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Mail Order Trap: Avoid the trap of sending your mailings to non-productive names

Of sending your mailings to non-productive names

(C) 1991, 1990 - All Rights Reserved EXCEPT permission Granted to
Buyers of this report to copy and resell individual copies of
this report at a price you determine providing it is printed
Exactly as written with no changes _ You many NOT print this
report in any magazine or other publication. This report is not
to be sold in a "bundle" of reports.

Note: The following report is based on the authors opinions. But,
it is an educated opinion in that the author has been involved in
various aspects of mailorder over the years. When the term
"mailorder" is used, it refers to the Big Mail, Adsheets,
Opportunities type of mailorder and not the mass merchandising
market type of mailorder which is a completely different animal.

OK, you've made your first move by placing your first ads and
your literature is printed...now, you're ready for a serious try
at the mailorder "game". But, lets put first things first and
pause to consider who your customers are and which are the best
ones to mail to.

Most new dealers mail indiscriminately just to everyone and
anyone that happens to attract their attention in the various
mailorder publications...They also mail to people in the Big Mail
Wanted listings. This is what I call the "Mail Order Trap" of
Unproductive Names. Mailing to these names is unproductive as per
the comments in the following two paragraphs.

Mailing To People That Place Ads: Unless you have scanned the ads
over a period of time, you have no way of knowing who the new
dealers or the established dealers are. Frankly, unless you offer
is NEW and DIFFERENT, the established dealers could care less
about your offer. WHY? Simply because the neos (new dealers) mail
the established dealers the same old literature on a daily basis.
It's common for the author of the same old literature on a daily
basis. It's common for the author of this report to receive 5 or
6 of whichever offer that's currently "hot" in the same day.
Since 100 or more of the same offer has already been received by
each established dealer...well, lets face it, if any desire to
purchase the said plan was ever there, it was purchased long ago.

Mailing To People Listed In Big Mails Wanted Columns: Lets face
it, do the people that have their names listed in these columns
really want to buy your offers? Or do they just want their
mailboxes kept full at your postage expense? again, the author
has a company name listed in several of these publications...the
ones that pull bring again a torrent of the same old offers again
and again from each new and inexperienced dealer. Unless you're
FIRST with the offer, I consider it wanted postage.

The question now should be..."if these mailings don't pull, what
kind of mailings do?' First off, some assumptions have to be
made...that is, that your offer is of the kind that will pull
with the mailorder crowd. Maybe you don't know this as yet, but
the following statement is the true secret of mailorder. The only
things that mailorder people will buy in any quantity are 1)
Offers that they can resell to other dealers or 2) Supplies, etc.
that will help them run their business (including information):
ALL ELSE won't make it no matter how hard you try.

Here goes...

The best people to mail to are people that mail
offers...especially neos that are selling the same old tried
plans. If you are not getting your share of mailorder offers, a
good way to start is to place your name in various Big Mails
wanted columns. The better pullers in my opinion are the ones in
the tabloids or the sheets with a good number of names that
appear to get around.. Be wary of listings with just a few names
oe ones that you haven't seen before. Another way to get names is
to advertise in various publications...you'll get a lot more
mailings than orders... sift them through and send your offers to
people you feel are new to mailorder.

If you aren't getting your share of mail as yet (I get maybe 40 -
50 pieces on better days) I strongly suggest you start reading
the adsheets on a regular basis. Get to know the "regulars" who
advertise everywhere. Established dealers are ALWAYS LOOKING FOR
new and DIFFERENT offers. If your offer is new and different,
send it to these established dealers... if it's not... pass them
by. In any case, send your offers to the obvious new dealers that
are advertising the same old things that have been around for 20
years. The ones with the crudely done ads, etc. are good
prospects in my book.

The above should be enough to get started towards sending your
mailings to a more productive type of name. Certainly fresher
than any purchased mailing list... you know they're active since
they just mailed their material to you.

Let's get into the "and more" I promised you in my ad...

What's the highest profit item in mailorder? Information! You can
take a report that costs you a dime to have printed and sell for
several dollars.

The best things to write about are things from your own
experience. With the mailorder dealers, articles about making
more money or saving money while conducting their business would
be the most in demand.. You don't have to be a college professor
to write an article. Just state the facts in an easy to follow
form of your choosing. Whatever you do, do not borrow a report
from another dealer and call your own without permission. Serious
problems could occur.

If you're looking for an interesting series of newsletter about
mailorder, why not send: P.F. Skeberis, Box 27, Fremont, MI 49412
$1.00 for a sample newsletter. It might be just what you've been
looking for and the information contained should be worth $1.00
too.

When running a small 1" ad, never ask for more than a couple
dollars (some say $5). A sure sign of an inexperienced dealer is
asking $10 or $20 for a vaguely described item in a small ad.
Selling a large ticket item may be done through a small ad by
asking for inquiries. You "qualify" inquiries by asking for a
stamp or other token cost. Then you follow up with well written
sales literature to make the sale. If they don't order with your
prospectus, you "follow up." Some say 3 or 4 times. Others say up
to 5 times.