copies!)
Note: All these ads are camera ready for your
convenience.
Then
paste copies of all your different ads on the sheet!
Once
your circular is pasted up (camera ready), take it to your
local
instant photocopying shop, and have 500 or 1000 copies
printed
on WHITE paper.
Enclose
one of these circulars in every mailing - you'll be amazed
at
the results!
WHERE
TO GET GOOD MAILING LISTS FREE!
If
you advertise regularly, you will get lots of response to your
ads.
But
if you do a little specialised direct mailing, you can double
your
business almost immediately.
Here's
how:
Imagine
that you have just received your mailing copies of one of
your
co-publishable magazines.
When
you look at your desk, you discover that you still have 14
copies
of last month's issue still to mail.
Sit
down and make up 14 SPECIALISED MAILINGS.
In
each mailing, enclose:
1. One copy of last month's magazine.
2. One copy of each circular you have been paid
to mail.
3. One copy of your new FREE MAILING FOR FREE
ADVERTISING
circular.
To
whom do you mail them?
COMPILE
YOUR MAILING LIST FROM THOSE BIG MAILS YOU HAVE BEEN
ORDERING
EVERY DAY!
Mail
them to:
*
CIRCULAR MAILING PROSPECTS. Each time
you receive a Big Mail,
examine
all the circulars. Who has paid the
dealer to mail
circulars
for them?
If
they have paid him, THEY WILL ALSO PAY YOU - if you take time
to
send them a sample mailing!
*
NEW AD SHEET AND MAIL ORDER MAGAZINES.
Whenever you see the
announcement
of a new publication, send a sample mailing and be
sure
to enclose your Free Mailing for Free Advertising circular.
You'll
get many, many free ads if you work at it!
*
NEW MAIL ORDER ADVERTISERS. Save the
names of new advertisers
in
the mail order magazines or ad sheets.
You'll be amazed at how
responsive
they will be to your mailings!
Every
time you receive new mailing copies, mail out the remaining
copies
of last month's issues to the categories listed above, and
your
mail order business will grow faster than you ever dreamed it
could.
You'll
be surprised at the new business you will be able to
generate
using this method.
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