How to Start a Big Mail Service
Do you enjoy reading Mail Dealer magazines? Do you enjoy ordering In the pages to follow I will show you how to set up a Big Mail We'll talk about co-publishing and we'll discuss circular mailing But...before we get into this...I would like to give you a word You will probably not make any money at all for a least a few If you are still interested...and I hope you are..read on! The first thing you should od is to sit down with the latest Then devote a portion of EACH DAY to STUDYING them. And I do mean Feed your mind and your imagination with all kinds of ideas. The Set up a personal notebook. I would suggest you divide into four * Commission Circulars Sources You can set your personal notebook up any way you like, but I use Read and re-read every circular and mail order magazine that you When you are satisfied that you really want to start selling Big 1. Order a name and address rubber stamp. Be sure it is SMALL 2. Open a PERSONAL CHECKING ACCOUNT. Open it in YOUR OWN NAME. Your next step is to place an ad in a least SIX mail order BIG MAIL-25 cents Commission circulars mailed FREE! (your name A simple ad like this will pull better than one with a lot of You probably already know which magazines and ad sheets you want Mail Sale Advertiser All of these are letter press publications, which means they will Because these publications are CO-PUBLISHABLE, the publishers of Each advertiser is also mailing his copies to his customers or COMMISSION CIRCULARS Long before you start receiving orders for your Big Mail, you Commission circulars are usually 3x6" or 81/2x11" circulars Wholesale firms supply commission circulars to mail order Commission circulars can be profitable for you, as a Big Mail If you work at it, you can make a lot of extra money by including Don't mail poorly printed circulars. They tend to make your Once your ad appears ( starting COMMISSION CIRCULARS MAILED FREE) Most of the suppliers of commission circulars are honest people. * Adult Offers (pornography). Even if you do not object to this, * "Stuff and Address Envelopes at Home..Send a $1.00 for your * Chain letters--These are also illegal. Beware of any circular There is one more thing I would caution you about. There are FACTS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS! As a Big Mail Dealer, you will be selling many things. So that 1 Commission Circular Information 1. Commission Circular Information---Every time you receive a new * Name and Address of the Drop-shipper 2. Co-publishing Information--Most publishers of mail order *Name and Address of Printer 3. Advertising Schedule--To keep your ads running CONTINUOUSLY, Take a page of common notebook paper. At the top of the page, The closing date for Mail Sale Advertiser is the 15th of the Before you mail your ad, turn to the page for the following month CIRCULAR MAILING Once your Big Mail ads are appearing regularly, you will start to 3x6 .50 1.25 2.25 A circular mailing ad will almost ALWAYS pay for itself As soon as you receive a circular mailing order, send your Then include ONE of his circulars in every Big Mail until you Remember, circular mailing depends on REPEAT customers. Never HOW TO GET FREE ADS There are many editors of mail order magazines and ad sheets who Take a sheet of white typing paper. Type the following words on PRINTERS PUBLISHERS: If you will print any of these ads in your Once your circular is pasted up (camera-ready), take it to your WHERE TO GET GOOD MAILING LISTS FREE If you advertise regularly, you will get a lot of response to Imagine that you have just received your mailing copies of TIMELY 1. One copy of last month's TIMELY TIPS To whom do you mail them? COMPILE YOUR MAILING LIST FROM THOSE * CIRCULAR MAILING PROSPECTS--Each time you receive Big Mail, * NEW AD-SHEETS AND MAIL ORDER MAGAZINES--Whenever you see the * NEW MAIL ORDER ADVERTISERS--Save the names of new advertisers Every time you receive new mailing copies, mail out the remaining WHERE DO YOU GO FROM HERE? I honestly can't answer that question! Only you have the answer. What direction your mail order business takes is entirely up to Keep your eyes and ears open. Saturate yourself with fresh, new Mail Order is far more than just a money-making business for me. Copyright 2004 by DeAnna Spencer Note to editors:
A BIG MAIL SHOULD CONTAIN:
At least three to four Mail order Magazines Circulars containing
offers or interest to new mail order dealers. Circulars which the
Big Mail Dealer has been to mail.
and receiving "Big Mail?" Do you enjoy working with new Mail
Order dealers and opportunity seekers? 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.
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
mail to your own advantage. I'll show you how to use commission
circulars (how to get a lot of them free!) and I'll also show you
how to keep track of them.
(you'll learn how to get people to pay you cash to mail their
circulars for them!).I'll show 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.
of caution. Big Mail selling looks easy and it sounds easy IT IS
NOT! Selling Big Mails is a lot of work,HARD WORK. And it is NOT
a way to get rich quick.
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 will 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.
issue of MAIL SALE ADVERTISER or POPULAR ADVERTISER and order a
least twelve Big Mails. After that, get into the habit of
ordering a least one Big Mail EVERYDAY!
STUDY!
Mail Order Business is a very creative and imaginative one. The
more you feed feed you imagination, the more it will do for you!
sections:
* 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.
a loose-leaf notebook and scotch-tape the ads, circulars etc.
can get you 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 BIG
commission.)
Mails, there are two very practical things you must do.
enough to use on commission circulars.
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.
magazines or ad sheets. In the beginning you will have to use
publications that will accept handwritten copy, since you do not
yet have "camera ready" ads. Your ad should read something like
this:
and address)
words in it.
to advertise in. That is fine! But I would suggest you start off
by advertising in at least one or two of the following:
Popular Advertiser
Mail Order Bulletin
Timely Tips
set your ad up for you. They appear regularly EVERY MONTH ON
TIME, and almost everyone interested in mail order reads them!
each publication will send you 50-100 copies to include in your
Big Mails. 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 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.
mailing list, and every last copy mailed has YOUR ad in it... The
printer is also mailing a copy to every person on his
subscription list...so, usually within about ten days after your
address appears in print, you will start receiving letters with
quarters in them asking for 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!
should have acquired a starting supply of "commission circulars."
You will want to include them in every one of your Big Mails.
offering such things as:
Rubber Stamps Name-address Labels Folios Magazine
Samples Mailing Lists Envelopes
Printed Stationary Business Directories Catalogue Samples
Drop-ship Samples Printed Circulars Formulas
Books Mail Order Plans Magazine Subscriptions
Name Listing Services Pen Pal Clubs, etc, etc.
dealers, usually at cost. The dealer stamps his name in the blank
space under "Order Form" 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.
Dealer, if you are very careful to select only those circulars
which appear 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 are offering them on wholesale
basis. (Safari boots, transistor radios, hunting knives,
automatic can-openers, $15.95 necklaces are nice, and they can be
sold by mail...but not to mail order beginners!)
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 and 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.)
entire mailing look sloppy> You will also find that 6x9" and 8
1/2x11" circulars pull better than 3x6", although some 3x6's pull
surprisingly well.
you will start receiving commission circulars. Test every
circular that is given to you. Push the winners, discontinue the
duds. You will eventually develop a list of real money makers to
include in your Big Mails.
They offer items of real worth. But occasionally you will find
circulars that you should not mail. They will get you in TROUBLE!
some of the customers will...and some of your customers may be
minors.
Starting Kit," These offers are illegal. People have been
convicted in court for selling them. Beside, the plans are
worthless.
that says you will receive $20,000 in sixty days if you will mail
a dollar and "follow the instructions, etc."
about 40-50 standard folios that have been around the Mail Order
Business for the last twenty years. 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!
you can fill each order accurately and promptly, I suggest that
you start another looseleaf notebook Divide it into three
sections:
2 Co-Publishing Information
3 Advertising Schedule
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:
* Amount to forward to the Drop-shipper
* How to obtain additional circulars. (Are they available with
your name and address imprinted on them?)
magazines will send a "Fact Sheet." If they do, simply
scotch-tape the sheet in your notebook. If not, record these
facts yourself:
*How much to forward on new advertising, subscriptions, etc
you will have to keep track of "closing dates" (the last date on
which a publisher will accept advertising for his next issue.)
Here is a very simple method to use:
write the name of the month. Then number down the page from 1 to
31. (Use one line for each day of the month.)
month, but you will want to mail your ad on the 5th of the month
(always mail your ads in TEN DAYS EARLY.) So next to the number
5, write down the code letters "MSA." If you check this sheet
religiously every day, you will never forget a closing date.
and make a notation of that month's closing date. If you will use
this system ( or your own variation), you will remember every
deadline, whether you are advertising in five magazines of five
hundred!
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 like this. (As co-publisher, your ads cost half the
advertised price!)
100 250 500
6x9 .60 2.50 2.50
9x12 1.00 2.00 4.00
These prices are given only as examples. The postal rates and
other costs change and you should check the ads currently running
Circular Mailers and charge about the same rates. Cut-rate prices
will NOT get you more orders.
immediately. ( Incidentally, many dealers have tried to run a
combination Big Mail and Circular Mailing ads. They do work half
as well as TWO SEPARATE ADS!)
customers a sample mailing. Be sure it is neat and be sure it
includes the LATEST issues of several mail order magazines.
have finished mailing them. If you have not received any more
circulars to mail, send him a friendly thank you not 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 likely send them to YOU!
exaggerate mailing capacity ( either in personal letters or ads.)
If you really try to get orders for your customers, they will be
back for more!
will print your ads 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:
it.
publication, I will mail 100 copies for you FREE! (With
co-publishing rights, I'll mail 200 copies!) Note that all of
these ads are camera ready for your convenience.
Then use a rubber-cement to paste copies of ALL YOUR DIFFERENT
ADS on the sheet! (If your ads have been printed on colored
paper, bleach them before you paste them up. Pour a little clorox
over them, until the color disappears. Rinse them in water, and
dry them on a piece of flat cardboard.)
local instant photo offset printer and have 500 or 1000 copies
printed on WHITE paper. (Be sure its on white paper.) Enclose one
of these circulars in every mailing. You'll be amazed at the
results!
your ads. But if you will do a little specialized direct mailing,
you can double your business almost immediately. Here's how:
TIPS from the printer. If you look at your self, you discover
that you still have 14 of lasts month's issue left to mail. Sit
down and make up 14 SPECIALIZED mailings. In each mailing,
enclosed:
2. One copy of each circular you have been paid to mail.
3. One copy of your new FREE MAILING FOR FREE ADVERTISING
circular.
BIG MAILS YOU HAVE BEEN ORDERING EVERY DAY! Mail them too:
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 will take the time to send them a sample mailing!
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.
in the mail order magazines or ad-sheets. You'll be amazed at how
responsive they will be to your mailings!
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.
If you are ambitious--if you are willing to develop your
imagination--if you are willing to experiment with new
ideas....the sky is the limit!
Don't let anyone tell you that Big Mail Selling and Circular
Mailing is only for beginners. There are SUCCESSFUL mail order
dealers who have been selling Big Mails and mailing circulars for
twenty-five years! If you really love it, don't ever give it up!
you. I hope you will keep your ads running, and I hope you will
expand your business by constantly adding new publications to
your advertising list.
and imaginative ideas. I hope you'll keep excited about the Mail
Order bussiness...I hope that ten years from now, You'll love it
and be more involved than you are today.
It's a way of life! And I hope it is your way of life, too!
To show my appreciation to the editors that use my articles, I offer a free solo ad. Simply send an email to me by using the form on the contact me page on my website to tell me the url the article was used on or send me a copy of the ezine it was used in.
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DeAnna is the publisher of the ezine, Prospecting and Presents.
Subscribers get one free ad per week.
Subscribe today by visiting http://www.pnewsletter.com
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