What? Don't Do Business In July Or August?

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I would like to know "who" started the nasty rumor that mail order business is very slow during the summer months. Was it a con-artist who was shut down by the post office and wanted to ruin it for everyone else? Or, was it a "nut-nut" who couldn't sell $100 bills for $.01 each?

In case you are new to the world of inner-circle mail order (the people who do printing, mailing and advertising in tabloids and adsheets) they will all tell you about this rumor. The sad part is that they REALLY believe it! Why do they believe it? Because they have been told by someone else and the rumor was considered "gospel" - so that someone told someone else and so on, and on, and on.

What people don't realize is that there is NO TRUTH to this rumor. The ONLY reason the mail order business slows down in the summer months is because people BELIEVE IT to be so. (Remember the fable of the emperor's new clothes? Well - that rule applies here - and it's stupid!)

Some people will go so far as to stop advertising during the summer months because they are convinced they won't get any sales. Because of the drop in revenue for publishers, due to this line of thinking - everybody suffers and they keep the rumor alive and true. Only people believing this lie are making it happen. Nothing more!

Think about it this way: Don't people still read magazines and newsletters during the summer? I've never seen Globe or The Enquirer stop publishing during those months. Don't people still open their mail during the summer? I don't think the whole world stops paying their electric bill from July to September - and it comes through the mail.

And it would seem to me that the majority of the population would have MORE TIME to read and study offers through the mail during their vacation than during their working hours. Don't people watch more TV, spend time a home catching up on neglected chores and sleeping during their vacation? So, if these people have more time to relax during their vacation, wouldn't they have more time to dedicate to reviewing your ads and circulars that come through the mail? Lillian Vernon even keeps busy during the summer months! Isn't she a part of mail order like us too? If the big companies are still doing business during the summer months - what makes the smaller dealers any different? Like I said before - "who" started this rumor? It couldn't have been originated by the big companies could it?

It will probably be hard for a lot of you to choke down this concept immediately. You have been programmed for years that the mail order business is slow in the summer months. You have convinced your mind that this rumor is true. It will take awhile to reprogram your mind to the truth and I sincerely hope this report helps you.

There are so many people "hung up" on the statistical data of exactly how to run a mail order business. Here are some other rumors:

1. Handwrite your envelopes instead of using a peel-n-stick address label. (Come on folks - this is the 1990's - the age of the computer. Nobody has time to sit down and hand address 1,000 envelopes anymore. This rumor might have worked back in 1920 when the average mail order dealer only mailed 10 or 15 envelopes per week - but we are mailing 100 times that amount now.)

2. Only mail on Tuesday to arrive by Friday. (With all the inconsistencies in our postal system and UPS, you can never be guaranteed the day your letter will arrive. Every day is a business day! It doesn't matter what particular day you mail. This is nonsense.)

3. Dress your envelopes up to attract attention, such as placing sparkles and hand-drawing diagrams on the outside. (This is nonsense! In fact, this only cheapens your envelope. YOU have a business and your correspondence should appear like you are an established business. We're not playing pen-pal games here and we're not teenagers anymore.)

4. Mail in a window envelope so the person receiving it will think it's a bill or check. This way they will open it faster. (Bull! Any established business opens all their mail. In fact, I never pay any attention to the outside of the envelope. I open them all! What matters the most is the content of the material inside and how it's presented.)

Now - please do the mail order industry a great big favor and pass the word around. Let's keep busy making our businesses work like businesses. Have a great mail order day!