When
I was 22 I was earning very little money doing an
ordinary
humdrum job in a small east coast town.
In
spare
time I worked on an idea for a mail order business.
One
day I placed my first advertisement in a weekly
magazine. Orders poured in. I tried some more ads, also
in
other magazines. Soon the money coming
in by mail
enabled
me to give up my job and build up my own business
at
home.
Today
I am a company director and own several flourishing
mail
order businesses, plus real estate in various parts
of
the country. I enjoy life, spend a lot
of time in
foreign
travel and writing. I believe that
anyone with
ordinary
intelligence and enthusiasm can use the
techniques
revealed in this manual and build up a
second-income
fortune at home in spare time.
You'll
find in this manual the techniques, rules and
mail-order
know-how that brings wealth in this lucrative
field. I've put down the plain truth about what
sells by
mail
and what doesn't, what pitfalls to avoid, how to
discover
whether people will buy before you spend money
on
an idea, how to operate without stock, how to get
maximum
results from low-cost classified ads, where and
when
to advertise, how to get names of prospects without
advertising,
how to get free ads in national magazines -
and
much more.
You'll
save money, I know, with all the information on
where
to get - at rock bottom prices - items that really
sell
by mail order. I've tried to put down
all the
money-making
tips I know that bring mail order wealth.
I've
found mail order a wonderful, proven way to make
high
profits in spare time, at home. I think
it is the
finest
spare-time business of all. You can
start
anywhere,
using your kitchen table for an office.
You do
no
personal selling. You can start with a
modest amount
of
savings, and grow big. Possibilities are
practically
unlimited
if you use these techniques. A home mail
order
business
changed my whole life. I hope it will
change
yours.
ADVANTAGES
OF A HOME MAIL ORDER BUSINESS
What
I like about the mail order business is that you can
operate
from your own home, without extra expenses in
rent,
heating, lighting, etc. You can start
with only a
fraction
of the capital needed in most other businesses.
It's
exciting, looking for specialities, gifts, novelties
or
manuals which could develop into mail order winners.
It's
interesting to prepare just the right circular that
will
"pull", to discover just the right magazines to
advertise
in and build up a flourishing easily-run
business
you can conduct in your own time, as your own
boss.
THE
HEART OF THE MAIL ORDER BUSINESS
Item
selection has been called the heart of the mail
order
business. Finding mail order
"winners" is a
"must". You must know what to sell. Time spent in
following
the indications in the next few paragraphs will
be
rewarding.
WHAT
TO SELL AND WHAT NOT TO SELL
The
following words are "Find a Need and Fill It". Study the
market. Practically anything can be sold by mail, but
items
in
the following categories sell faster than most things.
(1)
Information Manuals, Folios, Homework Guides and
Projects,
Self-Help Books.
(2)
Gifts, Novelties, Gadgets, Unusual Housewares,
Gardeners',
Motorists', and Sportsmens' items.
(3)
Hobby items such as Stamps and Coins (two hobbies
which
have become big business).
(4)
Services such as Printing, Mimeographing, Typing,
Research,
Formulas, Remailing (Accommodation Address),
Writers'
Manuscript Criticism and Revision; and supplying
Mailing
Lists.
(5)
Gourmet foods (now widely advertised in the
classified
sections of the Sunday newspapers.) All
those
are
suitable for mail order advertising. But
AVOID
(1)
Products obtainable in retail stores unless you can
offer remarkable bargains, or items rarely
stocked.
(2)
Items that have excessive weight in relation to cost.
(3)
Perishable or breakable products.
(4)
Health items that are not in line with the British
Code of Advertising Standards.
WHERE
TO FIND PRODUCTS
The
British Mail Order trader can find saleable items -
(1)
In such directories as "200 Mail Order Favourites"
and
"No-Risk Mail Order Bookselling" from your authorised
distributor.
(2)
In trade year books and journals, many of which can
be
seen at local public libraries. Lists of
manufacturers,
merchants and wholesalers are given in
"Kelly's
Directory of Manufacturers and Merchants",
published
by Kelly's Directories Ltd., Neville House,
Eden
Street, Kingston-On-Thames, Surrey, and "UK Kompass
Register"
published by Kompass Register Ltd., R.A.C.
House,
Lansdowne Road, Croydon, Surrey. Both
are usually
at
local libraries.
A
wide variety of low-cost import sources are given in
"Made
in Europe", "Import" and "World Gift Review".
Addresses
of importers and manufacturers of watches and
clocks
are given in "The Watch and Clock Year Book", NAC
Press,
258 Grays Inn Road, London, WC.
Suppliers of
Jewellery
are listed in "British Jeweller", Buyers Guide
section. Suppliers of Leather goods are given in the
trade
journal "Leathergoods".
A free
list of wholesalers of Pottery and Glass is
available
from The Pottery and Glass Wholesalers
Association,
69 Cannon St, London, EC4. Information
on
UK
manufacturers is obtainable from The Confederation of
British
Industry, 21 Toothill Street, London, SW1.
(3)
In the Saturday Postal Bargains columns of the
National
newspapers and in "Exchange and Mart".
(4)
In home magazines such as "Ideal Home", "Homes and
Gardens",
"Housecraft", "Homemaker", "Do It Yourself".
(5)
In hobby magazines such as "Stamp Magazine",
"Philatelic
Exporter", "Coins Monthly", "Coins and
Medals",
"Amateur Photographer".
(6)
At Trade shows of gifts, houseware, premiums,
stationery,
etc.
SMALL
MANUFACTURERS
Are
sometimes good sources for mail order winners.
They
are
more likely to drop ship to your customers, and may
even
give you exclusive mail order rights to a product.
Find
them through the Classified Trades Directory (at
your
public library).
LOCAL
PRODUCTS
There
may be something attractive, even unique in your
area
which could be developed into a lucrative mail order
business. (Food items often come under this heading).
SELLING
IMPORTED ITEMS
Sometimes
- both in England and America - I have
found
it
highly profitable to import items and mail order them
in
suitable newspapers and magazines. This
is big
business
today on both sides of the Atlantic. Two
low-priced
directories which give hundreds of supply
sources
for the mail order trader are "Guide to Wholesale
Foreign
Bargains" and "International Drop Ship Guide".
YOU
CAN TEST AN IDEA FOR œ15 TO œ20
You
can discover fairly accurately if there is a good
chance
for your idea at the low cost of about œ15 to œ20.
First,
find a manufacturer who will supply you with the
product
you propose to sell. Be sure that there
is an
ample
supply. Write the circular, sales letter
and ad.
Don't
print the selling literature but insert the ad in
the
magazine you think might be profitable.
Ask for
enquiries
and use a classified ad. If you get so
many
enquiries
that it is clear you are on the right track,
THEN
get your circular and sales letter printed.
Many
mail
order operators test before they invest in this way,
saving
hundreds of pounds.
SELLING
MONEY-MAKING INFORMATION MANUALS
Has
enabled more men and women to start successfully in
mail
order, on minimum outlay, in less time, than
anything
else. I don't know anything else that
can be
sold
as easily and with as little capital as manuals and
books. Prospective customers run into millions. People
are
buying more instruction manuals every year -
ambitious
men, housewives, retired people, all who wish
to
boost their present earnings, acquire special skills,
or
new knowledge.
HOW
TO SELL MANUALS THROUGH MAILING LISTS
(1)
Mail circulars to lists of "Opportunity Seekers".
This
type of list is available from firms advertising in
"The
Trader" (under Mailing lists), "Exchange and Mart"
and
"Sunday Express".
(2)
If you are already selling gifts, novelties,
housewares,
personalised items, etc, include circulars
describing
the manuals in your mailings as package
stuffers,
at no increase in postage.
(3)
If you are engaged in selling (as an agent or direct
salesman),
hand circulars to your customers.
ENQUIRY
PULLING, LOW COST CLASSIFIEDS
In
such media as "Exchange and Mart", "Do-It-Yourself",
"Homemaker",
"London Weekly Advertiser", "The Trader",
you
can use one or both of the following types of
advertisement.
The
first type is aimed at bringing the maximum number of
enquiries
from men and women generally interested in
earning
money at home. Samples: "Your own easy Pleasant
Home
Mail Order Business. Details
Free". "Sell By Mail.
Big
Profits. Free Details". "Homeworkers Wanted, all
areas,
send s.a.e."
The
second type relates to specific subjects.
Samples:
"Big
Profits Selling Stamps By Post. Send
s.a.e.". "Cut
printing
costs 50%. Free details". "Profitable Home
Typing".
Or
simply write the title of a fast-selling manual you
have
chosen to sell, and add the price, or "Send s.a.e.",
plus
your name and address. Use capitals or
black type
for
the first word or two of the classified
advertisement.
OTHER
WAYS TO SELL MANUALS
(1)
Order in large quantities to get bigger discounts and
sell
drop ship to dealers. Many dealers are
glad to have
one
source for a wide variety of fast-selling manuals at
this
discount.
(2)
If you own a ship you can include circulars in
orders,
or hand them out to customers.
(3)
Buy a list of exchange mailers.
(4)
Sell to friends, acquaintances, work mates, or
distribute
circulars at meetings. Because manuals
bring
long-lasting
benefits they sell well as Christmas and
Birthday
gifts.
THE
DROP SHIP METHOD
Enables
you to operate a mail order business without
stock. (A few newspapers require advertisers to
carry
some
stock). You needn't even see the
product. No
wrapping,
no shipping, no trouble. You don't spend
a
penny
for goods until after you get orders and cheques
flowing
in from ads and circulars.
ADVANTAGES
OF THE DROP SHIP METHOD
Drop
shipments enable you to sell many more items than
you
could normally afford to stock. Because
you can
offer
a wide selection you can get a higher unit of sale.
And
it leaves you free to spend more on ads.
It cuts out
expense
and time of packing, wrapping, postage and tops
to
the post office. Many large mail order
houses in
America
have built up their enormous concerns with this
method.
HOW
TO USE DROP SHIPPING
When
you get an order you simply send to the drop shipper
an
addressed gummed label (you can get these at first
from
stationery shops). On the back of the
label write
(in
capitals) name of manual or manuals required and your
cost. Send label and your cheque for the cost to
the
drop
ship suppliers and they will send the order straight
to
your customer, using your label.
USE
DROP SHIPPERS' ADVERTISING MATERIAL
You
can use the attractive, professionally-prepared
circulars. Or you can request permission to use the
advertising
material supplied by drop ship firms to
prepare
your own circulars by asking an offset printer to
print
a number of their ads on each side of a circular.
Include
an order form and a reply envelope.
HOW
TO PICK PUBLICATIONS THAT PULL
(1)
What you are selling must be closely related to the
editorial
content of the magazine.
(2)
Figure how much circulation you get for every pound
you
spend. I keep my enquiry cost as low as
possible by
using
big circulation national magazines every two or
three
months rather than lower-circulation publications
every
month. You reach so many more prospects
per pound
when
you stick to small ads in the large national
magazines.
MY
MOST PROFITABLE ADS
have
been those publicising instruction manuals, gifts
and
novelties in national magazines containing plenty of
classified
ads, in mail order pages of national
newspapers;
and in the stamp collectors' magazines.
(The
stamp
magazines, though their circulations and
advertising
rates are comparatively low, can bring an
astounding
number of replies to ads of people running a
home
mail order stamp business. Recently an
advertiser
wrote
to "Stamp Collecting" saying he had received 1500
replies
to his advertisement, and another wrote to insert
an
apology in the magazine for delay in dealing with the
2000
answers received from his advertisement.
INCREASING
CLASSIFIED RESPONSE
For
the money you invest, classified ads nearly always
bring
best results. But they must be the right
type.
Qualified
ads bring more valuable enquiries than blind
ones. Examples of a blind ad: "Make big
profits at home
spare
time". Example of a qualified ad:
"Sell Books by
Mail. Big Profits". You can convert more enquiries into
sales
by using the qualified type.
WHAT
SHOULD ENQUIRIES COST
Probably
the average cost per enquiry for most mail order
operators
is around 50p.
HOW
TO KEY YOUR ADS
Some
advertisers use the style "Dept HM-2" which might
refer
to "Homemaker", February issue.
One of the best
ways
to key your ad is to add an initial and a figure to
the
number of your street. thus 256.D5 could
represent
"Do
It Yourself", May issue (five for fifth month). Or
you
can spell your first or last name a little
differently,
or use a different first name, or change the
initials.
GET
ENQUIRY SELLING LITERATURE OUT FAST
People
cool off if you delay sending the details they ask
for. Answering enquiries within a few days (better
still
by
return of post) is important.
WHEN
'LEADERS' ARE PROFITABLE
It
can be profitable to advertise a œ5 booklet with an
attractive
title which gives really useful information
and
leads on to the purchase of a related item selling at
a
higher price, or better still a group of items.
The
important
thing is that the "leader" MUST be closely
related
to what you are selling, and it must be good
value. For example, a classified ad for a manual
giving
babies'
names and meanings, could lead to the sale of
other
items of interest to young parents. Or a
booklet
giving
tricks of self-defence, selling at œ6.00, could
lead
to the sale of a œ15 book on self-defence, offered
through
a strong descriptive circular sent with the
low-priced
manual. Or a classified ad for a
low-priced
manual
showing how to make money by home typing, could
lead
to the sale of a homework project or plan.
HOW
TO INCREASE CLASSIFIED RESPONSE
Advertise
at the right time! Magazines that appear
on
newsagents'
counters in January, February, March and
October
pull best. Next best is November,
September,
April
and August (May and August bring fewer replies).
Gift
items sell best mid-September to early December.
Best
month for advertising self-help and mail order
manuals
is January (magazines that actually go on sale in
January). Most advertisers of information manuals and
advertisers
of hobby items, do-it-yourself products,
stamps
and coins are able to advertise profitably every
month.
WHEN
AN AD IS SUCCESSFUL
I
place it in two other magazines or newspapers.
If
these
two are profitable, I double it to four, then
eight,
and so on.
HOW
OFTEN TO REPEAT ADS
This
is a matter for tests. In many cases I
can
advertise
some items profitably in every issue of some
national
magazines, but only once in two, three or four
issues
of others.
TWO
WAYS TO SELL TO THE BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES MARKET
(1)
Place classified ads in Exchange & Mart, The Trader,
Sunday
Times, Observer, Homemaker, Trading Places.
(2)
Rent or buy mailing lists of opportunity seekers and
mail
order book buyers from mailing list brokers and from
advertisers
selling something with a similar appeal.
HOW
TO SELL GIFTS, NOVELTIES, GADGETS, HOUSEWARES
Use
the square Postal Bargain type of ad in Exchange and
Mart,
Homemaker, Do It Yourself, Daily Mail, Daily
Express,
and other national dailies and Sunday
newspapers,
also the house magazines.
HOW
TO PREDICT RESPONSE FROM ADS
Monthly
publications pull about half their total response
during
the month of issue. If you check results
from the
first
two weeks after the magazine comes out and multiply
them
by four you will arrive at the probable total.
Some
people
multiply the first week's results by eight.
If
your
ad appears in a March issue which comes out on
February
25th and you get 100 enquiries by March 25th you
can
reckon your ad will bring in about 200 enquiries
during
the coming five or six months. I find
that in
weekly
magazines an ad will bring in about 30% of the
total
in the first week, and it will continue to pull
enquiries
over a period of at least ten weeks. A
third
of
the result from Sunday newspaper ads usually occur
within
four days. Multiple the figures by three
and you
can
estimate the total response from your advertisement.
REPEAT
BUSINESS
For
many mail order operators today, profit starts with
the
second order. In one branch of my
business
(specialist
book-selling) I have found that many
customers
spend 4, 10, 20 - sometimes as much as 50 times
the
amount of their original purchase.
Dealers in stamps
and
coins depend largely upon repeat business, which can
last
for many years.
ADVERTISING
THAT SELLS
I
have found that the vital secrets of writing effective
advertising
are:
(1)
Be sure you have the right product.
(2)
Stress the benefits - talk "You" not "I" or "We".
(3)
Slant your writing to your particular audience.
(4)
Keep it easy to understand.
(5)
Be sincere, believable.
(6)
Be specific.
(7)
Provide all the necessary details.
(8)
Call for quick action. If possible offer
a special
inducement,
such as a free gift for ordering within 10
days.
(9)
Use a strong money back guarantee.
IMPORTANCE
OF HEADLINES
The
headline is the most important part on an ad,
circular
or sales letter. As David Ogilvy says in
his
book
"Confessions of an Advertising Man", five times as
many
people read it as the body copy. The
headline MUST
catch
the eye of the RIGHT prospect. If
possible, it
should
contain a strong promise.
BE
WARY OF SUPERLATIVES
I
have found that straightforward read-benefits in clear
believable
language are much more effective than such
superlatives
as "finest", "greatest", "best", etc.
WORDS
WITH SALES APPEAL
In
circulars, sales letters, and other selling literature
I
use words of proven mail order appeal such as: You, Low
Cost,
Free, Make Money, Gift, Unusual, Amazing, Valuable,
Profitable,
Export, Money-Saving.
CIRCULARS
THAT PULL
have
an urgent tone, so I often use strong "action" copy,
such
as the inclusion of appeals like "limited supply,
order
now", "free gift if you act within 10 days".
ENCLOSE
AN ORDER FORM
Usually
I incorporate an order form in the circular,
catalogue
or self-mailer. Anything that makes
ordering
easier
increases pulling power!
HOW
TO KEY YOUR CIRCULARS
Circulars
with an order form can easily be keyed.
You
take
a batch of them, fan them out slightly, so that each
one
shows a small portion of the edge of the order form.
Take
a coloured pencil and draw a mark along the group of
fanned
circulars so that the mark will occur at the
sample
place on each circular. This method
ensures that
if
you send out the circulars to a dozen different
circular
mailers, you will know the amount of orders
brought
in by each. Use different coloured
pencils and
mark
your order form at different places, such as the
lower
left corner, upper left corner, right top and so
on.
CIRCULATION
OF COMMISSION CIRCULARS
In
addition to using them in reply to your classified ads
you
can use the Indirect Mailing Method, or Exchange
Mailing.
YOU
CAN DOUBLE YOUR RETURNS
on
Commission Circulars by having a short commission ad
put
on a rubber stamp with your name and address, thus
doubling
your selling message.
HOW
TO MAKE MAILINGS PAY
(1)
Use your own list first - they are "warmer" names!
(2)
Rent only fresh, suitable lists.
(3)
Better try to sell one item prices œ15 to œ25 with a
mailing
list, or an outstanding "Package" offer on groups
of
related items such as Homework Jobs and Opportunities.
(4)
Use rented lists if you can hope to get at least
several
pounds from the average customer (this is to
include
all future items he may buy).
CONVERTING
ENQUIRIES INTO SALES
Use
strong, convincing copy in circulars, sales letters.
Give
prominence to your money-back guarantee; state that
the
price will be raised on a certain date; give a free
gift
with the item offered, offer a 7-day free trial,
give
a free sample offer, offer something special such as
"three
for the price of two"; use return envelopes, send
follow-up
selling literature at intervals. Choose
Commission
Circulars with great care.
FOLLOW
UP MAILINGS
If
you have only a few œ5 manuals to offer it will not
pay
to use follow-up mailings. Sell a LINE
of related
manuals,
including high priced ones and mail to your
customers
several times a year. Include something
new in
each
follow up, or give a special price advantage with a
time-limit,
such as 7 days.
FREE
GIFTS PAY OFF
Often
I have offered something free for orders sent in 7
or
10 days, and usually the free gift has increased the
percentage
of orders by 8% to 10%.
OVERCOMING
COMPETITION
At
various times I have faced some heavy competition from
new
advertisers. I meet this by using
smaller but
stronger
ads, gave better value, made various economies,
increased
the appeal of related items and introduced new
supporting
lines. Usually after a few months the
competition
ceased to affect my sales.
SELL
THROUGH MAIL ORDER DEALERS
For
this, you need a fast-selling product or manual
(better
a line of them), dynamic, well-printed circulars
imprinted
at reasonable cost, and an attractive discount
offer. Mail order dealers can be contacted by means
of
ads
under "Agents Wanted" or "Business Opportunities" in
"Exchange
and Mart", "The Trader", "The Trader", "Sunday
Times",
and "Daily Telegraph".
BIG
MAILS
consist
of a selection of Homeworkers' and Mail Order
dealers
magazines and special offers sent in one package,
thus
saving you postage and giving you valuable
information
on the mail order and homework scene.
MY
BEST EVER INVESTMENT
Looking
back to my start in mail order, I am sure that
the
œ30 or œ40 I spent at the outset on manuals and books
on
mail order techniques were the best investment I ever
made. They undoubtedly saved me many hundreds of
pounds.
TO
CUT THE COST OF ENQUIRIES
Cut
enquiry cost in five fays:
(1)
Select mail order items with the utmost care.
(2)
Use strongest possible classified ads in the right
large-circulation
national magazines.
(3)
Find the right frequency for your ads.
(4)
Offer a free gift to customers who will send you
names
and addresses of interested friends.
(5)
Sell or rent your enquiry names of other mail order
forms
or to list brokers.
KEEPING
RECORDS
You
need to keep accurate records
(1)
For income tax purposes.
(2)
To know how each ad or mailing pulled.
HOW
TO ORDER FROM PRINTERS
When
ordering circulars, sales letters, etc, give
printers
the clearest possible instructions. Your
order
should
include exact details: Name and type of item to be
printed,
size, colour of paper to be used, and its weight
(enclose
sample if possible). Which printing
process
(letterpress
or offset), where to deliver to. In the
case
of commission circulars you need only to state the
number
you require and send the amount of money
requested.
RENT
YOUR NAME LIST FOR EXTRA INCOME
When
you have 5,000 names and addresses of enquirers or
customers,
offer them to mailing list firms which
advertise
in national papers. List Brokers rent
such
lists
over and over again, and take around 20% for their
services. This reduces the cost of your enquiries
considerably. Or advertise your name list in the above
periodicals
or under "Business Opportunities" in Exchange
and
Mart.
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