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The advantages of locating a good mail order "buddy"
Many beginners in mail order today think that they are totally alone in the operation of their business. Nothing could be further from the truth! Mail
order is full of fine, upstanding, caring and honest people. In fact - I have met the best customers in the world through mail order. Mail order
products are normally higher quality than locally purchased items because they have to be. If I can purchase my car wax at Nationwide Auto
Parts, why would I purchase it through mail order? Because the car wax I buy through mail order can not be purchased at Nationwide!
Many people don't want to contact other people in their same field because they are afraid of competition. You are confusing mail order with
local business. Sure, if you own a shoe repair store and another guy who owns a shoe repair store opens up a shop across the street from you
- there will be competition. But suppose you live in New York City and your shoe repair store is located on the east side of town. Would the shoe
repair store located on the west side of town be competition for you? I don't think so. In a city of over 11 million people, I would think there would
be enough work for the both of you.
The mail order world is a lot bigger than New York City. In fact - the world is your marketplace. So if you are a printer, you can work with another
printer and help each other out. There is enough business for the both of you without hurting each other. In fact, you can refer business back
and forth and work together to support the printing industry as a whole. It's a win/win situation for both sides!
So how do you find a good mail order buddie? Correspond with people. Write personal letters to people in mail order. Read and study the
adsheets and mail order publications. See an ad that strikes your attention for a product you are interested in? Write a personal letter for more
information. Inform the dealer of your services. Explain that you are a NEW mail order beginner or just entering the mail order market and you
would appreciate any advice or direction. If you see a product you like, write to the dealer and ask how you might go about selling this product for
him/her. Try and work out "barter" deals where you can help the dealer if he/she will help you.
Can't afford to advertise your C/R this week because you didn't receive any orders? Write to publishers that you see running their ads. Ask if you
can send them a C/R ad in exchange for mailing some copies for them free of charge. Some people may turn you down - but others will take
you up on your offer. While you don't want to do this all the time and "ride a good horse to death" - this bartering has helped me out of a few
situations when money was scarce.
Write to publishers that publish a "letters to the editor" column. Mail order publishers always enjoy feedback and opinions about their
publication. More often than not, other people won't write a letter and the publisher will find your letter a breath of fresh air! Compliment them on
their publication (if this is true) and always offer your help and services at any time. To make a good friend - be one yourself!
If you need help constructing a good business letter, visit your local office bookstore and purchase a how-to-book on business writing. Even
some secretarial reference manuals will provide you with samples of business letters that you can copy word for word or edit and conform to
your product or service. Always be willing and eager to offer people your services. Of course you cannot give something away free when it will
cost you money. Instead, you need to barter with something that wont cause a financial burden on you to supply. For instance: if you are already
mailing to people every month, it wont cost you anything to mail someones publication for them free of charge. If you provide writing, editing or
typesetting services; you will only be out the time it took you to complete the job - no money will be lost.
And once you locate a good dealer that you are interested in forming a friendship with don't be stupid and take advantage of them. Most people
will help you out in a pinch and not think anything about it, but if you keep taking and taking - you'll lose that friend forever. Your memory will be a
bad taste in their mouth and all the time you spent building that friendship will be lost.
If you are unable to pay someone for something they have done for you to help you out - send them a "Thank You" card. A gift costing you only
$1 will be worth $1 million to the recipient just to know you care.
Many beginners in mail order today think that they are totally alone in the operation of their business. Nothing could be further from the truth! Mail
order is full of fine, upstanding, caring and honest people. In fact - I have met the best customers in the world through mail order. Mail order
products are normally higher quality than locally purchased items because they have to be. If I can purchase my car wax at Nationwide Auto
Parts, why would I purchase it through mail order? Because the car wax I buy through mail order can not be purchased at Nationwide!
Many people don't want to contact other people in their same field because they are afraid of competition. You are confusing mail order with
local business. Sure, if you own a shoe repair store and another guy who owns a shoe repair store opens up a shop across the street from you
- there will be competition. But suppose you live in New York City and your shoe repair store is located on the east side of town. Would the shoe
repair store located on the west side of town be competition for you? I don't think so. In a city of over 11 million people, I would think there would
be enough work for the both of you.
The mail order world is a lot bigger than New York City. In fact - the world is your marketplace. So if you are a printer, you can work with another
printer and help each other out. There is enough business for the both of you without hurting each other. In fact, you can refer business back
and forth and work together to support the printing industry as a whole. It's a win/win situation for both sides!
So how do you find a good mail order buddie? Correspond with people. Write personal letters to people in mail order. Read and study the
adsheets and mail order publications. See an ad that strikes your attention for a product you are interested in? Write a personal letter for more
information. Inform the dealer of your services. Explain that you are a NEW mail order beginner or just entering the mail order market and you
would appreciate any advice or direction. If you see a product you like, write to the dealer and ask how you might go about selling this product for
him/her. Try and work out "barter" deals where you can help the dealer if he/she will help you.
Can't afford to advertise your C/R this week because you didn't receive any orders? Write to publishers that you see running their ads. Ask if you
can send them a C/R ad in exchange for mailing some copies for them free of charge. Some people may turn you down - but others will take
you up on your offer. While you don't want to do this all the time and "ride a good horse to death" - this bartering has helped me out of a few
situations when money was scarce.
Write to publishers that publish a "letters to the editor" column. Mail order publishers always enjoy feedback and opinions about their
publication. More often than not, other people won't write a letter and the publisher will find your letter a breath of fresh air! Compliment them on
their publication (if this is true) and always offer your help and services at any time. To make a good friend - be one yourself!
If you need help constructing a good business letter, visit your local office bookstore and purchase a how-to-book on business writing. Even
some secretarial reference manuals will provide you with samples of business letters that you can copy word for word or edit and conform to
your product or service. Always be willing and eager to offer people your services. Of course you cannot give something away free when it will
cost you money. Instead, you need to barter with something that wont cause a financial burden on you to supply. For instance: if you are already
mailing to people every month, it wont cost you anything to mail someones publication for them free of charge. If you provide writing, editing or
typesetting services; you will only be out the time it took you to complete the job - no money will be lost.
And once you locate a good dealer that you are interested in forming a friendship with don't be stupid and take advantage of them. Most people
will help you out in a pinch and not think anything about it, but if you keep taking and taking - you'll lose that friend forever. Your memory will be a
bad taste in their mouth and all the time you spent building that friendship will be lost.
If you are unable to pay someone for something they have done for you to help you out - send them a "Thank You" card. A gift costing you only
$1 will be worth $1 million to the recipient just to know you care.