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Mailorderbusiness.biz
Are commission circulars right for you?
Everyone that starts out in the wonderful world of the mail order business is soon introduced to commission circulars. What is a commission
circular? They are camera-ready ads or circulars that are already typeset that require you to place your name and address in the order form. You
send them out with your out going mail with your other offers. Orders are usually sent directly to you, you take out your commission cut (usually
50% or more) and send the customers order to the prime source and he/she fills the order. This is a very simple process and serves as a
excellent purpose for many people.
Commission circulars allow people to make money without actually handling the product. Some people base their business on commission
circulars alone. Some people love collecting their commission, mailing the order to the prime source and their work is done. Many even love
getting their families or children involved as in most cases they can help in most phases of this business process.
However, what happens if you are not right for commission circulars? What if you are just getting started in mail order and are only mailing 10
letters per week? What if you haven't the faintest idea who to mail your commission circulars to. Of course you can purchase an opportunity
seeker mailing list but if you are only making $2 or $3 from your commission circulars is it really worth it? Is there any real money to be made?
First and foremost you need to ask yourself a few questions before ordering commission circulars. You need to determine how much you are
mailing per month. If you are not mailing at least 300 per month you probably will not make much from your commission circulars. However I
might add, if the commission circular can become part of your mailing without causing you extra postage, they will benefit you greatly. For
example if you are already mailing your main program why not fill the rest of your envelopes with commission circulars. Commission circulars
bring in the best profits when they are mailed to a lot of people. Big mail order dealers who process tons of mail per week and mail to thousands
every month benefit the most from commission circulars.
Many might disagree about this. Some people may feel if you mail only 10 per month, it will bring in money. I agree, it will, but it will take you many
months, possibly even years at this pace to make it worth your time. A commission mailer who mails commission circulars is normally
responsible for his/her own printing (some people provide pre-printed circulars at a cost) as well as their own time in mailing and postage.
Depending on how much your commission circulars are paying you, in many cases you might not re-coup enough expenses unless you receive
several orders. In other words, don't expect to get a 50% response to any mailing. It don't matter how great your offers are or how great your
mailing list is. It just don't happen that way.
One way of saving on your printing expenses is to take part in Co-Op printing deals. That is where a printer will print your circular and his/her
circular on the back side and ship them back to you. You can save alot with Co-Op printing. Read and study the mail order publications and you
will find several Co-Op printing deals. You can save over 50% off your printing cost with this method.
If you don't do a lot of mailings or you don't want the hassles of stuffing and mailing a lot of envelopes you can advertise your circular in a mail
order publication. Rates are usually between $10 and $30 per 1000. You can get your circular printed and mailed with out any additional work on
your part. This is the least expensive way to take part in commission circulars because you save on postage, envelopes, mailing list of names,
folding, stapling and the time spent carting everything to the post office. Purchase a few big mails and keep up to date on publications and prices.
Another way to distribute your commission circulars is to print them yourself and have a good circular mailer mail them. Most bulk mailers
(people who process lots of mail) will normally mail your pre-printed circulars for 3 to 5 cents per circular. If you have a copy machine you are in
business. You will benefit from the mailers mailing list plus you will save time of processing them yourself.
Commission circulars are really a great way to help others promote their product or service and bring in an income for you also! When you
become more experienced with the mail-order trade you may even want to co-publish a few publications. The only difference between them and
commission circulars is that they are publications. You make money on any advertising ordered through you as well as subscriptions.
When promoting a commission circular it is best to know what you are selling that way you will be able to answer any questions if potential
customers contact you. You need to be aware of any product/service you are selling because it is a direct reflection on your company.
Remember, your company name or personal name is on the circular and customers will think you are the prime source.
Think about it this way. Suppose a shoe salesman came to your door without any shoes to show you. They had no brochure, no information
about their product and no knowledge about what shoes were available. Would you make a purchase simply from a price list? Probably not! And
your customers wont either. If they do happen to take the time to request more information - get it for them. Don't toss their letter in the trash and
not answer it because you don't know the answer. You could be throwing away a $100 order and probably a long time future customer.
If you are going to mail your commission circulars yourself, here are a few direct mail mailing tips to go by:
1. Be sure all the circulars are printed on both sides of the paper. This way you can get 8 circulars (4 sheets of paper printed on both sides) in a
standard business size envelope.
2. Never ever put only one sheet of paper in an envelope and mail it. The person receiving it will be a little confused and you will automatically be
recognized as a newcomer who loves to waste money.
3. If you choose to include a cover letter with your direct mail, it won't hurt to include a coupon or bonus offer at the bottom of the letter to
encourage the customer to look through your offers and consider them.
4. Fold your circulars in a "Z-fold" when placing them in the envelope itself. This way, as soon as the envelope is opened the customer does not
have to unfold it. Your best "eye catcher" is looking directly at them.
5. Place similar or complementing offers in each envelope. A good combination is: (a) Mailing List (b) Stamp Program (c) Printing or Typesetting
(d) Money Making Program. You get the idea!
Continually try different ideas to market your products properly. \Work on it. Make a game out of it. Eventually you will hit upon the right
combination that will literally stuff your mailbox with orders!
Everyone that starts out in the wonderful world of the mail order business is soon introduced to commission circulars. What is a commission
circular? They are camera-ready ads or circulars that are already typeset that require you to place your name and address in the order form. You
send them out with your out going mail with your other offers. Orders are usually sent directly to you, you take out your commission cut (usually
50% or more) and send the customers order to the prime source and he/she fills the order. This is a very simple process and serves as a
excellent purpose for many people.
Commission circulars allow people to make money without actually handling the product. Some people base their business on commission
circulars alone. Some people love collecting their commission, mailing the order to the prime source and their work is done. Many even love
getting their families or children involved as in most cases they can help in most phases of this business process.
However, what happens if you are not right for commission circulars? What if you are just getting started in mail order and are only mailing 10
letters per week? What if you haven't the faintest idea who to mail your commission circulars to. Of course you can purchase an opportunity
seeker mailing list but if you are only making $2 or $3 from your commission circulars is it really worth it? Is there any real money to be made?
First and foremost you need to ask yourself a few questions before ordering commission circulars. You need to determine how much you are
mailing per month. If you are not mailing at least 300 per month you probably will not make much from your commission circulars. However I
might add, if the commission circular can become part of your mailing without causing you extra postage, they will benefit you greatly. For
example if you are already mailing your main program why not fill the rest of your envelopes with commission circulars. Commission circulars
bring in the best profits when they are mailed to a lot of people. Big mail order dealers who process tons of mail per week and mail to thousands
every month benefit the most from commission circulars.
Many might disagree about this. Some people may feel if you mail only 10 per month, it will bring in money. I agree, it will, but it will take you many
months, possibly even years at this pace to make it worth your time. A commission mailer who mails commission circulars is normally
responsible for his/her own printing (some people provide pre-printed circulars at a cost) as well as their own time in mailing and postage.
Depending on how much your commission circulars are paying you, in many cases you might not re-coup enough expenses unless you receive
several orders. In other words, don't expect to get a 50% response to any mailing. It don't matter how great your offers are or how great your
mailing list is. It just don't happen that way.
One way of saving on your printing expenses is to take part in Co-Op printing deals. That is where a printer will print your circular and his/her
circular on the back side and ship them back to you. You can save alot with Co-Op printing. Read and study the mail order publications and you
will find several Co-Op printing deals. You can save over 50% off your printing cost with this method.
If you don't do a lot of mailings or you don't want the hassles of stuffing and mailing a lot of envelopes you can advertise your circular in a mail
order publication. Rates are usually between $10 and $30 per 1000. You can get your circular printed and mailed with out any additional work on
your part. This is the least expensive way to take part in commission circulars because you save on postage, envelopes, mailing list of names,
folding, stapling and the time spent carting everything to the post office. Purchase a few big mails and keep up to date on publications and prices.
Another way to distribute your commission circulars is to print them yourself and have a good circular mailer mail them. Most bulk mailers
(people who process lots of mail) will normally mail your pre-printed circulars for 3 to 5 cents per circular. If you have a copy machine you are in
business. You will benefit from the mailers mailing list plus you will save time of processing them yourself.
Commission circulars are really a great way to help others promote their product or service and bring in an income for you also! When you
become more experienced with the mail-order trade you may even want to co-publish a few publications. The only difference between them and
commission circulars is that they are publications. You make money on any advertising ordered through you as well as subscriptions.
When promoting a commission circular it is best to know what you are selling that way you will be able to answer any questions if potential
customers contact you. You need to be aware of any product/service you are selling because it is a direct reflection on your company.
Remember, your company name or personal name is on the circular and customers will think you are the prime source.
Think about it this way. Suppose a shoe salesman came to your door without any shoes to show you. They had no brochure, no information
about their product and no knowledge about what shoes were available. Would you make a purchase simply from a price list? Probably not! And
your customers wont either. If they do happen to take the time to request more information - get it for them. Don't toss their letter in the trash and
not answer it because you don't know the answer. You could be throwing away a $100 order and probably a long time future customer.
If you are going to mail your commission circulars yourself, here are a few direct mail mailing tips to go by:
1. Be sure all the circulars are printed on both sides of the paper. This way you can get 8 circulars (4 sheets of paper printed on both sides) in a
standard business size envelope.
2. Never ever put only one sheet of paper in an envelope and mail it. The person receiving it will be a little confused and you will automatically be
recognized as a newcomer who loves to waste money.
3. If you choose to include a cover letter with your direct mail, it won't hurt to include a coupon or bonus offer at the bottom of the letter to
encourage the customer to look through your offers and consider them.
4. Fold your circulars in a "Z-fold" when placing them in the envelope itself. This way, as soon as the envelope is opened the customer does not
have to unfold it. Your best "eye catcher" is looking directly at them.
5. Place similar or complementing offers in each envelope. A good combination is: (a) Mailing List (b) Stamp Program (c) Printing or Typesetting
(d) Money Making Program. You get the idea!
Continually try different ideas to market your products properly. \Work on it. Make a game out of it. Eventually you will hit upon the right
combination that will literally stuff your mailbox with orders!