:: Home
> Library
> Business
Ideas/Section-10
The other day I was talking
to one of my mail order buddies and we were discussing the speed
in which we processed our orders.
I told him that at top speed, I could process $600 worth of customer
orders within a 4-hour time span -- while still maintaining a 99%
accuracy rate. My buddy was awestruck! But I corrected him very
quickly.
I do business with companies that consider my rate EXTREMELY slow.
They process $100,000 worth of orders in 30-40 seconds. I did not
feel that my rate of speed was really that good -- but to someone
with a lack of office skills, I guess it sounded like I was bragging.
(I had no intention of doing so, though.)
That's when I began examining the possibility that there are a lot
of you out there in the same position. Where I have worked in an
office environment since I was nine years old and know about every
timesaving corner to cut -- those of you without this knowledge
would be having trouble in all areas of your mail order business.
Presentation in mail order is the most powerful marketing tool you
can have. To give you an example -- some of you out there in the
same market Graphico is in think I'm some big, huge company with
100s of employees. Sorry to burst your bubble. But there is only
one -- me. And I operate out of the front room of my home that has
been converted to an office.
Instead of hiring employees, I network with other mail order buddies.
For a few of my friends, I advertise and market a service, then
pay them 80% of the total order to complete the job. Graphico then
keeps a 20% commission to pay for the advertising and marketing
to get the order.
My personal belief is that if you're in mail order, don't hire local
people to help you. Work with other mail order comapnies. That way
-- you both benefit. Besides, a mail order dealer already in business
knows much more than some local person you hire from the newspaper.
Plus, if you hire part-time help, you'll have to pay them a set
salary every week -- regardless of how much business you brought
in from mail order that week.
But when you work with another mail order dealer, you only have
to pay him or her when you make money. That way you financially
profit.
You have just finished reading one of the hidden truths that selfish
and greedy people may not want you to know. But I don't believe
in withholding secrets from people who need to learn in order to
grow as a small business. (If you didn't catch the full meaning,
go back and start reading this report a second or third time. It
details a very important piece of knowledge that will help you.)
How to Start
In order to start presenting yourself
as a professional company in order to grow out of the market you
are presently in -- you must learn some basic office skills. I don't
mean going back to school or spending hours studying office procedure
manuals. I mean to just learn the basics.
If you are able to work, register with a temporary agency and work
for them for a week or two. That's not a long time. Plus, agencies
like Olsten and Kelly Girl will give you FREE office training and
all it will cost you is your time.
So don't you think two weeks out of your life is worth advancing
your home business by five years? You can't be successful overnight,
you know. And for those of you who can't work, talk with someone
who does have office skills; look at mailings that come through
the mail and try to figure out what was done to make one piece of
mail look more professional than other pieces. If you'll make a
little effort to open your eyes to the things around you -- your
business will start to grow and bloom!
Then -- after you have learned some basic office skills, build upon
that knowledge. Through the learning stage you will encounter several
things that you may have had trouble understanding or developing
the knack for. Work on those problems until you fully understand
them.
Or play a fantasy one day. (We did this in college.) Set up a fantasy
company. Write out job duties, retirement plans, company policies,
etc. You'll find yourself benefiting from this knowledge.
