Entrepreneurs’ Guide to Direct Mail Order

Cash at Home-Series

ENTREPRENEURS GUIDE

TO

DIRECT MAIL ORDER

Sandy Harper

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2011 by Sandy Harper

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.

CONTENTS

Introduction

1.GETTING STARTED

2.KEY TO SUCCESS

3.PREPARING INFORMATION

4.MAILING INFORMATION

5. ELECTRONIC MAIL (E-Mail)

6. AUTORESPONDERS

7.MULTI-LEVEL MARKETING (MLM)

Appendix A. Country Code Top Level Domains (ccTLDs) for Various Countries

Appendix B. Generic top-level domain (gTLD)

Appendix C. List of multi-level marketing companies

Appendix D. The New Age in Mail Order

Back to Contents

Introduction

With the advancement of computers and internet, the richest businesses are no more oil and real estate but are Microsoft; and internet based businesses like Google and Facebook. There are thousands of new ways to make money on the internet and direct mail order. However, the one we will describe in this book is the most successful method that is easier, personally tested and need no investment. The only investment is that most of us already have at home, which is computer, internet connection and a room. This method of direct mail and multi-level marketing (MLM) is the most exciting, profitable and fast growing business in America today. Mail order is a multi-billion dollar a year industry and it is still growing at the rate of 20% per year.

Direct mail can be done on a scale of millions; yet it can be tested for a few hundred dollars. It is probably one of the few businesses, where you can snow ball a small investment into a fortune. Other businesses require substantial investments for inventory, rents, pay rolls, franchise fees etc.; but mail order does not require any of these expenses. It is one of the few businesses that can be started on a shoestring. It requires no special skills and is not time consuming. Anyone with average intelligence can supplement their present income quite graciously with only a minimal effort. Yet it can grow into a full-time business. You don't have to answer to a boss, you can set your own hours and you can regulate your own earnings.

Direct mail is a business that can grow from a kitchen table to a million dollar powerhouse. You can successfully start a mail order campaign and this guide is intended to provide basic information to help you get started. The traditional mailing is almost a history in this age of email marketing and computer technology. Therefore, we put more emphasis on direct email marketing. However, there still are people who are using traditional mailing as a marketing tool. So we will add information for those who still like to use.

The information in this guide is not for leisure reading, but for action! You are getting into a lucrative business and you need to treat it as a serious business. This is a business in which you are everything from Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chairman of the Board to major stockholder. You will need some organization to keep your business running smoothly as you take a step towards Financial Enrichment. This guide will help you take this step towards success.

You may have noticed that no specific product(s) is named that can be marketed through direct mail. The product can be anything from a book or newsletter to promotion of your existing products and so on. Our intention is to teach the concept of direct mail and MLM so that it can be applied by people who are interested in selling their favorite products or simply their favorite information.

If you are now in some phase of publishing or mail order marketing (no matter how small) we would like to hear from you.

Add to this the most powerful technology of today, the internet. The Internet which is without a doubt the backbone of the so called Information Superhighway, is the world's largest computer network.

You can use Internet resources for many purposes, but the most profitable areas of the Internet from a businessman's point of view are: newsgroups, World Wide Web (WWW), email, and advertising on social network sites. Many of these are discussed in this guide.

We are at the intersection where the Age of Information collides with the Computer Revolution--and is producing the wealthiest people like Bill Gates. In this guide we aim to help you tap into the excitement and opportunity of this revolution.

We want this guide to provide you with a unique opportunity for generating a substantially high income that any professional would be proud of. We will emphasize some new and revolutionary ways to generate money on the Information Superhighway. We want the information you receive to be a real bargain for the price you pay. You will learn that the sky is the limit for what you can do with this information. You can operate on a scale of millions; yet test for a few hundred dollars.

_________________

CAUTION: The adherence to laws governing any aspect of mail order (including state and federal taxes) described in this book is the responsibility of the person trying these lucrative businesses.

Back to Contents

Chapter 1

GETTING STARTED

You are about to enter the fascinating world of business, and need the following basic equipment to get started. Many people started in this way, before proceeding to move to business-like quarters.

An Office at Home

Don't rush out and spend your money on frills. It's better to start at home in your spare time, on a minimal investment. This is an enjoyable business and it's more fun to start small and learn step by step.

Your office can be a quiet area of the basement, den, spare bedroom, dining room, kitchen, garage or even your bedroom where you can work uninterrupted for about two hours a day. That is all the time it takes to get started in selling your offer by mail and internet (whatever your product or information). And you can set your own hours.

In that space called Office in your home, you should need a desk, a file cabinet, a telephone, a computer with internet connection, and a few other usual office supplies. You will also need some area with plenty of light to use in fulfilling your orders, if your product needs regular mailing and shipping.

Supplies: First of all, you will need business stationary printed with your letterhead. This is most important in mail order because it's really the only aspect of your business the customer actually sees--except the product, itself. You will also need to get a stapler, a scotch tape dispenser, some pens, notebooks, a bulletin board and other basic equipment.

Telephone: A phone number is helpful in the mail order business, because people like to do business with individuals or firms who appear to be accessible. Your office telephone can be a different number added to the existing line that can be recognized by the difference in ring. This costs only a few extra dollars (about $5) per month and is convenient to answer with a business