Your product has to have mass appeal, and it has to be something

not readily available to your prospective customers except

through you. The product should be such that you "carry an

inventory" without worry of spoilage, aging or other damage. It

should be something you can send through the mail--deliver to

your customer--for next to nothing in relation to your selling

price.

The best money-making product of all is a "How-TO" report such as

this one. You don't have to be a literary genius, or even an

experienced writer to write one of these reports. In fact, the

easiest way is to buy a set of these reports--read them each

over, set it aside and write a similar one with more elaboration

or from a different point of view. Give your report a

commercially appealing title, set a price for it, advertise it

widely in a number of nationally circulated mail order

publications, and you could have something that will continue to

bring in money for you for many years to come.

The absolute best money-maker of them all is a report you've

found a great need for, researched thoroughly, and written from

scratch. Discovering these needs is not that difficult a task.

If you don't have the time to write and market one of these

reports, or just cannot produce one for whatever reason, the next

thing is to purchase a set of these reports with reproduction

rights. Here, you can have a number, reprinted for as little as

one or two cents each, and sell them for one to five dollars

each. The only problem with that approach is that after a year,

nearly everyone in mail order will have a copy of these reports,

and will be trying just as hard as you are to sell them.

Now, if you have bought the reproduction rights to the reports,

you simply rewrite them, put new titles on them, make up a new

advertising circular, and send them out as new reports each year.

There are a number of mail order self-help reports that have been

making the rounds for the past 25 years in just this manner.

Just because you haven't got the time or the tools to write one

of these reports is no reason for not producing one. If you have

an idea or the background material, and the confidence that such

a report will sell--get in touch with someone who specializes in

this kind of writing.., and have them put the finished product

together for you. Generally, the fees will run to $100 per page.

But this is an "incidental fee" indeed, if you come up with

something that has the potential of bringing in several thousand

dollars per year for the next ten years or so. Remember, once you

have it together and written, you just continue making copies of

your original and filling prepaid cash orders for as long as you

wish to stay in business.

You should also have advertising circulars, a catalog or a

"follow-up" offer for every order you get. Many people make the

mistake of "sending their whole store" in response to every

inquiry. When you receive an inquiry to your advertising, you

should have a prepared sales letter describing the item you're

advertising, and perhaps a circular listing in catalog style some

of the other products that tie in with the product of your sales

letter. This is known as the "Featured Selection Plus Alternates"

approach.

When you receive an order for the product you've been advertising

or featuring in your direct mail efforts, include one of your

product catalogs in the package with the customer's order. The

most effective practice is to include an advertising circular or

brochure of a leader item or special-of-the-month, and your

catalog. The main thing NOT to do is include more than a couple

of separate "featured selection" circulars. Keep your eyes on how

the big mail order houses do it, and duplicate their operating

plan within your own means.

The important point to remember here is to be sure to include

something different--something new--something your customer has

not seen or been offered a chance to buy--with each contact you

make with him. Once you've broken the ice and got him spending

money with you, continue showing him products of a related nature

that should stimulate his appetite for greater success. For sure,

he'll never be more in mood to buy from you than when he receives

something he has ordered. So every time you fill and send out an

order to a buyer, include an opportunity for him to buy even more

from you.

You can make a very comfortable income, but you'll never get rich

so long as you're having your orders dropshipped for you. Having

a connection with a prime source that will dropship orders for

you is one of the surest and best ways to "learn" the business of

selling by mail--but if you really want to make it big, you'll

use dropshipping sources for learning, and to back up your

primary product with follow-up offers.

If you don't have a primary product of your own, the next best

thing is to buy in quantity lots at wholesale prices. A word of

caution here, though: do not buy a quantity supply of anything

until you've seen a sample of the product and thoroughly tested

the saleability of that product.

Too often, the beginner is sold a quantity of a certain product

at so-called wholesale prices, only to find that after he had

spent his capital he either doesn't want to put forth the effort

and time to sell that particular product, or that he can't "give

it away," let alone sell it. Suppliers who operate for you

orders, generally derive most of their income from the sale of

these initial "required" inventories. Always investigate and

check out the saleability before you buy anything more than just

a single sample.

Selling your reports depends on your advertising. You have to get

the word out that you have "money-making information" available

for sale. Start out small by using short classified type ads.

Look at how the established mail order report sellers are doing

it, and copy their methods. Do not copy their ads--instead, use

them as idea stimulators for your own original copy. Place an ad

in one of the largest circulation publications you can find, then

use the money that comes in from the first ad to place similar

ads in three or four other publications.

One of the insider secrets of the mail order business is in

multiplying your advertising exposure. This means simply that you

start with an ad in one publication, and from there, expand your

exposure by advertising in more publications. Be patient, and

wait for the returns from your current ads, then use that money

to increase the number of people who will have a chance to see

your ad. It's as simple as that, and it works every time. Try it

and see for yourself.

All of this means as you are getting started with a new mail

order business, you have to reinvest all your business income

back into the business. To do otherwise is a straight line to