Raise Capital in 90 Days Online - Now!
Almost everyone needs or wants more money coming in, and with
this desire most would like to start some sort of extra income
producing project. The trouble is, not many of these people seem
able to fit "a second job" into their time schedules.
It's true that most people are busy, but extra time for some sort
of home-based extra income producing project can almost always be
found. It may mean giving up or changing a few of your favorite
pastimes--such as having a couple of beers with the guys or
watching TV--but if you score big with your extra income project,
you will have all the time you want for doing whatever you what
to do.
Efficient time management boils down to planning what you're
going to do, and then doing it without backtracking. Start by
making a list of the things you want to do tomorrow, each evening
before you go to bed. Schedule your trips to the store or
wherever to coincide with the other things you have to do, and
with your trips to or from work. Organize your trips to take care
of as many things as possible while you're out of the house.
take stock of the time you spend on the telephone---and eliminate
all that isn't necessary.
Whatever chores you have to do at home, set aside a specific time
to do them, and a specific amount of time to devote to them. For
instances, just one hour a day devoted to yard work would
probably make your property the envy of all your neighbors. Don't
try to do a week's work in one big flurry. Whether it's painting
your house, fixing leaky faucets, or mowing your lawn and
trimming your shrubs, do a part of it, or one particular job each
day, and you'll be amazed at your progress.
Take care of all your mail the day, you receive it. Don't let
those bills and letters pile up on you. If you're unable to pay a
bill immediately, file it in a special place that's visible, and
note on the envelope the date you intend to pay it. Answer your
letters the same day you get them.
Once you start listing and planning what to do, and then carry
out your plans, you'll find plenty of "extra time" for handling
virtually any kind of home-based income producing project. People
in general may not like routines or schedules, but without some
sort of plan as to what is supposed to be done, the world would
be mired in mass confusion. Laws, ordinances and regulations are
for the purpose of guiding people. We live according to an
accepted plan or way of life, and the better we can organize
ourselves, the more productive and happy we become.
The secret of all financially successful people is simply that
they are organized and do not waste time. Think about it. Review
your own activities, and then see if you can't find a couple of
extra hours in each day for more constructive accomplishments.
When you begin planning, and then when you really become involved
in an extra income producing endeavor, you should work it exactly
as you have organized your regular day-to-day activities---on a
time basis. Do what has to be done immediately. Don't try to get
done in a hour something that's realistically going to take a
week. Plan out on paper what you have to do--what you want to
do--and when you are going to do it. Then get right on each
project without procrastination.
Finally, and above all else, when you're organizing your time and
your business, be sure to set aside some time for relaxation. Be
sure to schedule time when you and your spouse can be together.
You must not involve yourself to an extent that you exclude other
people--particularly your loved ones--from your life.
Taking stock of the time you waste each day, and from there,
reorganizing your activities is what it's all about. It's a
matter of becoming more efficient in the use of your time. It's
really easy to do, and you will not only accomplish a lot more,
you will also find greater fulfillment in your life.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Turn Your PC Into A Profit Center
Raise Capital in 90 Days Online - Now!
Even though personal computers have been around for several
years, the market is still growing in many areas. With some
imagination and initiative, you can join the thousands of
entrepreneurs who are using computers to make money in such
businesses as word processing, bookkeeping, desktop publishing,
and computer training or sales.
Don't despair if you don't have a computer, or even if you
don't know much about them. Today's computer equipment is
relatively inexpensive, making computer-related businesses
among the least expensive to start.
The software you can use as the basis of a business is generally
easy to learn and use. With some software, you can go from novice
to expert in just a few weeks, if you make an effort to learn and
spend time practicing.
Here are eight ways you can profit from computers. Don't be
afraid to adapt each idea to fit your preferences and the needs
of the people in your area. In particular, you may want to
incorporate several of these services into one business, possibly
increasing your profit potential.
WORD PROCESSING
Typing reports, papers, dissertations, letters, and other
documents for students, writers, and businesses is a common way
to make money with a computer. Indeed, word processing is just a
high-tech version of the old-fashioned typing service.
The difference is that word processing allows you to turn better-
looking documents in less time than a typewriter. Further good
word processing programs let you include headlines, footnotes,
and special symbols in documents with little hassle. This
flexibility increases the value of your service to potential
clients.
College campuses are always good places to get customers for a
word processing business. If you live near one, prepare attractive
flyers to post on bulletin boards around campus. It may also pay
to take out a small ad in the campus paper. Stress fast service,
since students are notorious for waiting until the last minute to
finish assigned papers.
If there is not a college nearby, try advertising in the classified
section of the newspaper and mailing flyers to businesses. Small
companies may be particularly good customers for word processing
service because they may not have secretaries on staff. Larger
companies may use you for overflow work or for long projects in
which the finished copy must be perfect.
Rates vary depending on where you live; check with other typists
to see what they charge. It should be no problem in most places to
get $1 per double-spaced page. Be sure to charge extra for
footnotes, headlines, or other special formats, since these take
more time to type.
DESKTOP PUBLISHING
Because its capabilities are so amazing and useful, this new
technology promises to grow by leaps and bounds within the next
several years. With desktop publishing software, and a laser printer
to produce flyers, brochures, booklets, books and nearly any other
material that needs to be designed and typeset. The documents that
you produce are "camera-ready," meaning that they are ready to be
printed up with no additional typesetting, layout or paste-up.
As a desktop publisher, you can offer both graphic design and
typesetting services at a very competitive price (much lower than
customers would pay for a separate graphic designer and typesetter).
Even better, if you are a writer ( or can associate with one) you
can produce complete documents, from idea to finished piece.
Desktop publishing is one of the more expensive computer businesses
to start. A good laser printer may run $2,000 or more, and desktop
publishing software, including a full range of graphics and
typestyles, may cost up to $1,000. If you're starting on a tight
budget, you can probably put off buying the laser printer. Just
work out an arrangement with a print shop or some other business
that has a laser printer in which you may print out your finished
documents.
Because desktop publishing is more involved than word processing,
it's more difficult to set prices. The best way is to charge by the
job, basing your fee on an hourly rate. When a potential client
comes to you, estimate how many hours the work will take, and then
quote a package price for the job. (Most customers prefer a package
price to paying you an hourly rate, since they can budget in advance
how much the project will cost.)
Businesses, charitable organizations, professional, and anyone else
who needs high-quality printed pieces are potential customers for a
desktop publishing business. Print shops don't offer graphic design
and typesetting may be willing to steer clients who need these
services to you. Direct mail solicitations also may be effective
in promoting your services, especially if you include some
impressive samples of what you do.
BOOKKEPING, TAX PREPARATION
Many business people love running their businesses but hate the
financial record keeping necessary for smooth day-to-day operation.
But failure to keep careful records can cause problems at tax time
and whenever else a clear financial picture of the business is
needed. If you have experience in bookkeeping or accounting,
helping business people to keep their books can be an excellent way
to make money with your computer.
With spread sheet software like Symphony or Lotus 1-2-3, you can
keep detailed records of clients books, take care of billing,
prepare balance sheets and financial reports, and keep the client
aware of his or her financial standing. (Clients will really be
impressed if you use graphic software like Harvard Graphics to
prepare charts and graphs that show the financial status of their
business.)
Base fees on the size of the business and the amount of time you
need each month working with the client's books. You may want to
charge additional fees for extra services such as preparing tax
forms, financial statements, and balance sheets.
Small businesses--especially retail stores, with their need to
keep inventory--are prime markets for a computerized bookkeeping
service. The soft-sell approach works best when promoting this
type of business. Clients want to feel that their finances are
in the hands of someone who is conservative and trustworthy, not
a pushy promoter.
COMPUTER CONSULTING
Most businesses can benefit from having one or more personal
computers, but very few managers have the time to research fully
the hardware and software available when making choices. If you
know computers, you can provide a valuable service as a consultant,
helping clients avoid costly and frustrating mistakes.
Consultants begin by taking the time to learn about a client's
business. Thoroughly interview the manager or owner to find out
what he or she expects a computer system to do. Observe employees
to see what they do and how they might benefit from specific types
of equipment or software.
When you've arrived at a recommendation, write a report and meet
with your client to discuss it. After changes have been made to
suit your customers, you can assist further by recommending low-
cost sources of equipment, and setting up equipment once it is
purchased.
Consultants typically charge per day. Even if this fee is over
$100, emphasize to potential clients that your good advice can
be worth many times what it costs, since you can suggest cost
saving and efficiency-improving purchases.
COMPUTER TRAINING
Computer trainers teach people how to use specific types of
equipment and software. For examples, when a company begins
using a new word processing system, its employees must be
taught to use it. A computer trainer conducts these training
sessions, either one-on-one or with an entire group.
The most effective trainers are good listeners as well as
talkers. Before training employees, ask them about other
software packages they've used and what they intend to do
with the new package. After all, there's no point in spending
two hours telling someone how to do "mail-merge" with a word
processor if they never have need for that feature.
Begin by specializing in only a few popular software packages
that you know well. Prepare a mailer listing your areas of
expertise.
END OF ARTICLE PC INTO PROFIT CENTER
Even though personal computers have been around for several
years, the market is still growing in many areas. With some
imagination and initiative, you can join the thousands of
entrepreneurs who are using computers to make money in such
businesses as word processing, bookkeeping, desktop publishing,
and computer training or sales.
Don't despair if you don't have a computer, or even if you
don't know much about them. Today's computer equipment is
relatively inexpensive, making computer-related businesses
among the least expensive to start.
The software you can use as the basis of a business is generally
easy to learn and use. With some software, you can go from novice
to expert in just a few weeks, if you make an effort to learn and
spend time practicing.
Here are eight ways you can profit from computers. Don't be
afraid to adapt each idea to fit your preferences and the needs
of the people in your area. In particular, you may want to
incorporate several of these services into one business, possibly
increasing your profit potential.
WORD PROCESSING
Typing reports, papers, dissertations, letters, and other
documents for students, writers, and businesses is a common way
to make money with a computer. Indeed, word processing is just a
high-tech version of the old-fashioned typing service.
The difference is that word processing allows you to turn better-
looking documents in less time than a typewriter. Further good
word processing programs let you include headlines, footnotes,
and special symbols in documents with little hassle. This
flexibility increases the value of your service to potential
clients.
College campuses are always good places to get customers for a
word processing business. If you live near one, prepare attractive
flyers to post on bulletin boards around campus. It may also pay
to take out a small ad in the campus paper. Stress fast service,
since students are notorious for waiting until the last minute to
finish assigned papers.
If there is not a college nearby, try advertising in the classified
section of the newspaper and mailing flyers to businesses. Small
companies may be particularly good customers for word processing
service because they may not have secretaries on staff. Larger
companies may use you for overflow work or for long projects in
which the finished copy must be perfect.
Rates vary depending on where you live; check with other typists
to see what they charge. It should be no problem in most places to
get $1 per double-spaced page. Be sure to charge extra for
footnotes, headlines, or other special formats, since these take
more time to type.
DESKTOP PUBLISHING
Because its capabilities are so amazing and useful, this new
technology promises to grow by leaps and bounds within the next
several years. With desktop publishing software, and a laser printer
to produce flyers, brochures, booklets, books and nearly any other
material that needs to be designed and typeset. The documents that
you produce are "camera-ready," meaning that they are ready to be
printed up with no additional typesetting, layout or paste-up.
As a desktop publisher, you can offer both graphic design and
typesetting services at a very competitive price (much lower than
customers would pay for a separate graphic designer and typesetter).
Even better, if you are a writer ( or can associate with one) you
can produce complete documents, from idea to finished piece.
Desktop publishing is one of the more expensive computer businesses
to start. A good laser printer may run $2,000 or more, and desktop
publishing software, including a full range of graphics and
typestyles, may cost up to $1,000. If you're starting on a tight
budget, you can probably put off buying the laser printer. Just
work out an arrangement with a print shop or some other business
that has a laser printer in which you may print out your finished
documents.
Because desktop publishing is more involved than word processing,
it's more difficult to set prices. The best way is to charge by the
job, basing your fee on an hourly rate. When a potential client
comes to you, estimate how many hours the work will take, and then
quote a package price for the job. (Most customers prefer a package
price to paying you an hourly rate, since they can budget in advance
how much the project will cost.)
Businesses, charitable organizations, professional, and anyone else
who needs high-quality printed pieces are potential customers for a
desktop publishing business. Print shops don't offer graphic design
and typesetting may be willing to steer clients who need these
services to you. Direct mail solicitations also may be effective
in promoting your services, especially if you include some
impressive samples of what you do.
BOOKKEPING, TAX PREPARATION
Many business people love running their businesses but hate the
financial record keeping necessary for smooth day-to-day operation.
But failure to keep careful records can cause problems at tax time
and whenever else a clear financial picture of the business is
needed. If you have experience in bookkeeping or accounting,
helping business people to keep their books can be an excellent way
to make money with your computer.
With spread sheet software like Symphony or Lotus 1-2-3, you can
keep detailed records of clients books, take care of billing,
prepare balance sheets and financial reports, and keep the client
aware of his or her financial standing. (Clients will really be
impressed if you use graphic software like Harvard Graphics to
prepare charts and graphs that show the financial status of their
business.)
Base fees on the size of the business and the amount of time you
need each month working with the client's books. You may want to
charge additional fees for extra services such as preparing tax
forms, financial statements, and balance sheets.
Small businesses--especially retail stores, with their need to
keep inventory--are prime markets for a computerized bookkeeping
service. The soft-sell approach works best when promoting this
type of business. Clients want to feel that their finances are
in the hands of someone who is conservative and trustworthy, not
a pushy promoter.
COMPUTER CONSULTING
Most businesses can benefit from having one or more personal
computers, but very few managers have the time to research fully
the hardware and software available when making choices. If you
know computers, you can provide a valuable service as a consultant,
helping clients avoid costly and frustrating mistakes.
Consultants begin by taking the time to learn about a client's
business. Thoroughly interview the manager or owner to find out
what he or she expects a computer system to do. Observe employees
to see what they do and how they might benefit from specific types
of equipment or software.
When you've arrived at a recommendation, write a report and meet
with your client to discuss it. After changes have been made to
suit your customers, you can assist further by recommending low-
cost sources of equipment, and setting up equipment once it is
purchased.
Consultants typically charge per day. Even if this fee is over
$100, emphasize to potential clients that your good advice can
be worth many times what it costs, since you can suggest cost
saving and efficiency-improving purchases.
COMPUTER TRAINING
Computer trainers teach people how to use specific types of
equipment and software. For examples, when a company begins
using a new word processing system, its employees must be
taught to use it. A computer trainer conducts these training
sessions, either one-on-one or with an entire group.
The most effective trainers are good listeners as well as
talkers. Before training employees, ask them about other
software packages they've used and what they intend to do
with the new package. After all, there's no point in spending
two hours telling someone how to do "mail-merge" with a word
processor if they never have need for that feature.
Begin by specializing in only a few popular software packages
that you know well. Prepare a mailer listing your areas of
expertise.
END OF ARTICLE PC INTO PROFIT CENTER
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Questions To Answer Before You Buy A Franchise
Raise Capital in 90 Days Online - Now!
Franchise businesses such as Wendy's, McDonald's and Jack-In-
The-Box are booming. The people setting up franchise ideas and
businesses know a good thing, and are really promoting this
idea. Franchises for just about every conceivable kind of
business are being sold in ever increasing numbers.
Some franchises are very good. They treat both the franchisor
and the franchisee very well. Others are very one-sided. Still
others are almost total rip-offs that trap one into paying ten
to fifty times the actual value of the business idea, equipment,
or whatever it is they are trying to get you to buy.
Before putting any money into a franchise, you should investigate
everything completely. We've prepared a list of questions you
should be asking, and should get satisfactory answers to before
investing.
1. Has your attorney studied the franchise contract, discussed it
completely with you, and do you both approve it without reservations?
2. Does the franchise require you to take any steps which are
either illegal or even border on illegal, or are otherwise
questionable or unwise in your state, county or city?
3. Does the franchise give you an exclusive territory for the
length of the franchise period, or can the franchisor sell a
second franchise in your territory?
4. is the franchisor connected in any way with any other
franchise company handling similar products or services?
5. If you answered yes to the above questions, what is your
protection against the second franchising company?
6. Under what circumstances can you end the franchise contract,
and at what cost to you?
7. If you sell your franchise, will you be compensated for your
goodwill or will it be lost to you?
8. How many years has the firm been offering you the franchise
been in operation?
9. Does the company offering you this franchise have a
reputation for honesty and fair dealing among its franchisees?
10. Has the franchisor shown any certified figures indicating
exact net profits of one or more of its members, and have you
personally checked the figures with these people?
11. Will the franchisor assist you with: a) A management training
program; b) An employee training program; c) A public relations
and advertising program; d) Capital; e) Credit; f) Merchandising
ideas?
12. If needed, will the franchisor assist you in finding a
suitable location?
13. Is the franchising firm adequately financed so that it can
carry out its sated plans?
14. Does the franchisor have experienced management, trained
in depth?
15. Exactly what can the franchisor do for you that you cannot
do for yourself?
16. Has the franchisor investigated you carefully enough to
assure itself that you can successfully operate a profit to
both of you?
17. Does your state have a law regulating the sale franchises,
and has the franchisor complied with that law to your
satisfaction?
18. How much equity capital will you need to purchase the
franchise and operate it until your income equals your expenses?
If you can get the answers to each of these questions, and those
answers satisfy you, then you're probably thinking about buying
a pretty good franchise deal. However, if you're in doubt about
any of these points, be sure to check it out and know the
answers for certain before you invest or sign anything.
Buying a franchise can give you a measure of security, and in
some cases, sure-fire profits. Business surveys show that fewer
than 20 percent of all franchised businesses fail. This is in
comparison to a 60 to 80 percent failure rate for ALL new
businesses started in this country each year.
Information regarding specific franchising ideas can be found
in the franchising directories, which are generally available
at the local library. Often there will be a notice posted in
franchise outlets themselves.
If you can afford the entry into this business, statistics are
on your side. You are now armed with some CAUTION and STOP and
GO signs!
Franchise businesses such as Wendy's, McDonald's and Jack-In-
The-Box are booming. The people setting up franchise ideas and
businesses know a good thing, and are really promoting this
idea. Franchises for just about every conceivable kind of
business are being sold in ever increasing numbers.
Some franchises are very good. They treat both the franchisor
and the franchisee very well. Others are very one-sided. Still
others are almost total rip-offs that trap one into paying ten
to fifty times the actual value of the business idea, equipment,
or whatever it is they are trying to get you to buy.
Before putting any money into a franchise, you should investigate
everything completely. We've prepared a list of questions you
should be asking, and should get satisfactory answers to before
investing.
1. Has your attorney studied the franchise contract, discussed it
completely with you, and do you both approve it without reservations?
2. Does the franchise require you to take any steps which are
either illegal or even border on illegal, or are otherwise
questionable or unwise in your state, county or city?
3. Does the franchise give you an exclusive territory for the
length of the franchise period, or can the franchisor sell a
second franchise in your territory?
4. is the franchisor connected in any way with any other
franchise company handling similar products or services?
5. If you answered yes to the above questions, what is your
protection against the second franchising company?
6. Under what circumstances can you end the franchise contract,
and at what cost to you?
7. If you sell your franchise, will you be compensated for your
goodwill or will it be lost to you?
8. How many years has the firm been offering you the franchise
been in operation?
9. Does the company offering you this franchise have a
reputation for honesty and fair dealing among its franchisees?
10. Has the franchisor shown any certified figures indicating
exact net profits of one or more of its members, and have you
personally checked the figures with these people?
11. Will the franchisor assist you with: a) A management training
program; b) An employee training program; c) A public relations
and advertising program; d) Capital; e) Credit; f) Merchandising
ideas?
12. If needed, will the franchisor assist you in finding a
suitable location?
13. Is the franchising firm adequately financed so that it can
carry out its sated plans?
14. Does the franchisor have experienced management, trained
in depth?
15. Exactly what can the franchisor do for you that you cannot
do for yourself?
16. Has the franchisor investigated you carefully enough to
assure itself that you can successfully operate a profit to
both of you?
17. Does your state have a law regulating the sale franchises,
and has the franchisor complied with that law to your
satisfaction?
18. How much equity capital will you need to purchase the
franchise and operate it until your income equals your expenses?
If you can get the answers to each of these questions, and those
answers satisfy you, then you're probably thinking about buying
a pretty good franchise deal. However, if you're in doubt about
any of these points, be sure to check it out and know the
answers for certain before you invest or sign anything.
Buying a franchise can give you a measure of security, and in
some cases, sure-fire profits. Business surveys show that fewer
than 20 percent of all franchised businesses fail. This is in
comparison to a 60 to 80 percent failure rate for ALL new
businesses started in this country each year.
Information regarding specific franchising ideas can be found
in the franchising directories, which are generally available
at the local library. Often there will be a notice posted in
franchise outlets themselves.
If you can afford the entry into this business, statistics are
on your side. You are now armed with some CAUTION and STOP and
GO signs!
Monday, July 28, 2008
How To Start And Operate Your Own Bartering Club
Raise Capital in 90 Days Online - Now!
Bartering is not negotiating! Bartering is "trading" for a
service, or for the goods you want. In essence, bartering,
bartering is simply buying or paying for goods or services using
something other than money (coins or government printed paper
dollars).
Thus defined, bartering has been around much longer than money as
we know it today. Recent estimates indicate that at least 60
percent of companies on the New York Stock Exchange use the
principles of bartering as a standard business practice. And
congressmen barter daily to gain support for their pet projects.
U.S. aircraft manufactures barter with foreign airlines in order
to close sales on million dollar contracts. Perhaps you have
experienced at one time or another in your life a friend saying,
"okay, that's one you owe me..." Basically, that's bartering.
The reason bartering enjoys renewed popularity in times of tight
money is simply that it is the "bottom line" method of survival
with little or no cash. In times of high interest rates, cash in
anyone's pocket is indeed a very precious commodity, and
bartering is even more popular. Bartering affords both the
individual and the established business a way to hold onto cash
while continuing to get needed goods and services.
In addition to saving a business borrowing costs, bartering can
improve its cash flow and liquidity. For anyone trying to operate
a successful business, this is vitally important, and for
individual families in these times, it makes possible the saving
of cash funds for those purchases where cash is necessary.
To start and successfully operate a bartering club, YOU MUST
THINK IN TERMS OF A BANKER. After all, that's precisely the
reason for your business---to receive and keep track of people's
deposits while lending and bringing together other people wanting
or needing these deposits.
So your first task is to round up depositors. As a one-man
operation, you can start from your own home with nothing more
than your telephone and kitchen table, but until you get helpers
you'll either be very small or very busy (probably both).
You can run a small display ad in you local newspaper. A good ad
would include the following ideas: NEW BARTERING CLUB!
Trade your expertise and/or time for the
merchandise or services you need. We have
the traders ready---merchandise, specialized
skills, buyers too! Call now and register.
ABC BARTERING
(123) 456-7890
When respondents to this ad call, you handle them just as a
banker handles someone opening a new account. You explain how
your club work; Everyone pays a membership fee of $100 to $300,
and annual dues of $50 to $100. The depositor tells you what he
wants to deposit, perhaps $150 worth of printing services, and
what he's looking for in return---storage space for a boat over a
three month period. If you have a depositor with garage space for
rent and needing printing services you have a transaction.
But let's say you have no "perfect match" for this depositor. On
your list of depositors you have a dentist who's offering $500
worth of dental work for someone to paint his house. A woman with
a garage to rent in exchange for dental work for her children. An
unemployed painter willing to paint houses in exchange for a side
of beef, and a butcher who wants to trade a side of beef for
advertising circulars.
Remember, when a new member joins your club, he makes a deposit
and states his wants or needs. In the above example, you have a
typical bartering club situation. Your service is to spend or
line up those deposits to match the wants or needs of the club
members.
An affinity for people and good memory are vital to this kind of
business, especially if you're running a "one-man show."
Generally, when you have a buyer for one of your depositors, you
notify him or her right away with a phone call. You simply tell
her that Club Member A wants to rent your garage. She tells you
fine, but she doesn't want any printing services. You simply tell
her to hang on because you are currently in the process of
contacting the dentist who'll do the work on her kid's teeth. And
so it goes in the operation of a bartering club.
Some of the larger bartering clubs (with several thousands
members), simply list the deposits and wants or needs on a
computer, and then invite their members to come in and check out
the availabilities for themselves. Others maintain merchandise
stores where the members come in to first look at the current
listing, and then shop, using credit against their deposits. The
smaller clubs usually publish a weekly "trader's wanted" sheet
and let it go at that.
These methods all work, but we've found that instead of leaving
your members to fend for themselves or make their own trades, the
most profitable system is to hire commission sales people to
solicit (recruit if you will) new members, specifically with
deposits to match wants and needs of your present members. These
sales people should get 20% of the membership fee from each new
member they sign, plus 3 to 5 percent of the total value of each
trade they arrange and close. This percentage, of course, to be
paid in club credits, spendable merchandise or services offered
by the club.
You'll need a club charter, a board of directories or officers in
many areas, a city or county license. Check with your city or
county clerk for more information on these requirements. You
should also have a membership contract, the original for your
files and a duplicate for the member. In most cases you can write
your own, using any organization membership contract as a guide,
or you can have your attorney draw one up for you. You'll also
need a membership booklet, or at least an addenda sheet to your
contract, explaining the rules and bylaws of your club. It's also
suggested that you supply your members with consecutively
numbered "club membership identification cards" for their wallets
or purses. Some clubs even give membership certificates suitable
for framing. You can pick these up at a large stationary house or
commercial print shop.
Two things are important to make up of the membership package you
exchange for membership fees:
1. It must be as impressive as you can make it.
2. It must be legal, while serving your needs almost exclusively.
Basically, you should have at least 100 members before you begin
concentrating on arranging trades. As stated earlier in this
report, the easiest way to recruit new members is to run an ad in
your newspapers, and perhaps even on your local radio stations as
well.
Follow up one these inquiries with a direct mail package, which
would typically consist of a brochure explaining the beauty and
benefits of being a member of your bartering club, a sales
letter, and a return reply order form. After you've sent out the
direct mail piece, be sure to follow up by phone, and if
necessary, make a call in person as any other sales person would
do.
Another way of recruiting new members is via the Amway
Introduction Party Program. Allow a certain number of club
credits for each party a club member arranges for you. Insist on
at least 10 couples for each party, and then as the "Attraction
of the Evening," you or one of your salespeople give a
motivation-benefits available recruiting talk. Be sure you get
the names, addresses and phone numbers of everyone attending, and
be sure that everyone leaves with your literature.
If all those in attendance at these parties do not join, then
follow up on them, first by phone and then with personal sales
presentations. Once you've got them interested in your club, do
not let go or give up on them until you have signed them as
members. Another thing---take a page from the Party Plan
Merchandiser's Handbook, and look for those who would be most
likely to want to promote a similar party for you.
Offer them an item of merchandise they might be particularly
interested in, and club credits if they'll not only join, but
also stage a party for you.
A bit more expensive, but just as certain of success are free
seminars. Rent a large meeting room, advertise in your local
papers, and then put on a hard-sell recruiting show. Such a plan
is very similar to the party idea, but on a larger scale. An
inside tip: Whenever you stage a recruiting party or seminar,
always "pad the audience" with your own people, who will of
course lead the way for those you're trying to recruit.
As stated earlier, you can start operations out of your home, but
working out of your home has a number of growing inhibiting
factors. After a certain period of time, the growth of almost any
kind of business is retarded when it's operated out of a home. So
just as soon as you can possibly can afford to, move into an
office of some sort. Keep your eyes open and consider the
feasibility of sharing an office with an insurance agent or real
estate broker. Check your newspaper classifieds for businesses
willing to share office space or rent desk space or other office
amenities.
This is the kind of business that demands an image of success.
You just can't keep people from "dropping in" when you're
operating strictly on a local basis. And when you attempt to hire
sales people, a place of business to work out of is just as
important to them as how much commission they're going to
receive. Image is super important, so don't neglect it!
Ideally, you should have one salesman for every 50,000 people in
your area. Run an ad in your local newspaper, and also list your
needs you state's employment service. Hire ONLY commission
salespeople. Give them a percentage of the membership fee for
each new member they sign, plus a small commission on each trade
deal they close.
Assign each of your people specific territories, and insist that
they call on potential commercial accounts ranging from the "hole
in the wall" rubber stamp shop to magazine publishers and
commuter airlines. There's plenty of business available in every
city or metro area in the country. Encourage your sales people to
be creative and imaginative when calling on prospects. Then, be
sure that you keep an open mind and listen to their wild trading
proposals (some "wild proposals have been known to become "wildly
successful)!
Schedule "open discussion" sales meeting every morning before
salespeople "hit the bricks." have each of them report on their
selling efforts from the day before, and present to you a written
list of prospects they plan to call today. Set up sales
motivation workshops to be held at least once a month, and at
least once a week schedule a motivational speaker or play one of
the widely available success/inspirational tapes as a closing
feature of your morning sales meeting. Stock sales success books
and encourage your people to borrow them, take them home and read
them. Your sales people will make you rich, but only if you turn
them on and keep them flying high with personal motivation.
Should you or should you not accept installment payments from new
members? .Yes, by all means! But only when you've got their
signature on a contract drawn up for your benefit and deemed
legally binding by your attorney. What about bank cards? Yes
indeed! In fact, you'll find that your capability of handling
bank cards will double or even triple your sales.
Precisely how much are you going to need in actual start-up
costs? We would estimate at least $500 for your printing and
legal fees, unless you can trade charter memberships in your club
for these services. Time wise, you're going to be putting in
18-hour days, and 7-day weeks until you get those first 100
people signed. And there won't be any money for salary or
long-deserved vacations from these first 100 members you sign.
You'll need it all for advertising, membership packets and office
set-up. However, if you can really work at it, you should be home
free in six weeks or less. Then you can set up your office, hire
a couple of girls to handle the paperwork, and take on a
salesperson or two.
Reputation and success in matching offers to wants will be just
as important as image, so give it your all. Don't give up; stand
behind the implied, as well as the real promises you make to your
members.
A couple of final notes: Should you offer a guarantee of
satisfaction? Only so long as it makes money for you, and you can
back it up. There's not a person in business anywhere who enjoys
refunding a customer's money. But don't forget that the existence
of your business depends on service. The more you project an
image of a "people pleaser," the greater success you're going to
achieve. This is definitely not a business for someone who
doesn't enjoy "waiting on" people. You've got to like people,
enjoy helping them, and want the inner satisfaction that comes
from selling new ideas.
This is definitely a growth business. Bartering Clubs in
metropolitan population areas of 300,000 or more are reporting
incomes of over a million dollars. The average in cities of
100,000 population is about $150,000 per year.
Actually, no experience or special training is required. The
operation of a Bartering Club is equally suited to women or men.
Both do equally well as salespeople. It's a business that fills a
need, and a kind of membership program people will stand in line
to be part of, once they've been introduced to the benefits.
This is the plan. It's going to take your time and effort to get
organized, but after your initial work to establish this
business, you can become quite wealthy in a relatively short
time. Read over this plan again; determine if this is "the one"
for you, and then go all out. It's up to you, and all it takes
now is action on your part.
One of the best of all the available sources of ongoing help and
knowledge about bartering is a quarterly publication entitled
BARTERING NEWS. Write and ask fro a sample copy. The address is:
Bartering news
PO Box 3024
Mission Viejo, CA 92690
Bartering is not negotiating! Bartering is "trading" for a
service, or for the goods you want. In essence, bartering,
bartering is simply buying or paying for goods or services using
something other than money (coins or government printed paper
dollars).
Thus defined, bartering has been around much longer than money as
we know it today. Recent estimates indicate that at least 60
percent of companies on the New York Stock Exchange use the
principles of bartering as a standard business practice. And
congressmen barter daily to gain support for their pet projects.
U.S. aircraft manufactures barter with foreign airlines in order
to close sales on million dollar contracts. Perhaps you have
experienced at one time or another in your life a friend saying,
"okay, that's one you owe me..." Basically, that's bartering.
The reason bartering enjoys renewed popularity in times of tight
money is simply that it is the "bottom line" method of survival
with little or no cash. In times of high interest rates, cash in
anyone's pocket is indeed a very precious commodity, and
bartering is even more popular. Bartering affords both the
individual and the established business a way to hold onto cash
while continuing to get needed goods and services.
In addition to saving a business borrowing costs, bartering can
improve its cash flow and liquidity. For anyone trying to operate
a successful business, this is vitally important, and for
individual families in these times, it makes possible the saving
of cash funds for those purchases where cash is necessary.
To start and successfully operate a bartering club, YOU MUST
THINK IN TERMS OF A BANKER. After all, that's precisely the
reason for your business---to receive and keep track of people's
deposits while lending and bringing together other people wanting
or needing these deposits.
So your first task is to round up depositors. As a one-man
operation, you can start from your own home with nothing more
than your telephone and kitchen table, but until you get helpers
you'll either be very small or very busy (probably both).
You can run a small display ad in you local newspaper. A good ad
would include the following ideas: NEW BARTERING CLUB!
Trade your expertise and/or time for the
merchandise or services you need. We have
the traders ready---merchandise, specialized
skills, buyers too! Call now and register.
ABC BARTERING
(123) 456-7890
When respondents to this ad call, you handle them just as a
banker handles someone opening a new account. You explain how
your club work; Everyone pays a membership fee of $100 to $300,
and annual dues of $50 to $100. The depositor tells you what he
wants to deposit, perhaps $150 worth of printing services, and
what he's looking for in return---storage space for a boat over a
three month period. If you have a depositor with garage space for
rent and needing printing services you have a transaction.
But let's say you have no "perfect match" for this depositor. On
your list of depositors you have a dentist who's offering $500
worth of dental work for someone to paint his house. A woman with
a garage to rent in exchange for dental work for her children. An
unemployed painter willing to paint houses in exchange for a side
of beef, and a butcher who wants to trade a side of beef for
advertising circulars.
Remember, when a new member joins your club, he makes a deposit
and states his wants or needs. In the above example, you have a
typical bartering club situation. Your service is to spend or
line up those deposits to match the wants or needs of the club
members.
An affinity for people and good memory are vital to this kind of
business, especially if you're running a "one-man show."
Generally, when you have a buyer for one of your depositors, you
notify him or her right away with a phone call. You simply tell
her that Club Member A wants to rent your garage. She tells you
fine, but she doesn't want any printing services. You simply tell
her to hang on because you are currently in the process of
contacting the dentist who'll do the work on her kid's teeth. And
so it goes in the operation of a bartering club.
Some of the larger bartering clubs (with several thousands
members), simply list the deposits and wants or needs on a
computer, and then invite their members to come in and check out
the availabilities for themselves. Others maintain merchandise
stores where the members come in to first look at the current
listing, and then shop, using credit against their deposits. The
smaller clubs usually publish a weekly "trader's wanted" sheet
and let it go at that.
These methods all work, but we've found that instead of leaving
your members to fend for themselves or make their own trades, the
most profitable system is to hire commission sales people to
solicit (recruit if you will) new members, specifically with
deposits to match wants and needs of your present members. These
sales people should get 20% of the membership fee from each new
member they sign, plus 3 to 5 percent of the total value of each
trade they arrange and close. This percentage, of course, to be
paid in club credits, spendable merchandise or services offered
by the club.
You'll need a club charter, a board of directories or officers in
many areas, a city or county license. Check with your city or
county clerk for more information on these requirements. You
should also have a membership contract, the original for your
files and a duplicate for the member. In most cases you can write
your own, using any organization membership contract as a guide,
or you can have your attorney draw one up for you. You'll also
need a membership booklet, or at least an addenda sheet to your
contract, explaining the rules and bylaws of your club. It's also
suggested that you supply your members with consecutively
numbered "club membership identification cards" for their wallets
or purses. Some clubs even give membership certificates suitable
for framing. You can pick these up at a large stationary house or
commercial print shop.
Two things are important to make up of the membership package you
exchange for membership fees:
1. It must be as impressive as you can make it.
2. It must be legal, while serving your needs almost exclusively.
Basically, you should have at least 100 members before you begin
concentrating on arranging trades. As stated earlier in this
report, the easiest way to recruit new members is to run an ad in
your newspapers, and perhaps even on your local radio stations as
well.
Follow up one these inquiries with a direct mail package, which
would typically consist of a brochure explaining the beauty and
benefits of being a member of your bartering club, a sales
letter, and a return reply order form. After you've sent out the
direct mail piece, be sure to follow up by phone, and if
necessary, make a call in person as any other sales person would
do.
Another way of recruiting new members is via the Amway
Introduction Party Program. Allow a certain number of club
credits for each party a club member arranges for you. Insist on
at least 10 couples for each party, and then as the "Attraction
of the Evening," you or one of your salespeople give a
motivation-benefits available recruiting talk. Be sure you get
the names, addresses and phone numbers of everyone attending, and
be sure that everyone leaves with your literature.
If all those in attendance at these parties do not join, then
follow up on them, first by phone and then with personal sales
presentations. Once you've got them interested in your club, do
not let go or give up on them until you have signed them as
members. Another thing---take a page from the Party Plan
Merchandiser's Handbook, and look for those who would be most
likely to want to promote a similar party for you.
Offer them an item of merchandise they might be particularly
interested in, and club credits if they'll not only join, but
also stage a party for you.
A bit more expensive, but just as certain of success are free
seminars. Rent a large meeting room, advertise in your local
papers, and then put on a hard-sell recruiting show. Such a plan
is very similar to the party idea, but on a larger scale. An
inside tip: Whenever you stage a recruiting party or seminar,
always "pad the audience" with your own people, who will of
course lead the way for those you're trying to recruit.
As stated earlier, you can start operations out of your home, but
working out of your home has a number of growing inhibiting
factors. After a certain period of time, the growth of almost any
kind of business is retarded when it's operated out of a home. So
just as soon as you can possibly can afford to, move into an
office of some sort. Keep your eyes open and consider the
feasibility of sharing an office with an insurance agent or real
estate broker. Check your newspaper classifieds for businesses
willing to share office space or rent desk space or other office
amenities.
This is the kind of business that demands an image of success.
You just can't keep people from "dropping in" when you're
operating strictly on a local basis. And when you attempt to hire
sales people, a place of business to work out of is just as
important to them as how much commission they're going to
receive. Image is super important, so don't neglect it!
Ideally, you should have one salesman for every 50,000 people in
your area. Run an ad in your local newspaper, and also list your
needs you state's employment service. Hire ONLY commission
salespeople. Give them a percentage of the membership fee for
each new member they sign, plus a small commission on each trade
deal they close.
Assign each of your people specific territories, and insist that
they call on potential commercial accounts ranging from the "hole
in the wall" rubber stamp shop to magazine publishers and
commuter airlines. There's plenty of business available in every
city or metro area in the country. Encourage your sales people to
be creative and imaginative when calling on prospects. Then, be
sure that you keep an open mind and listen to their wild trading
proposals (some "wild proposals have been known to become "wildly
successful)!
Schedule "open discussion" sales meeting every morning before
salespeople "hit the bricks." have each of them report on their
selling efforts from the day before, and present to you a written
list of prospects they plan to call today. Set up sales
motivation workshops to be held at least once a month, and at
least once a week schedule a motivational speaker or play one of
the widely available success/inspirational tapes as a closing
feature of your morning sales meeting. Stock sales success books
and encourage your people to borrow them, take them home and read
them. Your sales people will make you rich, but only if you turn
them on and keep them flying high with personal motivation.
Should you or should you not accept installment payments from new
members? .Yes, by all means! But only when you've got their
signature on a contract drawn up for your benefit and deemed
legally binding by your attorney. What about bank cards? Yes
indeed! In fact, you'll find that your capability of handling
bank cards will double or even triple your sales.
Precisely how much are you going to need in actual start-up
costs? We would estimate at least $500 for your printing and
legal fees, unless you can trade charter memberships in your club
for these services. Time wise, you're going to be putting in
18-hour days, and 7-day weeks until you get those first 100
people signed. And there won't be any money for salary or
long-deserved vacations from these first 100 members you sign.
You'll need it all for advertising, membership packets and office
set-up. However, if you can really work at it, you should be home
free in six weeks or less. Then you can set up your office, hire
a couple of girls to handle the paperwork, and take on a
salesperson or two.
Reputation and success in matching offers to wants will be just
as important as image, so give it your all. Don't give up; stand
behind the implied, as well as the real promises you make to your
members.
A couple of final notes: Should you offer a guarantee of
satisfaction? Only so long as it makes money for you, and you can
back it up. There's not a person in business anywhere who enjoys
refunding a customer's money. But don't forget that the existence
of your business depends on service. The more you project an
image of a "people pleaser," the greater success you're going to
achieve. This is definitely not a business for someone who
doesn't enjoy "waiting on" people. You've got to like people,
enjoy helping them, and want the inner satisfaction that comes
from selling new ideas.
This is definitely a growth business. Bartering Clubs in
metropolitan population areas of 300,000 or more are reporting
incomes of over a million dollars. The average in cities of
100,000 population is about $150,000 per year.
Actually, no experience or special training is required. The
operation of a Bartering Club is equally suited to women or men.
Both do equally well as salespeople. It's a business that fills a
need, and a kind of membership program people will stand in line
to be part of, once they've been introduced to the benefits.
This is the plan. It's going to take your time and effort to get
organized, but after your initial work to establish this
business, you can become quite wealthy in a relatively short
time. Read over this plan again; determine if this is "the one"
for you, and then go all out. It's up to you, and all it takes
now is action on your part.
One of the best of all the available sources of ongoing help and
knowledge about bartering is a quarterly publication entitled
BARTERING NEWS. Write and ask fro a sample copy. The address is:
Bartering news
PO Box 3024
Mission Viejo, CA 92690
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Brainstorming Your Way To Riches
Raise Capital in 90 Days Online - Now!
A great deal has been written about the group thinking concept.
Members all participate in solving problems, coming up with new
ideas or dreaming up new products. (Many heads are better than
one?)
They discuss the product, idea, or problem with each person
throwing out their thoughts on the subject regardless of how
ridiculous it may seem. This is supposed to generate a vast
pool of knowledge, including the answer to what the group is
trying to find.
Each idea is written down by one of the group and eventually the
puzzle is supposed to fall in place and the solution found.
Another method is for you to do your own private brainstorming,
using a tape recorder. When it is played back, it just may have
the solution for you.
Generally, however, neither method produces any better results
than if you study the matter thoroughly and look at it from
every possible angle. After you have "busted" your brain
capacity in this manner, sleep in it and let your "subconscious"
find the solution.
A great deal has been written about the group thinking concept.
Members all participate in solving problems, coming up with new
ideas or dreaming up new products. (Many heads are better than
one?)
They discuss the product, idea, or problem with each person
throwing out their thoughts on the subject regardless of how
ridiculous it may seem. This is supposed to generate a vast
pool of knowledge, including the answer to what the group is
trying to find.
Each idea is written down by one of the group and eventually the
puzzle is supposed to fall in place and the solution found.
Another method is for you to do your own private brainstorming,
using a tape recorder. When it is played back, it just may have
the solution for you.
Generally, however, neither method produces any better results
than if you study the matter thoroughly and look at it from
every possible angle. After you have "busted" your brain
capacity in this manner, sleep in it and let your "subconscious"
find the solution.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
How To Develop Money Making Ideas
Raise Capital in 90 Days Online - Now!
Ideas:
It isn't the billions of ideas, that pop up in the minds of
humans around the globe that make money. Very few ideas are
worth the time it took for the thought. Most ideas are fleeting
"sparks" that go no place and are forgotten before the next day.
Of the ideas that are good, very few are followed up and ever
end up as a worthwhile development in the market place. Most
people are just not oriented to do anything about their ideas,
while others believe it would take too much of their time and
money to follow through to completion. This leaves the market
place wide open for the person who learns how to "Create"
Profitable Ideas!
There are three major formats you can use to create profitable
idea:
1. Find something that already exists, the presence of which has
never been known before.
2. Invent something. Most inventions are merely new arrangements
of things that have already been invented.
3. Alter or improve in any number of different ways something
that already exists.
As you "Create" ideas, write them down. What you dream up can
be your key to great wealth. Keep your mind "open" as you go
through each day. What did you notice in the department store
that would reduce costs, save money or increase sales if some
simple procedure were added or something changed?
Ideas for improvements are one of the most valuable things you
can contribute to society and at the same time add to your bank
account. To create ideas for improvements, consider every
possibility and alternative for the thing you want to improve.
Learn to create ideas by evaluating all the different aspects of
the product, method or concept you are interested in. Put your
imagination and subconscious to work and write down your
thoughts pertaining to each of the things you expect to improve.
Use the New Wealth, "Idea Format" that follows as your guide for
creating Money-Making improvements.
Idea Format:
List the things you want to improve:
- Why should it be improved?
- Who will benefit from the improvement?
- What is wrong with it at the present time?
- Did someone else cause a problem with it?
- How do you propose to improve it?
- Do you have the facilities to do the work required?
- Do you have the know-how to do the work required to
improve it?
- Exactly what part needs to be improved?
- Should it be smaller? Larger?
- Should the color be different?
- Would more activity help make it better?
- Could it be combined with something else to make it more
practical?
- Would a different basic material work better?
- Is it too complicated, could it be simplified?
- Would a substitute be more meaningful?
- Is it priced too high?
- Would a change in personnel help the situation?
- Can the shape be changed to advantage?
- Can a new marketing plan make the difference?
- Is it safe?
- Can it be mass produced to bring the unit cost down?
- Should the appearance be changed... streamlined?
- Is there an adequate guarantee?
- What can make it appeal to a bigger audience?
- Would new packaging or trade name enhance it?
- Can it be made heavier, lighter, higher or lower?
- Can it be franchised?
- Is there a good maintenance program to back it up?
- Can financing be simplified?
- List ways to increase production:
- List ways to increase sales:
- List ways to reduce costs:
- List ways to increase efficiency:
- List ways to improve quality and increase profits!
- What can be done with it to satisfy more people?
This New Wealth "Idea Format" will start the ideas "sparking"
and as related ideas come to mind write them down in every
variation you can think of. Do not judge the good or bad points
of the ideas as they materialize to you, just write them down
and judge them afterwards. You will stop the flow of ideas if
you are critical of your thoughts before you put them on paper.
When you have answered everything you can about the product or
concept and know how it fits in with your plans, sit down and
evaluate all the details you have written.
After you have found (created) a good idea, follow it up with
questions on what should be your next move in order to do
something about it, then act! Get it moving. Expose it to the
world with sufficient tests to determine the value!
Come up with ideas that are still in the processing stage rather
than get stuck on several vague points that may be worked out
later as your subconscious goes to work. If your idea fails, so
what; you are just that much closer to finalizing another one,
then another... until a useful more valuable idea is born.
Every manufacturing plant, retailer, attorney, accountant;
every business person, large or small, cannot continue to
operate in the competitive world of today without someone in the
organization constantly coming up with new and better ideas!
Old ideas drop by the wayside as new ideas take their place.
Old companies without new ideas fade away.
Those who learn and know how to create ideas and anticipate the
changes needed, as the future evolves, have the opportunity to
be a great success with big money-making potential!
Another "tool" you can use to help dream up that million idea,
is to spend several minutes each evening, relaxed with your eyes
closed. Pick any object that comes to mind and try to change it
in your "mind's eye". Change it in every manner you can think
of to improve it.
The following evening pick another subject or object and repeat
the process. Soon you will be using 20% of your brain power
instead of the 10% normally used by the average person. As your
knowledge and "brain power" increase so will your bank account.
Just think what we could accomplish if we could get the other
80% of our brain power working? On second thought, let's not
try to get 100% efficiency out of your human computer . . . we
would probably blow up the world for sure.
Protecting Your Idea
When you have come up with a good idea, write a full description
of it and make a sketch if necessary. Place the written
information, the sketch and any other pertinent facts or
documents in an envelope addressed to yourself. Have the post
office seal the envelope with a date stamp over the flap, then
send it to yourself by registered mail. Keep the envelope,
unopened, in the event you need to prove ownership. Of course
if your product has a properly registered trade mark, has been
copyrighted, or you have a U.S. patent you are protected from
infringement.
A Few Idea "Sparks" !
When you come up with an idea, program or product that is so
superior in style or performance that it is unbelievable you may
need a notarized statement to assure your customer you are
offering an honest deal.
Make a habit of examining each piece of correspondence you
receive, taking care of it right at the time, do what is
necessary right then. Never put it aside to be handled a second
time if it all practical. This can save more time than anything
else for an executive who handles a large amount of
correspondence and mail. You can also save many more hours each
week by doing several of the most important things that need to
be done each day before you take up other, time consuming
important details.
Another good way to "spark" ideas is to go through the
classified and want ads in the newspaper ... Also the yellow
pages of your telephone directory. As you read, think of
something that would be of value to the company or person, or
enhance the item you are reading about.
In summary, learn to develop ideas from observing everyday
things and details. Think of what could make something better.
Dwell on things that have a large marketing audience, something
that everyone needs and wants. Write your ideas down. Put a
pencil and pad at your night stand. When you remember a good
dream... don't just lay there, by morning you will forget it...
Jot it down on the pad. You will be surprised what you can
dream up! Maybe the million dollar idea will magically appear
on your pad tomorrow morning!
Ideas:
It isn't the billions of ideas, that pop up in the minds of
humans around the globe that make money. Very few ideas are
worth the time it took for the thought. Most ideas are fleeting
"sparks" that go no place and are forgotten before the next day.
Of the ideas that are good, very few are followed up and ever
end up as a worthwhile development in the market place. Most
people are just not oriented to do anything about their ideas,
while others believe it would take too much of their time and
money to follow through to completion. This leaves the market
place wide open for the person who learns how to "Create"
Profitable Ideas!
There are three major formats you can use to create profitable
idea:
1. Find something that already exists, the presence of which has
never been known before.
2. Invent something. Most inventions are merely new arrangements
of things that have already been invented.
3. Alter or improve in any number of different ways something
that already exists.
As you "Create" ideas, write them down. What you dream up can
be your key to great wealth. Keep your mind "open" as you go
through each day. What did you notice in the department store
that would reduce costs, save money or increase sales if some
simple procedure were added or something changed?
Ideas for improvements are one of the most valuable things you
can contribute to society and at the same time add to your bank
account. To create ideas for improvements, consider every
possibility and alternative for the thing you want to improve.
Learn to create ideas by evaluating all the different aspects of
the product, method or concept you are interested in. Put your
imagination and subconscious to work and write down your
thoughts pertaining to each of the things you expect to improve.
Use the New Wealth, "Idea Format" that follows as your guide for
creating Money-Making improvements.
Idea Format:
List the things you want to improve:
- Why should it be improved?
- Who will benefit from the improvement?
- What is wrong with it at the present time?
- Did someone else cause a problem with it?
- How do you propose to improve it?
- Do you have the facilities to do the work required?
- Do you have the know-how to do the work required to
improve it?
- Exactly what part needs to be improved?
- Should it be smaller? Larger?
- Should the color be different?
- Would more activity help make it better?
- Could it be combined with something else to make it more
practical?
- Would a different basic material work better?
- Is it too complicated, could it be simplified?
- Would a substitute be more meaningful?
- Is it priced too high?
- Would a change in personnel help the situation?
- Can the shape be changed to advantage?
- Can a new marketing plan make the difference?
- Is it safe?
- Can it be mass produced to bring the unit cost down?
- Should the appearance be changed... streamlined?
- Is there an adequate guarantee?
- What can make it appeal to a bigger audience?
- Would new packaging or trade name enhance it?
- Can it be made heavier, lighter, higher or lower?
- Can it be franchised?
- Is there a good maintenance program to back it up?
- Can financing be simplified?
- List ways to increase production:
- List ways to increase sales:
- List ways to reduce costs:
- List ways to increase efficiency:
- List ways to improve quality and increase profits!
- What can be done with it to satisfy more people?
This New Wealth "Idea Format" will start the ideas "sparking"
and as related ideas come to mind write them down in every
variation you can think of. Do not judge the good or bad points
of the ideas as they materialize to you, just write them down
and judge them afterwards. You will stop the flow of ideas if
you are critical of your thoughts before you put them on paper.
When you have answered everything you can about the product or
concept and know how it fits in with your plans, sit down and
evaluate all the details you have written.
After you have found (created) a good idea, follow it up with
questions on what should be your next move in order to do
something about it, then act! Get it moving. Expose it to the
world with sufficient tests to determine the value!
Come up with ideas that are still in the processing stage rather
than get stuck on several vague points that may be worked out
later as your subconscious goes to work. If your idea fails, so
what; you are just that much closer to finalizing another one,
then another... until a useful more valuable idea is born.
Every manufacturing plant, retailer, attorney, accountant;
every business person, large or small, cannot continue to
operate in the competitive world of today without someone in the
organization constantly coming up with new and better ideas!
Old ideas drop by the wayside as new ideas take their place.
Old companies without new ideas fade away.
Those who learn and know how to create ideas and anticipate the
changes needed, as the future evolves, have the opportunity to
be a great success with big money-making potential!
Another "tool" you can use to help dream up that million idea,
is to spend several minutes each evening, relaxed with your eyes
closed. Pick any object that comes to mind and try to change it
in your "mind's eye". Change it in every manner you can think
of to improve it.
The following evening pick another subject or object and repeat
the process. Soon you will be using 20% of your brain power
instead of the 10% normally used by the average person. As your
knowledge and "brain power" increase so will your bank account.
Just think what we could accomplish if we could get the other
80% of our brain power working? On second thought, let's not
try to get 100% efficiency out of your human computer . . . we
would probably blow up the world for sure.
Protecting Your Idea
When you have come up with a good idea, write a full description
of it and make a sketch if necessary. Place the written
information, the sketch and any other pertinent facts or
documents in an envelope addressed to yourself. Have the post
office seal the envelope with a date stamp over the flap, then
send it to yourself by registered mail. Keep the envelope,
unopened, in the event you need to prove ownership. Of course
if your product has a properly registered trade mark, has been
copyrighted, or you have a U.S. patent you are protected from
infringement.
A Few Idea "Sparks" !
When you come up with an idea, program or product that is so
superior in style or performance that it is unbelievable you may
need a notarized statement to assure your customer you are
offering an honest deal.
Make a habit of examining each piece of correspondence you
receive, taking care of it right at the time, do what is
necessary right then. Never put it aside to be handled a second
time if it all practical. This can save more time than anything
else for an executive who handles a large amount of
correspondence and mail. You can also save many more hours each
week by doing several of the most important things that need to
be done each day before you take up other, time consuming
important details.
Another good way to "spark" ideas is to go through the
classified and want ads in the newspaper ... Also the yellow
pages of your telephone directory. As you read, think of
something that would be of value to the company or person, or
enhance the item you are reading about.
In summary, learn to develop ideas from observing everyday
things and details. Think of what could make something better.
Dwell on things that have a large marketing audience, something
that everyone needs and wants. Write your ideas down. Put a
pencil and pad at your night stand. When you remember a good
dream... don't just lay there, by morning you will forget it...
Jot it down on the pad. You will be surprised what you can
dream up! Maybe the million dollar idea will magically appear
on your pad tomorrow morning!
Friday, July 25, 2008
How To Achieve Excellence In Sales
Raise Capital in 90 Days Online - Now!
Most people are always striving to better themselves. It's the
"American Way". For proof, check the sales figures on the
number of self-improvement books sold each year. This is not a
pitch for you to jump in and start selling these kinds of books,
but it is a indication of people's awareness that in order to
better themselves, they have to continue improving their
personal selling ab abilities.
To excel in any selling situation, you must have confidence, and
confidence comes, first and foremost, from knowledge. You have
to know and understand yourself and your goals. You have to
recognize and accept your weaknesses as well as your special
talents. This requires a kind of personal honesty that not
everyone is capable of exercising.
In addition to knowing yourself, you must continue learning
about people. Just as with yourself, you must be caring,
forgiving and laudatory with others. In any sales effort, you
must accept other people as they are, not as you would like for
them to be. One of the most common faults of sales people is
impatience when the prospective customer is slow to understand
or make a decision. The successful salesperson handles these
situations the same as he would if he were asking a girl for a
date, or even applying for a new job.
Learning your product, making a clear presentation to qualified
prospects, and closing more sales will take a lot less time once
you know your own capabilities and failings, and understand and
care about the prospects you are calling upon.
Our society is predicated upon selling, and all of us are
selling something all the time. We move up or stand still in
direct relation to our sales efforts. Everyone is included,
whether we're attempting to be a friend to a co-worker, a
neighbor, or selling multi-million dollar real estate projects.
Accepting these facts will enable you to understand that there
is no such thing as a born salesman. Indeed, in selling, we all
begin at the same starting line, and we all have the same finish
line as the goal - a successful sale.
Most assuredly, anyone can sell anything to anybody. As a
qualification to this statement, let us say that some things are
easier to sell than others, and some people work harder at
selling than others. But regardless of what you're selling, or
even how you're attempting to sell it, the odds are in your
favor. If you make your presentation to enough people, you'll
find a buyer. The problem with most people seems to be in
making contact - getting their sales presentation seen by, read
by, or heard by enough people. But this really shouldn't be a
problem, as we'll explain later. There is a problem of
impatience, but this too can be harnessed to work in the
salesperson's favor.
We have established that we're all sales people in one way or
another. So whether we're attempting to move up from forklift
driver to warehouse manager, waitress to hostess, salesman to
sales manager or from mail order dealer to president of the
largest sales organization in the world, it's vitally important
that we continue learning.
Getting up out of bed in the morning; doing what has to be done
in order to sell more units of your product; keeping records,
updating your materials; planning the direction of further sales
efforts; and all the while increasing your own knowledge---all
this very definitely requires a great deal of personal
motivation, discipline, and energy. But then the rewards can be
beyond your wildest dreams, for make no mistake about it, the
selling profession is the highest paid occupation in the world!
Selling is challenging. It demands the utmost of your
creativity and innovative thinking. The more success you want,
and the more dedicated you are to achieving your goals, the more
you'll sell. Hundreds of people the world over become
millionaires each month through selling. Many of them were flat
broke and unable to find a "regular" job when they began their
selling careers. Yet they've done it, and you can do it too!
Remember, it's the surest way to all the wealth you could ever
want. You get paid according to your own efforts, skill, and
knowledge of people. If you're ready to become rich, then think
seriously about selling a product or service (preferably
something exclusively yours) - something that you "pull out of
your brain"; something that you write, manufacture or produce
for the benefit of other people. But failing this, the want ads
are full of opportunities for ambitious sales people. You can
start there, study, learn from experience, and watch for the
chance that will allow you to move ahead by leaps and bounds.
Here are some guidelines that will definitely improve your gross
sales, and quite naturally, your gross income. I like to call
them the Strategic Salesmanship Commandments. Look them over;
give some thought to each of them; and adapt those that you can
to your own selling efforts.
1. If the product you're selling is something your prospect can
hold in his hands, get it into his hands as quickly as possible.
In other words, get the prospect "into the act". Let him feel
it, weigh it, admire it.
2. Don't stand or sit alongside your prospect. Instead, face
him while you're pointing out the important advantages of your
product. This will enable you to watch his facial expressions
and determine whether and when you should go for the close. In
handling sales literature, hold it by the top of the page, at
the proper angle, so that your prospect can read it as you're
highlighting the important points.
Regarding your sales literature, don't release your hold on it,
because you want to control the specific parts you want the
prospect to read. In other words, you want the prospect to read
or see only the parts of the sales material you're telling him
about at a given time.
3. With prospects who won't talk with you: When you can get no
feedback to yours sales presentation, you must dramatize your
presentation to get him involved. Stop and ask questions such
as, "Now, don't you agree that this product can help you or
would be of benefit to you?" After you've asked a question such
as this, stop talking and wait for the prospect to answer. It's
a proven fact that following such a question, the one who talks
first will lose, so don't say anything until after the prospect
has given you some kind of answer. Wait him out!
4. Prospects who are themselves sales people, and prospects who
imagine they know a lot about selling sometimes present
difficult selling obstacles, especially for the novice. But
believe me, these prospects can be the easiest of all to sell.
Simply give your sales presentation, and instead of trying for a
close, toss out a challenge such as, "I don't know, Mr.
Prospect - after watching your reactions to what I've been
showing and telling you about my product, I'm very doubtful as
to how this product can truthfully be of benefit to you".
Then wait a few seconds, just looking at him and waiting for him
to say something. Then, start packing up your sales materials
as if you are about to leave. In almost every instance, your
"tough nut" will quickly ask you, Why? These people are
generally so filled with their own importance, that they just
have to prove you wrong. When they start on this tangent, they
will sell themselves. The more skeptical you are relative to
their ability to make your product work to their benefit, the
more they'll demand that you sell it to them.
If you find that this prospect will not rise to your challenge,
then go ahead with the packing of your sales materials and leave
quickly. Some people are so convinced of their own importance
that it is a poor use of your valuable time to attempt to
convince them.
5. Remember that in selling, time is money! Therefore, you
must allocate only so much time to each prospect. The prospect
who asks you to call back next week, or wants to ramble on about
similar products, prices or previous experiences, is costing you
money. Learn to quickly get your prospect interested in, and
wanting your product, and then systematically present your sales
pitch through to the close, when he signs on the dotted line,
and reaches for his checkbook.
After the introductory call on your prospect, you should be
selling products and collecting money. Any callbacks should be
only for reorders, or to sell him related products from your
line. In other words, you can waste an introductory call on a
prospect to qualify him, but you're going to be wasting money if
you continue calling on him to sell him the first unit of your
product. When faced with a reply such as, "Your product looks
pretty good, but I'll have to give some thought", you should
quickly jump in and ask him what specifically about your product
does he feel he needs to give more thought. Let him explain,
and that's when you go back into your sales presentation and
make everything crystal clear for him. If he still balks, then
you can either tell him that you think he product will really
benefit him, or it's purchase be to his benefit.
You must spend as much time as possible calling on new
prospects. Therefore, your first call should be a selling call
with follow-up calls by mail or telephone (once every month or
so in person) to sign him for re-orders and other items from
your product line.
6. Review your sales presentation, your sales materials, and
your prospecting efforts. Make sure you have a "door-opener"
that arouses interest and "forces" a purchase the first time
around. This can be a $2 interest stimulator so that you can
show him your full line, or a special marked-down price on an
item that everybody wants; but the important thing is to get
the prospect on your "buying customer" list, and then follow up
via mail or telephone with related, but more profitable products
you have to offer.
If you accept our statement that there are no born salesmen, you
can readily absorb these "commandments". Study them, as well as
all the material in this report. When you realize your first
successes, you will truly know that "salesmen are MADE - not
born".
Most people are always striving to better themselves. It's the
"American Way". For proof, check the sales figures on the
number of self-improvement books sold each year. This is not a
pitch for you to jump in and start selling these kinds of books,
but it is a indication of people's awareness that in order to
better themselves, they have to continue improving their
personal selling ab abilities.
To excel in any selling situation, you must have confidence, and
confidence comes, first and foremost, from knowledge. You have
to know and understand yourself and your goals. You have to
recognize and accept your weaknesses as well as your special
talents. This requires a kind of personal honesty that not
everyone is capable of exercising.
In addition to knowing yourself, you must continue learning
about people. Just as with yourself, you must be caring,
forgiving and laudatory with others. In any sales effort, you
must accept other people as they are, not as you would like for
them to be. One of the most common faults of sales people is
impatience when the prospective customer is slow to understand
or make a decision. The successful salesperson handles these
situations the same as he would if he were asking a girl for a
date, or even applying for a new job.
Learning your product, making a clear presentation to qualified
prospects, and closing more sales will take a lot less time once
you know your own capabilities and failings, and understand and
care about the prospects you are calling upon.
Our society is predicated upon selling, and all of us are
selling something all the time. We move up or stand still in
direct relation to our sales efforts. Everyone is included,
whether we're attempting to be a friend to a co-worker, a
neighbor, or selling multi-million dollar real estate projects.
Accepting these facts will enable you to understand that there
is no such thing as a born salesman. Indeed, in selling, we all
begin at the same starting line, and we all have the same finish
line as the goal - a successful sale.
Most assuredly, anyone can sell anything to anybody. As a
qualification to this statement, let us say that some things are
easier to sell than others, and some people work harder at
selling than others. But regardless of what you're selling, or
even how you're attempting to sell it, the odds are in your
favor. If you make your presentation to enough people, you'll
find a buyer. The problem with most people seems to be in
making contact - getting their sales presentation seen by, read
by, or heard by enough people. But this really shouldn't be a
problem, as we'll explain later. There is a problem of
impatience, but this too can be harnessed to work in the
salesperson's favor.
We have established that we're all sales people in one way or
another. So whether we're attempting to move up from forklift
driver to warehouse manager, waitress to hostess, salesman to
sales manager or from mail order dealer to president of the
largest sales organization in the world, it's vitally important
that we continue learning.
Getting up out of bed in the morning; doing what has to be done
in order to sell more units of your product; keeping records,
updating your materials; planning the direction of further sales
efforts; and all the while increasing your own knowledge---all
this very definitely requires a great deal of personal
motivation, discipline, and energy. But then the rewards can be
beyond your wildest dreams, for make no mistake about it, the
selling profession is the highest paid occupation in the world!
Selling is challenging. It demands the utmost of your
creativity and innovative thinking. The more success you want,
and the more dedicated you are to achieving your goals, the more
you'll sell. Hundreds of people the world over become
millionaires each month through selling. Many of them were flat
broke and unable to find a "regular" job when they began their
selling careers. Yet they've done it, and you can do it too!
Remember, it's the surest way to all the wealth you could ever
want. You get paid according to your own efforts, skill, and
knowledge of people. If you're ready to become rich, then think
seriously about selling a product or service (preferably
something exclusively yours) - something that you "pull out of
your brain"; something that you write, manufacture or produce
for the benefit of other people. But failing this, the want ads
are full of opportunities for ambitious sales people. You can
start there, study, learn from experience, and watch for the
chance that will allow you to move ahead by leaps and bounds.
Here are some guidelines that will definitely improve your gross
sales, and quite naturally, your gross income. I like to call
them the Strategic Salesmanship Commandments. Look them over;
give some thought to each of them; and adapt those that you can
to your own selling efforts.
1. If the product you're selling is something your prospect can
hold in his hands, get it into his hands as quickly as possible.
In other words, get the prospect "into the act". Let him feel
it, weigh it, admire it.
2. Don't stand or sit alongside your prospect. Instead, face
him while you're pointing out the important advantages of your
product. This will enable you to watch his facial expressions
and determine whether and when you should go for the close. In
handling sales literature, hold it by the top of the page, at
the proper angle, so that your prospect can read it as you're
highlighting the important points.
Regarding your sales literature, don't release your hold on it,
because you want to control the specific parts you want the
prospect to read. In other words, you want the prospect to read
or see only the parts of the sales material you're telling him
about at a given time.
3. With prospects who won't talk with you: When you can get no
feedback to yours sales presentation, you must dramatize your
presentation to get him involved. Stop and ask questions such
as, "Now, don't you agree that this product can help you or
would be of benefit to you?" After you've asked a question such
as this, stop talking and wait for the prospect to answer. It's
a proven fact that following such a question, the one who talks
first will lose, so don't say anything until after the prospect
has given you some kind of answer. Wait him out!
4. Prospects who are themselves sales people, and prospects who
imagine they know a lot about selling sometimes present
difficult selling obstacles, especially for the novice. But
believe me, these prospects can be the easiest of all to sell.
Simply give your sales presentation, and instead of trying for a
close, toss out a challenge such as, "I don't know, Mr.
Prospect - after watching your reactions to what I've been
showing and telling you about my product, I'm very doubtful as
to how this product can truthfully be of benefit to you".
Then wait a few seconds, just looking at him and waiting for him
to say something. Then, start packing up your sales materials
as if you are about to leave. In almost every instance, your
"tough nut" will quickly ask you, Why? These people are
generally so filled with their own importance, that they just
have to prove you wrong. When they start on this tangent, they
will sell themselves. The more skeptical you are relative to
their ability to make your product work to their benefit, the
more they'll demand that you sell it to them.
If you find that this prospect will not rise to your challenge,
then go ahead with the packing of your sales materials and leave
quickly. Some people are so convinced of their own importance
that it is a poor use of your valuable time to attempt to
convince them.
5. Remember that in selling, time is money! Therefore, you
must allocate only so much time to each prospect. The prospect
who asks you to call back next week, or wants to ramble on about
similar products, prices or previous experiences, is costing you
money. Learn to quickly get your prospect interested in, and
wanting your product, and then systematically present your sales
pitch through to the close, when he signs on the dotted line,
and reaches for his checkbook.
After the introductory call on your prospect, you should be
selling products and collecting money. Any callbacks should be
only for reorders, or to sell him related products from your
line. In other words, you can waste an introductory call on a
prospect to qualify him, but you're going to be wasting money if
you continue calling on him to sell him the first unit of your
product. When faced with a reply such as, "Your product looks
pretty good, but I'll have to give some thought", you should
quickly jump in and ask him what specifically about your product
does he feel he needs to give more thought. Let him explain,
and that's when you go back into your sales presentation and
make everything crystal clear for him. If he still balks, then
you can either tell him that you think he product will really
benefit him, or it's purchase be to his benefit.
You must spend as much time as possible calling on new
prospects. Therefore, your first call should be a selling call
with follow-up calls by mail or telephone (once every month or
so in person) to sign him for re-orders and other items from
your product line.
6. Review your sales presentation, your sales materials, and
your prospecting efforts. Make sure you have a "door-opener"
that arouses interest and "forces" a purchase the first time
around. This can be a $2 interest stimulator so that you can
show him your full line, or a special marked-down price on an
item that everybody wants; but the important thing is to get
the prospect on your "buying customer" list, and then follow up
via mail or telephone with related, but more profitable products
you have to offer.
If you accept our statement that there are no born salesmen, you
can readily absorb these "commandments". Study them, as well as
all the material in this report. When you realize your first
successes, you will truly know that "salesmen are MADE - not
born".
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Secrets Of Getting Free Advertising
Raise Capital in 90 Days Online - Now!
The opportunities for getting free advertising for your product
or services are limited only by your own imagination and
energies. There are so many proven ways of promoting your
objectives without cost that it literally boggles the mind just
to think of listing them.
One way is to write an article relative to your particular
expertise and submit it to all the publications and media dealing
in the dissemination of related information. In other words,
become your own publicity and sales promotions writer. Get the
word out; establish yourself as an expert in your field, and
"tag-along" everything you write with a quick note listing your
address for a catalog, dealership opportunity, or more
information.
Another really good way is by becoming a guest on as many of the
radio and television talk shows or interview type programs as
possible. Actually, this is much easier to bring about than most
people realize. Write a letter to the producer of these programs,
then follow up an in-person visit or telephone call. Your initial
contact should emphasize that your product or service would be of
interest to the listeners or viewers of the program--perhaps even
saving them time and money.
Other ways of getting free or very inexpensive exposure include
the posting of advertising circulars on all free bulletin boards
in your area, especially the coin-operated laundries, grocery
stores, and beauty and barber shops. Don't discount the idea of
handing out circulars to all the shoppers in busy shopping
centers and malls, especially on weekend. You can also enlist the
aid of the middle school students in your area to had out
circulars door-to-door.
Some of the more routine methods include having a promotional ad
relative to your product or service printed on the front or back
of your envelopes at the time you have them printed with your
return address.
Be sure to check all the publications that carry the kind of
advertising you need. Many mail order publications just getting
started offer unusually low rates to first-time advertisers; a
free-of-charge insertion of your ad when you pay for an order to
run three issues or more; or special seasonal ad space at greatly
reduced rates. And there are a number of publications that will
give you Per Inquiry (PI) space--arrangement where all orders
come in to the publication, they take a commission from each
order, and then forward the orders on to you for fulfillment.
Many publications will give you a contract for "" space. In this
arrangement you send them your ad, and they hold it until they
have unsold space, and then at a price that's always one third or
less the regular price for the space need, insert your ad. Along
these lines, be sure to check in with the suburban neighborhood
newspapers.
If you send out or publish any kind of catalog or ad sheet, get
in touch will all the other publishers and inquire about the
possibilities of exchange advertising. They run your ad in their
publication in exchange for your running an ad for them of
comparable size in yours.
Finally, there's nothing in the world that beats the low cost and
tremendous exposure you get when you advertise a free offer.
Simply run an ad offering a free report of interest to most
people--- a simple one page report with a "tag-line" inviting the
readers to send money for more information, with a full page
advertisement for your book or other product on the backside. Ask
for a self-addressed stamped envelope, and depending on the
appeal for your report and circulation of the publication in
which your ad appears, you could easily be inundated with
responses!
The trick here, of course, is to convert all these responses, or
a large percentage of them, into sales. This is done via the
"tag-line," which issues an invitation to the reader to send for
more information, and the full page ad on the back of the report,
and other offers you include with the complete package you send
back to them. As mentioned at the beginning of this report, it's
just a matter of unleashing your imagination. Do that, and you
have a powerful force working for you that can help you reach
your goals.
The opportunities for getting free advertising for your product
or services are limited only by your own imagination and
energies. There are so many proven ways of promoting your
objectives without cost that it literally boggles the mind just
to think of listing them.
One way is to write an article relative to your particular
expertise and submit it to all the publications and media dealing
in the dissemination of related information. In other words,
become your own publicity and sales promotions writer. Get the
word out; establish yourself as an expert in your field, and
"tag-along" everything you write with a quick note listing your
address for a catalog, dealership opportunity, or more
information.
Another really good way is by becoming a guest on as many of the
radio and television talk shows or interview type programs as
possible. Actually, this is much easier to bring about than most
people realize. Write a letter to the producer of these programs,
then follow up an in-person visit or telephone call. Your initial
contact should emphasize that your product or service would be of
interest to the listeners or viewers of the program--perhaps even
saving them time and money.
Other ways of getting free or very inexpensive exposure include
the posting of advertising circulars on all free bulletin boards
in your area, especially the coin-operated laundries, grocery
stores, and beauty and barber shops. Don't discount the idea of
handing out circulars to all the shoppers in busy shopping
centers and malls, especially on weekend. You can also enlist the
aid of the middle school students in your area to had out
circulars door-to-door.
Some of the more routine methods include having a promotional ad
relative to your product or service printed on the front or back
of your envelopes at the time you have them printed with your
return address.
Be sure to check all the publications that carry the kind of
advertising you need. Many mail order publications just getting
started offer unusually low rates to first-time advertisers; a
free-of-charge insertion of your ad when you pay for an order to
run three issues or more; or special seasonal ad space at greatly
reduced rates. And there are a number of publications that will
give you Per Inquiry (PI) space--arrangement where all orders
come in to the publication, they take a commission from each
order, and then forward the orders on to you for fulfillment.
Many publications will give you a contract for "" space. In this
arrangement you send them your ad, and they hold it until they
have unsold space, and then at a price that's always one third or
less the regular price for the space need, insert your ad. Along
these lines, be sure to check in with the suburban neighborhood
newspapers.
If you send out or publish any kind of catalog or ad sheet, get
in touch will all the other publishers and inquire about the
possibilities of exchange advertising. They run your ad in their
publication in exchange for your running an ad for them of
comparable size in yours.
Finally, there's nothing in the world that beats the low cost and
tremendous exposure you get when you advertise a free offer.
Simply run an ad offering a free report of interest to most
people--- a simple one page report with a "tag-line" inviting the
readers to send money for more information, with a full page
advertisement for your book or other product on the backside. Ask
for a self-addressed stamped envelope, and depending on the
appeal for your report and circulation of the publication in
which your ad appears, you could easily be inundated with
responses!
The trick here, of course, is to convert all these responses, or
a large percentage of them, into sales. This is done via the
"tag-line," which issues an invitation to the reader to send for
more information, and the full page ad on the back of the report,
and other offers you include with the complete package you send
back to them. As mentioned at the beginning of this report, it's
just a matter of unleashing your imagination. Do that, and you
have a powerful force working for you that can help you reach
your goals.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Make Your Hobby Pay
Raise Capital in 90 Days Online - Now!
It's great to delve into an interesting hobby such as artwork,
photography, or crafting paper jewelry. It's even more exciting
(and financially rewarding) to turn your special talents into a
successful home-based business. That's exactly what Mary Maturi
of Cleveland Ohio, Leslie Croyle of Bay Village, Ohio, and
Marlene Stephenson of Virginia, Minnesota, did. Each turned her
hobby into a cash-generating business complete with paying
customers and a bank account.
These aren't isolated stories. Men and women across the country
are joining the ranks of entrepreneurs converting hobbies into
money-paying propositions. It's important to note that none of
these women originally planned to start a business. On the
contrary, interest by others in their hobbies convinced them to
sell their work.
MARY MATURI'S KILLER WHALES
Mary Maturi markets a line of "Killer Whale" petroglyph
tee-shirts, sweat shirts, and note cards both in Alaskan gift
shops and in natural history museums in the lower forty-eight
states.
It all started when Mary and her family spent a year living in
Wrangell, a small town located on Wrangell Island in southeast
Alaska. One day Mary ventured down to Petroglyph Beach on the
island. Petroglyphs are ancient rock carvings left by an unknown
people. Using rice paper and different colored ferns, Mary
"rubbed" the petroglyphs to capture their images on paper. When
other saw her rubbings, they offered to buy them.
"People interest really surprised me, so I thought of other ways
to share the uniqueness of the petroglyphs with out having to
deal with their awkward size (some were several feet in length).
That's how the "Killer Whale" notecards were born," Mary says.
Using her rubbings as a guide, she created smaller scale pen and
ink drawings which she took to a printer to get price quotes for
paper, printing and envelopes."
The major cost of printing is making the plates. Therefore, it's
wise to get price quotes for different runs of 1,000," says
Mary. For example, a run of 3,000 cards might cost around 10
cents per card while a run of 6,000 note cards could drop that
per unit cost below 8 cents per card. That decreases your card
cost by more than 20 percent - quite a savings. Mary also
recommends getting bids from several suppliers or even splitting
up the order.
While printers know how to price their printing competitively,
they don't make their own envelopes. Mary uses the least costly
printer that can deliver the quality of paper stock she desires,
but buys her envelopes from a warehouse specialist at a savings
of nearly 35 percent from prices quoted by printers and other
envelope suppliers. It pays to let your fingers do the walking
and get competitive quotes.
Once Mary obtained the cost estimates, she visited several gift
stores and museums to gather pricing information on competing
notecards. She also talked to store owners and museum managers
to determine their interest in ordering. After all, it would
make no sense to have the notecards printed unless buyers would
purchase at prices that can generate a profit.
LESLIE CROYLE'S PHOTO-FINISH
Leslie Croyle converted her love of photography and knack for
framing into a full-fledged photo decorating business.
Leslie and two friends offered for sale enlarged photos of
popular Cleveland events such as the start of the
Revco-Cleveland Marathon & 10K, and a spectacular shot of the
United Way Kickoff's release of thousands of colored balloons in
Public Square.
"We hired several photographers to cover the events and used the
best photographs of the bunch," say Leslie. Advertisements for
photo promotion proved popular. The trio sold 600 photos at
prices ranging from $8 to $10 a piece, gathering a bit less than
$5,400 in revenues. Not bad for the first venture.
Unfortunately, the combined costs of ads, fees for the
photographers ate up the $5,400 and more. "Although we ended up
with a loss, it gave us a lot of market exposure and a proven
track record," says Leslie.
Next, Leslie and her friends put together a portfolio of
photographs and contacted local businesses. This marketing move
landed them a job of photo decorating PJ McIntyre's Restaurant
in a Cleveland shopping center. "We tied into nostalgia theme of
the restaurant by contacting area historical societies and
arranging to have their vintage photographs copied. It's
important to make sure you have the right to reuse the prints.
Ask for proper releases and permission to use whatever photos
you have copied," advises Leslie.
She stresses the importance of networking industry contacts. A
decorating firm they worked with on one project led to
additional work when that firm recommended Leslie and her
partners to some of their other clients.
Since 1987, the photo decorating business has progressed well
since its initial unprofitable photo event ventures. Major
projects include photo decorating the guest rooms and suites for
the historic Glidden House, which has been made into a unique
bed and breakfast, and an all-sports photo motif for the Grand
Slam Bar & Restaurant in the refurbished Cleveland Flats night
spot area.
"From our humble beginnings, we're now getting into some pretty
good sized jobs," says Leslie. "Just keep bumbling along - don't
give up."
MARLENE STEPHENSON'S PAPER PROFITS
Marlene Stephenson makes her money tearing paper. Actually, her
unique sculptured jewelry draws rave reviews wherever she wears
it. In fact, people routinely ask to buy her unique designs
right off her dress when she appears at public functions.
Marlene is a medical technician by trade, and her paper profits
grew out of a coffee get-together group of friends that met once
a week to try their hands at new craft ideas. One day one of the
ladies brought a book on making paper jewelry. "I just fell in
love with it and made a pin and some earrings to wear to a
business meeting. Lots of the women at the meeting asked me to
make some for them also," says Marlene.
As with any fashion item, Marlene pays attention to color
schemes and design. Even though she makes several copies of
different design, each is unique in color, shading, size, and
even texture. Marlene crafts her one-a-kind jewelry to match her
customers special outfits.
"With any small business, it's important to link up with other
small businesses," stresses Marlene. For example, her local
hairdresser lets Marlene display her paper jewelry at her shop.
Local gift stores either buy the pins and earrings outright or
take them on consignment, which means they pay for they after
they sell. Marlene also teamed up with several other artists to
display their work at trade shows.
"Try to tailor your product to the particular market. With the
loon as the state bird of Minnesota, my loon pins always do well
at local craft shows," she says. Likewise, when Marlene sent
samples of her pins to trade show in Anchorage, Alaska, she made
some new designs to capture the wilds of Alaska, These pins
included a polar bear, Alaska wild flowers, whales, and fish.
What ever your own hobby pursuits, you may be over looking an
opportunity to turn personal interests into money-making
enterprises. Investigate the possibilities, calculate the costs,
analyze the market, and move forward with your plan of action.
Take your lead from these three women who have turned hobbies
into profits.
It's great to delve into an interesting hobby such as artwork,
photography, or crafting paper jewelry. It's even more exciting
(and financially rewarding) to turn your special talents into a
successful home-based business. That's exactly what Mary Maturi
of Cleveland Ohio, Leslie Croyle of Bay Village, Ohio, and
Marlene Stephenson of Virginia, Minnesota, did. Each turned her
hobby into a cash-generating business complete with paying
customers and a bank account.
These aren't isolated stories. Men and women across the country
are joining the ranks of entrepreneurs converting hobbies into
money-paying propositions. It's important to note that none of
these women originally planned to start a business. On the
contrary, interest by others in their hobbies convinced them to
sell their work.
MARY MATURI'S KILLER WHALES
Mary Maturi markets a line of "Killer Whale" petroglyph
tee-shirts, sweat shirts, and note cards both in Alaskan gift
shops and in natural history museums in the lower forty-eight
states.
It all started when Mary and her family spent a year living in
Wrangell, a small town located on Wrangell Island in southeast
Alaska. One day Mary ventured down to Petroglyph Beach on the
island. Petroglyphs are ancient rock carvings left by an unknown
people. Using rice paper and different colored ferns, Mary
"rubbed" the petroglyphs to capture their images on paper. When
other saw her rubbings, they offered to buy them.
"People interest really surprised me, so I thought of other ways
to share the uniqueness of the petroglyphs with out having to
deal with their awkward size (some were several feet in length).
That's how the "Killer Whale" notecards were born," Mary says.
Using her rubbings as a guide, she created smaller scale pen and
ink drawings which she took to a printer to get price quotes for
paper, printing and envelopes."
The major cost of printing is making the plates. Therefore, it's
wise to get price quotes for different runs of 1,000," says
Mary. For example, a run of 3,000 cards might cost around 10
cents per card while a run of 6,000 note cards could drop that
per unit cost below 8 cents per card. That decreases your card
cost by more than 20 percent - quite a savings. Mary also
recommends getting bids from several suppliers or even splitting
up the order.
While printers know how to price their printing competitively,
they don't make their own envelopes. Mary uses the least costly
printer that can deliver the quality of paper stock she desires,
but buys her envelopes from a warehouse specialist at a savings
of nearly 35 percent from prices quoted by printers and other
envelope suppliers. It pays to let your fingers do the walking
and get competitive quotes.
Once Mary obtained the cost estimates, she visited several gift
stores and museums to gather pricing information on competing
notecards. She also talked to store owners and museum managers
to determine their interest in ordering. After all, it would
make no sense to have the notecards printed unless buyers would
purchase at prices that can generate a profit.
LESLIE CROYLE'S PHOTO-FINISH
Leslie Croyle converted her love of photography and knack for
framing into a full-fledged photo decorating business.
Leslie and two friends offered for sale enlarged photos of
popular Cleveland events such as the start of the
Revco-Cleveland Marathon & 10K, and a spectacular shot of the
United Way Kickoff's release of thousands of colored balloons in
Public Square.
"We hired several photographers to cover the events and used the
best photographs of the bunch," say Leslie. Advertisements for
photo promotion proved popular. The trio sold 600 photos at
prices ranging from $8 to $10 a piece, gathering a bit less than
$5,400 in revenues. Not bad for the first venture.
Unfortunately, the combined costs of ads, fees for the
photographers ate up the $5,400 and more. "Although we ended up
with a loss, it gave us a lot of market exposure and a proven
track record," says Leslie.
Next, Leslie and her friends put together a portfolio of
photographs and contacted local businesses. This marketing move
landed them a job of photo decorating PJ McIntyre's Restaurant
in a Cleveland shopping center. "We tied into nostalgia theme of
the restaurant by contacting area historical societies and
arranging to have their vintage photographs copied. It's
important to make sure you have the right to reuse the prints.
Ask for proper releases and permission to use whatever photos
you have copied," advises Leslie.
She stresses the importance of networking industry contacts. A
decorating firm they worked with on one project led to
additional work when that firm recommended Leslie and her
partners to some of their other clients.
Since 1987, the photo decorating business has progressed well
since its initial unprofitable photo event ventures. Major
projects include photo decorating the guest rooms and suites for
the historic Glidden House, which has been made into a unique
bed and breakfast, and an all-sports photo motif for the Grand
Slam Bar & Restaurant in the refurbished Cleveland Flats night
spot area.
"From our humble beginnings, we're now getting into some pretty
good sized jobs," says Leslie. "Just keep bumbling along - don't
give up."
MARLENE STEPHENSON'S PAPER PROFITS
Marlene Stephenson makes her money tearing paper. Actually, her
unique sculptured jewelry draws rave reviews wherever she wears
it. In fact, people routinely ask to buy her unique designs
right off her dress when she appears at public functions.
Marlene is a medical technician by trade, and her paper profits
grew out of a coffee get-together group of friends that met once
a week to try their hands at new craft ideas. One day one of the
ladies brought a book on making paper jewelry. "I just fell in
love with it and made a pin and some earrings to wear to a
business meeting. Lots of the women at the meeting asked me to
make some for them also," says Marlene.
As with any fashion item, Marlene pays attention to color
schemes and design. Even though she makes several copies of
different design, each is unique in color, shading, size, and
even texture. Marlene crafts her one-a-kind jewelry to match her
customers special outfits.
"With any small business, it's important to link up with other
small businesses," stresses Marlene. For example, her local
hairdresser lets Marlene display her paper jewelry at her shop.
Local gift stores either buy the pins and earrings outright or
take them on consignment, which means they pay for they after
they sell. Marlene also teamed up with several other artists to
display their work at trade shows.
"Try to tailor your product to the particular market. With the
loon as the state bird of Minnesota, my loon pins always do well
at local craft shows," she says. Likewise, when Marlene sent
samples of her pins to trade show in Anchorage, Alaska, she made
some new designs to capture the wilds of Alaska, These pins
included a polar bear, Alaska wild flowers, whales, and fish.
What ever your own hobby pursuits, you may be over looking an
opportunity to turn personal interests into money-making
enterprises. Investigate the possibilities, calculate the costs,
analyze the market, and move forward with your plan of action.
Take your lead from these three women who have turned hobbies
into profits.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Operating Cosmetics Business From Home
Raise Capital in 90 Days Online - Now!
This manual answers the question: "How would you go about
starting a mail order cosmetic (or similar) business." It
covers but a few of literally thousand of possible approaches,
some of which you will no doubt be able to visualize as you
review this plan.
To take advantage of the advice presented here for many
other similar products, just substitute jewelry, stockings
or fabrics for our eye shadow box example. The procedures
described here have all been "tried and tested," but that
doesn't mean that they can't be improved or better adapted
to fit your particular situation.
There are three basic objectives in the mail order
cosmetics business:
find a product that you can sell, at a profit,
sell additional products to the same buyers,
and build a mailing list.
It is imperative to strive to achieve all three
simultaneously.
You first and perhaps most critical initial consideration
is to find a product "leader" that you can sell at a bargain
price (preferably $2 or less) and still make a reasonable
profit.
It should be something that can be adequately described in a
small inexpensive ad and serve as a "door opener" to allow
you to offer a additional products to customers who have
demonstrated an interest and willingness to buy that type
of product.
To illustrate this point, we will use a 15 section eye shadow
case to sell for $2.00 plus 50 cents Postage and Handling
(P & H). These were advertised recently for $12 per dozen
wholesale (GEM International - see Business Sources) or about
$1.05 each with postage. Although you will "gross" 95 cents
apiece on these items, your overall profit will not be
significant on this sale alone, when you consider the cost
of advertising, your time and effort to obtain, process and
sell them.
Your real profit will come from subsequent sales to the same
customers -- your "captive audience"!
The 'smart" way to proceed would be to purchase an initial
supply of say, 500 units from a company that can ship up to
5,000 more on short notice if necessary (don't make the mistake
of buying the last 500 they have). With an investment of $500
in stock, place your ads and wait for orders to come in.
It is also possible to have the items drop-shipped and avoid
the investment in stock. Under this system, you fill out a
shipping label for each individual order (with your return
address) and mail it along with the wholesale price and all
the P & H charge to the supplier, who mails the product direct
to your customer as your "warehouse."
The advantages of drop-shipping are that you don't need to
invest in merchandise until it is sold and that you don't
run out.
The disadvantages are that the merchandise costs much more
(no volume price breaks(, it takes extra time and postage to
forward the orders to the supplier, and that the supplier gets
all the postage and handling fee (usually part is profit).
Most mail order dealers stock their good sellers and use drop-
shipments for slow movers and new, untested items.
It would not be wise to attempt a mass mailing at this stage
because of the cost, you inexperience and the fact that there
is a better way.
Place a test ad in local, then national publications that are
read by potential buyers of your product. For cosmetics,
candidates might include National Enquirer, Grit, seventeen
and True Romance. A small ad in one of these will run $75 to
$200, but will reach up to a million readers.
Normally, test ads are run in three consecutive issues. If
you receive a thousand orders ( or queries), your cost per
reply could be about 2 cents each. Compare this to $50 for
a thousand name mailing list, $100 for stationery and printing,
plus $250 for postage for a mass mailing. Mailing list
responses can easily cost $2 to $4.00 each.
Many mail order companies use small ads as an effective and
inexpensive means to find prospects for their line of products.
Part of the reason is that so many mailing lists on the market
today are pretty well used (especially those available from
some small companies).
The industry thinking is to use small, direct sale ads for
items up to about $2.50; inset (one or two inch ads) with a
little more sales information (pitch) for items up to about
$5, and quarter to full page ads for things over that amount.
The larger ads are needed for the additional "sell" that is
needed to encourage people to part with larger sums of money.
A realistic alternative is to use small ads that offer "free
details" or send $1 (refundable) for catalog," and mail out
detailed information (advertisements) only to those who display
an interest by responding.
This way, you aren't spending thousands of dollars to
"shotgun" expensive advertising materials to many people who
throw them away without even looking at them. You save the
"full treatment" for those who at least show an interest.
the suggested system combines the best of two worlds;
responders to ads offering the eye shadow box for $2 not only
contribute a dollar profit each; they also become valuable
prospects for future sale of similar merchandise!
It would be shortsighted (even foolish) to be satisfied with
a $2 sale here. In fact, the mail order sales door has just
been open with that first sale! remember when you made the
deal for 500 eye shadow boxes, you considered many other
possible products from the same as well as other suppliers?
Before proceeding with your $2 eye shadow box, do your
homework: have several other products ready to go -- that
is, select those you can profitably (and honestly) merchandise.
Prepare advertising sheets (flyers) with descriptions,prices
and order forms and include them with each eye shadow box
order: NEVER WASTE A MAILING!
Wouldn't a customer who paid $2.50 for an eye shadow box also
be a good prospect for bargain priced lipstick, nail polish
or costume jewelry. The answer is YES!
In fact these particular customers would be considered by
any MAIL ORDER BROKER to be the "hottest" in the industry for
your products right now.
You simply could not buy a mailing list anywhere near as
valuable to you as these names who have just bought a $2
eye shadow box from you! It is very important to keep
careful records of each name, along with what and when
they buy anything.
Their name and addresses are your own private mailing list.
If you use that list wisely, it can be the key to your
success in mail order.
A good way to help insure full utilization of your customer
names (short of a computer record) is to write each one on
a separate card and record all transactions involving that
name ( i.e., when you mail them flyers, when and what they
buy, and other pertinent correspondence).
Although your master file should be alphabetically by last
name ( or ZIP, name), you can place some of the cards into
temporary "suspense" files -- like those that you want to
send reminders or repeat offers in a couple of weeks.
Your customer list will eventually become a valuable product
itself -- some mail order brokers pay up to a dollar each
for customers who have purchased specific products recently.
But, first be sure to take full advantage of what you have
yourself.
Looking ahead to a possible next stage in your business,
note that the same company (GEM) is one of many that will
imprint their products with your name or brand.
This opens the door to marketing your own line of products
-- not from a huge initial investment (and risk) situation
but as a natural, relatively inexpensive continuation of
your current successful venture (you already have the
customers and all the facilities in place).
Simply add your line of items to your flyers when ready
for this step.
As order come in for your $2 eye shadow box, include a
flyer for additional products (including more eye shadow
boxes) in every package you mail.
The flyers should describe each product, list their
advantages and possibly, testimonials taken from customer
letters (you can use their state and initials, but not
their name unless they give you permission).
Don't forget to include an order form:
Make it EASY for customers to order your products!
When there is no response, wait a couple of weeks and
send out another batch of flyers, and again at six weeks.
When there are responses, start the same cycle over again,
until run out of products (you don't have to, you know).
After 6 months or so (depending on how long the products
last), contact them again to see if they need replacements.
When there are lulls -- periods of no response, you can
occasionally send out another offer, something that mentions
you haven't heard from them for a while and are making a
special offer to regain them as customers.
Each step is dutifully recorded on that customer's card, so
you always know exactly what the situation is with each one
by glancing at their record.
Some companies use color suspense systems -- like yellow tags
for those who get reminders in two weeks, green for non-
responders, etc.
Periodically you have the option of gathering these names
into groups of 1,000 and selling them to a broker, or offering
to rent them yourself -- to non-competitive operations of course.
Many mail order oriented companies routinely exchange names
with non-competing businesses.
In preceding paragraph, we used the words "sell" and "rent"
with mailing lists. Names on a rented mailing list are to be
used for one mailing only by the renter.
The only exception is that any who answer the one mailing also
becomes the "property" of the mailer (because they corresponded
to him).
Selling a mailing list means that the buyer can contact the
names as many times as he wishes -- or that he can rent them
out. Included in every rented mailing list are "plants" names
of people who report back to the list owner who contacts them
and when. The penalty for reusing names illegally can be
severe -- the large mailing list brokers make sure they keep
this "crime" in check by full prosecution whenever it is
discovered.
After you get started, take an hour or so every few weeks to
look over your system carefully. Check your supplies and prices;
your forwarding procedures, packaging and systems for telling
when to mail out what.
Also check your financial records to see how you are doing;
learn which particular products are the most profitable and
which are not -- then try to figure out why. it is advertising,
marketing or is it the product quality or appeal.
These little "think sessions," held BEFORE SERIOUS PROBLEMS
DEVELOP can keep you from continuing inefficient procedures
and often help develop profitable ones; this is where many
highly successful business people make some of their "secret"
discoveries that make them rich.
When corresponding with potential supplies and other business
people, it is always best to use your "company" letterhead.
You can design it yourself (rub-on letters and clip art), have
it designed by a printer or desktop publisher, or have
letterhead paper and envelopes printed.
When writing to customers, letterhead gives the impression
that you are a reliable company and not a "kitchen table"
operation that may gone tomorrow.
When writing to suppliers, you may not even get an answer
unless you use letterhead (they figure all legitimate businesses
have their own letterhead), and within your state you will have
to give your tax number (if applicable).
And easy way to make a logo (if you have art talent) is to
make it double or more desired size and have it reduced by a
copy service to the desired size: it will look much more
professional.
Flyers can be produced by copy services, printers or desktop
publishers. They need several different styles and sizes of
print, underlines, borders and other embellishments. You can
also design your own with rub-on letters (from any stationery
store) and perhaps a paste on logo.
One way to save on flyers in color is to have them printed
on colored paper, which is almost as effective as two colors
of ink, but a lot cheaper!
And, don't overlook clip-art for your flyers and
advertisements -- these are copyright free illustrations that
are used to "dress up" your copy. Just cut them out, glue
them on and have them copied (you might have to erase the
paper edge lines on the first copy to get a clear "master").
As you can see, it does not take a fortune or any special
training to get into the mail order cosmetics business. With
a little study and planning, you can minimize your risk and
have a real chance at a very rewarding business. Good luck!
BUSINESS SOURCES
RICH ON, INC., 1305 S. Figueroa, Los Angeles, CA 90015,
800/826-2670. Wholesale imported cosmetics and hairbrushes.
Importer.
PANDORA'S COSMETIC LAB, 104 Bellerose Ave.,East Northport,
NY 11731. Wholesale cosmetics --with your label.
APPLE COSMETICS, 135 Canal St.,Staten Island, NY 800/USA-PPLE.
Wholesale cosmetics - full line; close outs;free price lists.
GEM INTERNATIONAL SALES, 1916 McDonald Ave.,Brooklyn, NY 11223,
800/228-5683. Wholesaler of Eve's Cosmetic Make-Up kits (wants
representatives); will print your labels.
AMERICAN COSMETICS, 422 West Alondra Blvd.,Gardena, CA 90248.
Manufacturers cosmetics for your label.
STEVEN DANTE COSMETICS, 3719 College Point Blvd.,Flushing,
NY 11354. Wholesale private label (yours) cosmetics.
JANCO DISTRIBUTING, 410 Motor Parkway, Hauppage,
NY 11788, 516/273-7100. Wholesale cosmetics and perfumes.
COSMETIC WORLD, INC., 48 E. 43rd St.,New York, NY 10017,
212/687-6190. Publishes COSMETIC WORLD, trade magazine for
cosmetologist and beauty trade.
CHARISMA J & A MFG, LTD.,3747B Victory Blvd.,Staten Island,
NY 10314, 718/494-9186. Wholesale "sexy nail products" of
all kinds, pres-on-nails - 50 cents each.
NATIONAL MAIL ORDER ASSOCIATION 5818 Venice Blvd.,Los
Angeles, CA 90019. Association for mail order sellers.
BUSINESS ENVELOPE MFG, INC., Pearl River, NY 10965. Printers
of mail order materials and envelopes.
MAIL AD SUPPLY CO. INC.,Box 363, Waukesha, WI 53187.
Mailing labels.
ENTERPRISE LISTS, 725 Market St, Wilmington, DE 19801.
Mailing list brooker.
AMERICAN DIRECT MARKETING, 2636 Walnut Hill Lane, #337,
Dallas, TX 75229. Mailing list broker.
CIFA PUBLICATIONS, Box 753, Waldorf, MD 20601. Directory
of Cosmetic, Toiletry & Fragrance Assn. membership directory
- $125; technical manufacturing guidelines - $250.
MAIL ORDER TODAY, 606 Merrick Rd.,Lynbrook, NY 11563.
Magazine for mail order dealers with hints, new products,
closeouts, etc.
DOVER PUBLICATIONS, INC.,31 East 2nd St.,Mineola,
NY 11051. Discount books, clip art, stencils, etc.
QUILL CORPORATION, 100 Schelter Rd.,Lincolnshire, IL
60917-4700, 312/634-4800. Office supplies.
IVEY PRINTING, Box 761, Meridan, TX 7665. Letterhead:
400 sheets plus 200 envelopes - $18.
SWEDCO, Box 29, Mooresville, NC 28115. 3 line rubber
stamps - $3; business cards - $13 per thousand.
ZPS, Box 581, Libertyville, IL 60048-2556. Business
cards (raised print - $11.50 per K) and letterhead stationery.
Will print your copy ready logo or design, even whole card.
WALTER DRAKE, 4119 Drake Bldg.,Colorado Springs, CO 80940.
Short run business cards (250 - $3), stationery, etc. Good
quality, but no choice of style or color.
This manual answers the question: "How would you go about
starting a mail order cosmetic (or similar) business." It
covers but a few of literally thousand of possible approaches,
some of which you will no doubt be able to visualize as you
review this plan.
To take advantage of the advice presented here for many
other similar products, just substitute jewelry, stockings
or fabrics for our eye shadow box example. The procedures
described here have all been "tried and tested," but that
doesn't mean that they can't be improved or better adapted
to fit your particular situation.
There are three basic objectives in the mail order
cosmetics business:
find a product that you can sell, at a profit,
sell additional products to the same buyers,
and build a mailing list.
It is imperative to strive to achieve all three
simultaneously.
You first and perhaps most critical initial consideration
is to find a product "leader" that you can sell at a bargain
price (preferably $2 or less) and still make a reasonable
profit.
It should be something that can be adequately described in a
small inexpensive ad and serve as a "door opener" to allow
you to offer a additional products to customers who have
demonstrated an interest and willingness to buy that type
of product.
To illustrate this point, we will use a 15 section eye shadow
case to sell for $2.00 plus 50 cents Postage and Handling
(P & H). These were advertised recently for $12 per dozen
wholesale (GEM International - see Business Sources) or about
$1.05 each with postage. Although you will "gross" 95 cents
apiece on these items, your overall profit will not be
significant on this sale alone, when you consider the cost
of advertising, your time and effort to obtain, process and
sell them.
Your real profit will come from subsequent sales to the same
customers -- your "captive audience"!
The 'smart" way to proceed would be to purchase an initial
supply of say, 500 units from a company that can ship up to
5,000 more on short notice if necessary (don't make the mistake
of buying the last 500 they have). With an investment of $500
in stock, place your ads and wait for orders to come in.
It is also possible to have the items drop-shipped and avoid
the investment in stock. Under this system, you fill out a
shipping label for each individual order (with your return
address) and mail it along with the wholesale price and all
the P & H charge to the supplier, who mails the product direct
to your customer as your "warehouse."
The advantages of drop-shipping are that you don't need to
invest in merchandise until it is sold and that you don't
run out.
The disadvantages are that the merchandise costs much more
(no volume price breaks(, it takes extra time and postage to
forward the orders to the supplier, and that the supplier gets
all the postage and handling fee (usually part is profit).
Most mail order dealers stock their good sellers and use drop-
shipments for slow movers and new, untested items.
It would not be wise to attempt a mass mailing at this stage
because of the cost, you inexperience and the fact that there
is a better way.
Place a test ad in local, then national publications that are
read by potential buyers of your product. For cosmetics,
candidates might include National Enquirer, Grit, seventeen
and True Romance. A small ad in one of these will run $75 to
$200, but will reach up to a million readers.
Normally, test ads are run in three consecutive issues. If
you receive a thousand orders ( or queries), your cost per
reply could be about 2 cents each. Compare this to $50 for
a thousand name mailing list, $100 for stationery and printing,
plus $250 for postage for a mass mailing. Mailing list
responses can easily cost $2 to $4.00 each.
Many mail order companies use small ads as an effective and
inexpensive means to find prospects for their line of products.
Part of the reason is that so many mailing lists on the market
today are pretty well used (especially those available from
some small companies).
The industry thinking is to use small, direct sale ads for
items up to about $2.50; inset (one or two inch ads) with a
little more sales information (pitch) for items up to about
$5, and quarter to full page ads for things over that amount.
The larger ads are needed for the additional "sell" that is
needed to encourage people to part with larger sums of money.
A realistic alternative is to use small ads that offer "free
details" or send $1 (refundable) for catalog," and mail out
detailed information (advertisements) only to those who display
an interest by responding.
This way, you aren't spending thousands of dollars to
"shotgun" expensive advertising materials to many people who
throw them away without even looking at them. You save the
"full treatment" for those who at least show an interest.
the suggested system combines the best of two worlds;
responders to ads offering the eye shadow box for $2 not only
contribute a dollar profit each; they also become valuable
prospects for future sale of similar merchandise!
It would be shortsighted (even foolish) to be satisfied with
a $2 sale here. In fact, the mail order sales door has just
been open with that first sale! remember when you made the
deal for 500 eye shadow boxes, you considered many other
possible products from the same as well as other suppliers?
Before proceeding with your $2 eye shadow box, do your
homework: have several other products ready to go -- that
is, select those you can profitably (and honestly) merchandise.
Prepare advertising sheets (flyers) with descriptions,prices
and order forms and include them with each eye shadow box
order: NEVER WASTE A MAILING!
Wouldn't a customer who paid $2.50 for an eye shadow box also
be a good prospect for bargain priced lipstick, nail polish
or costume jewelry. The answer is YES!
In fact these particular customers would be considered by
any MAIL ORDER BROKER to be the "hottest" in the industry for
your products right now.
You simply could not buy a mailing list anywhere near as
valuable to you as these names who have just bought a $2
eye shadow box from you! It is very important to keep
careful records of each name, along with what and when
they buy anything.
Their name and addresses are your own private mailing list.
If you use that list wisely, it can be the key to your
success in mail order.
A good way to help insure full utilization of your customer
names (short of a computer record) is to write each one on
a separate card and record all transactions involving that
name ( i.e., when you mail them flyers, when and what they
buy, and other pertinent correspondence).
Although your master file should be alphabetically by last
name ( or ZIP, name), you can place some of the cards into
temporary "suspense" files -- like those that you want to
send reminders or repeat offers in a couple of weeks.
Your customer list will eventually become a valuable product
itself -- some mail order brokers pay up to a dollar each
for customers who have purchased specific products recently.
But, first be sure to take full advantage of what you have
yourself.
Looking ahead to a possible next stage in your business,
note that the same company (GEM) is one of many that will
imprint their products with your name or brand.
This opens the door to marketing your own line of products
-- not from a huge initial investment (and risk) situation
but as a natural, relatively inexpensive continuation of
your current successful venture (you already have the
customers and all the facilities in place).
Simply add your line of items to your flyers when ready
for this step.
As order come in for your $2 eye shadow box, include a
flyer for additional products (including more eye shadow
boxes) in every package you mail.
The flyers should describe each product, list their
advantages and possibly, testimonials taken from customer
letters (you can use their state and initials, but not
their name unless they give you permission).
Don't forget to include an order form:
Make it EASY for customers to order your products!
When there is no response, wait a couple of weeks and
send out another batch of flyers, and again at six weeks.
When there are responses, start the same cycle over again,
until run out of products (you don't have to, you know).
After 6 months or so (depending on how long the products
last), contact them again to see if they need replacements.
When there are lulls -- periods of no response, you can
occasionally send out another offer, something that mentions
you haven't heard from them for a while and are making a
special offer to regain them as customers.
Each step is dutifully recorded on that customer's card, so
you always know exactly what the situation is with each one
by glancing at their record.
Some companies use color suspense systems -- like yellow tags
for those who get reminders in two weeks, green for non-
responders, etc.
Periodically you have the option of gathering these names
into groups of 1,000 and selling them to a broker, or offering
to rent them yourself -- to non-competitive operations of course.
Many mail order oriented companies routinely exchange names
with non-competing businesses.
In preceding paragraph, we used the words "sell" and "rent"
with mailing lists. Names on a rented mailing list are to be
used for one mailing only by the renter.
The only exception is that any who answer the one mailing also
becomes the "property" of the mailer (because they corresponded
to him).
Selling a mailing list means that the buyer can contact the
names as many times as he wishes -- or that he can rent them
out. Included in every rented mailing list are "plants" names
of people who report back to the list owner who contacts them
and when. The penalty for reusing names illegally can be
severe -- the large mailing list brokers make sure they keep
this "crime" in check by full prosecution whenever it is
discovered.
After you get started, take an hour or so every few weeks to
look over your system carefully. Check your supplies and prices;
your forwarding procedures, packaging and systems for telling
when to mail out what.
Also check your financial records to see how you are doing;
learn which particular products are the most profitable and
which are not -- then try to figure out why. it is advertising,
marketing or is it the product quality or appeal.
These little "think sessions," held BEFORE SERIOUS PROBLEMS
DEVELOP can keep you from continuing inefficient procedures
and often help develop profitable ones; this is where many
highly successful business people make some of their "secret"
discoveries that make them rich.
When corresponding with potential supplies and other business
people, it is always best to use your "company" letterhead.
You can design it yourself (rub-on letters and clip art), have
it designed by a printer or desktop publisher, or have
letterhead paper and envelopes printed.
When writing to customers, letterhead gives the impression
that you are a reliable company and not a "kitchen table"
operation that may gone tomorrow.
When writing to suppliers, you may not even get an answer
unless you use letterhead (they figure all legitimate businesses
have their own letterhead), and within your state you will have
to give your tax number (if applicable).
And easy way to make a logo (if you have art talent) is to
make it double or more desired size and have it reduced by a
copy service to the desired size: it will look much more
professional.
Flyers can be produced by copy services, printers or desktop
publishers. They need several different styles and sizes of
print, underlines, borders and other embellishments. You can
also design your own with rub-on letters (from any stationery
store) and perhaps a paste on logo.
One way to save on flyers in color is to have them printed
on colored paper, which is almost as effective as two colors
of ink, but a lot cheaper!
And, don't overlook clip-art for your flyers and
advertisements -- these are copyright free illustrations that
are used to "dress up" your copy. Just cut them out, glue
them on and have them copied (you might have to erase the
paper edge lines on the first copy to get a clear "master").
As you can see, it does not take a fortune or any special
training to get into the mail order cosmetics business. With
a little study and planning, you can minimize your risk and
have a real chance at a very rewarding business. Good luck!
BUSINESS SOURCES
RICH ON, INC., 1305 S. Figueroa, Los Angeles, CA 90015,
800/826-2670. Wholesale imported cosmetics and hairbrushes.
Importer.
PANDORA'S COSMETIC LAB, 104 Bellerose Ave.,East Northport,
NY 11731. Wholesale cosmetics --with your label.
APPLE COSMETICS, 135 Canal St.,Staten Island, NY 800/USA-PPLE.
Wholesale cosmetics - full line; close outs;free price lists.
GEM INTERNATIONAL SALES, 1916 McDonald Ave.,Brooklyn, NY 11223,
800/228-5683. Wholesaler of Eve's Cosmetic Make-Up kits (wants
representatives); will print your labels.
AMERICAN COSMETICS, 422 West Alondra Blvd.,Gardena, CA 90248.
Manufacturers cosmetics for your label.
STEVEN DANTE COSMETICS, 3719 College Point Blvd.,Flushing,
NY 11354. Wholesale private label (yours) cosmetics.
JANCO DISTRIBUTING, 410 Motor Parkway, Hauppage,
NY 11788, 516/273-7100. Wholesale cosmetics and perfumes.
COSMETIC WORLD, INC., 48 E. 43rd St.,New York, NY 10017,
212/687-6190. Publishes COSMETIC WORLD, trade magazine for
cosmetologist and beauty trade.
CHARISMA J & A MFG, LTD.,3747B Victory Blvd.,Staten Island,
NY 10314, 718/494-9186. Wholesale "sexy nail products" of
all kinds, pres-on-nails - 50 cents each.
NATIONAL MAIL ORDER ASSOCIATION 5818 Venice Blvd.,Los
Angeles, CA 90019. Association for mail order sellers.
BUSINESS ENVELOPE MFG, INC., Pearl River, NY 10965. Printers
of mail order materials and envelopes.
MAIL AD SUPPLY CO. INC.,Box 363, Waukesha, WI 53187.
Mailing labels.
ENTERPRISE LISTS, 725 Market St, Wilmington, DE 19801.
Mailing list brooker.
AMERICAN DIRECT MARKETING, 2636 Walnut Hill Lane, #337,
Dallas, TX 75229. Mailing list broker.
CIFA PUBLICATIONS, Box 753, Waldorf, MD 20601. Directory
of Cosmetic, Toiletry & Fragrance Assn. membership directory
- $125; technical manufacturing guidelines - $250.
MAIL ORDER TODAY, 606 Merrick Rd.,Lynbrook, NY 11563.
Magazine for mail order dealers with hints, new products,
closeouts, etc.
DOVER PUBLICATIONS, INC.,31 East 2nd St.,Mineola,
NY 11051. Discount books, clip art, stencils, etc.
QUILL CORPORATION, 100 Schelter Rd.,Lincolnshire, IL
60917-4700, 312/634-4800. Office supplies.
IVEY PRINTING, Box 761, Meridan, TX 7665. Letterhead:
400 sheets plus 200 envelopes - $18.
SWEDCO, Box 29, Mooresville, NC 28115. 3 line rubber
stamps - $3; business cards - $13 per thousand.
ZPS, Box 581, Libertyville, IL 60048-2556. Business
cards (raised print - $11.50 per K) and letterhead stationery.
Will print your copy ready logo or design, even whole card.
WALTER DRAKE, 4119 Drake Bldg.,Colorado Springs, CO 80940.
Short run business cards (250 - $3), stationery, etc. Good
quality, but no choice of style or color.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Bed And Breakfast; One Of The Easiest Home-Based Businesses
There's an exciting new "down-home" kind of business springing up
among homeowners all across the country. It's called Bed and
Breakfast.
Basically, this is a transplant of European Hospitality, adapted
and refined to the American way of doing things. To foreign
visitors, it's the comfort and hospitality of home---staying
overnight "with people of the land" and enjoying a hearty
breakfast---without the traditional gaudiness and plastic
feelings visitors get from most big cities in the United States.
To U.S. citizens, it is a welcome alternative to the same old
hotel/motel circuit.
Now, all it takes is a spare bedroom, a good cook ad an outgoing
personality. Prices per night range from a low $25 to $100 or
more.
If you have an extra bedroom, a large home, or extra space in
your farm house, you have the necessary beginnings to start
making extra income as a Bed and Breakfast Inn. One of the
beautiful aspects of this idea is that so long as you're hosting
"overnight visitors" on a small scale no licenses will be
required. It's always best, however to check with your local
authorities just to be sure.
Naturally, your "visitors" will expect a clean, neat and
comfortable home. So assuming that your home meets these
prerequisites, and you have a spare bedroom, simply 'doll it up"
a bit. Make sure it's painted brightly, there's an outside
window, lots of room, closet space and bureau, and perhaps a
small writing desk, and a large comfortable bed, or twin beds.
Most foreign visitors will expect and appreciate a "quick tour"
of the interesting sights in your area. However, as your
particular popularity as a B&B Host grows, you'll find that a
lot of American tourists and business people on the road will
begin availing themselves of your hospitality. Certainly with
these people, it won't always be necessary to give the "Red
Carpet" visitors treatment.
Which brings us to the basic appeal of a Bed and Breakfast Inn.
Travelers seem to be looking for, and appreciate a quiet
"home-style" place to stay. Generally, they enjoy visiting with
the people off the superhighway and want to get away from the
sterilized atmosphere and sameness of hotels and motels.
Most people will either write to you ahead of time, inquiring
about the possibilities of staying at your home while in your
town or city. This means a bit of advertising on your part, or
listing your availability with a B&B broker. Some people will
check the local telephone listings, and the newspaper
advertisements when they arrive in a strange town. And some
people will just be driving across the country, come to a town or
city they think is interesting, and start driving through the
residential areas looking for Bed and Breakfast Inns.
Thus, you should have a small sign posed either in your front
yard or on the front of your house. This sign needn't be much
more than about two feet wide and about ten inches deep. It need
only state: BED AND BREAKFAST--Inquire Within or Call 123-4567.
For newspaper advertising, a similar listing in the personal
column of your local paper, particularly on Thursdays, Fridays
and Saturdays, will be all you'll need. But when it comes to the
yellow pages of your telephone and business directories, go with
a small display ad that describes in greater detail the comforts
and pleasures of your service.
Be sure to list your services with all the travel agencies in
your area. A brochure or a short synopsis of what you offer will
most assuredly give the travel agents an idea for steering
visitors your way. At the same time, listing your services in a
number of national travel magazines --particularly those that
cater to women--- will bring customers in for you.
Listing your services with a broker usually won't cost you
anything up front, but they will expect a certain
percentage--usually about 25% of the total bill. This same
arrangement applies with travel agents.
Now, suppose you're organized and ready to receive your first
customers. You greet them as host or hostess and offer to assist
them in getting situated in the room or rooms you have for them.
If they'd like to take a drive around your area and see the
points of interest, you do that. And then in the morning, serve
them a big, delicious breakfast.
You'll probably find that foreign visitors will want to stay
several days. With most people of this country who are just
travelling through your area, it'll be a one-night stopover.
Whatever, if they want to sleep comfortably through the night,
eat breakfast and be on their way, so be it. If they want to stay
around after breakfast and plan an itinerary for a compete visit
in your area, your assistance and help will be greatly
appreciated. (Remember those recommendations)!
That's it! The complete how and why of this tremendously
profitable business that's becoming more and more popular. It's
called Bed & Breakfast, and it's very definitely a low investment
idea. And you can parlay it into a very interesting and
comfortable income producing business--all from the comfort of
your own home!
among homeowners all across the country. It's called Bed and
Breakfast.
Basically, this is a transplant of European Hospitality, adapted
and refined to the American way of doing things. To foreign
visitors, it's the comfort and hospitality of home---staying
overnight "with people of the land" and enjoying a hearty
breakfast---without the traditional gaudiness and plastic
feelings visitors get from most big cities in the United States.
To U.S. citizens, it is a welcome alternative to the same old
hotel/motel circuit.
Now, all it takes is a spare bedroom, a good cook ad an outgoing
personality. Prices per night range from a low $25 to $100 or
more.
If you have an extra bedroom, a large home, or extra space in
your farm house, you have the necessary beginnings to start
making extra income as a Bed and Breakfast Inn. One of the
beautiful aspects of this idea is that so long as you're hosting
"overnight visitors" on a small scale no licenses will be
required. It's always best, however to check with your local
authorities just to be sure.
Naturally, your "visitors" will expect a clean, neat and
comfortable home. So assuming that your home meets these
prerequisites, and you have a spare bedroom, simply 'doll it up"
a bit. Make sure it's painted brightly, there's an outside
window, lots of room, closet space and bureau, and perhaps a
small writing desk, and a large comfortable bed, or twin beds.
Most foreign visitors will expect and appreciate a "quick tour"
of the interesting sights in your area. However, as your
particular popularity as a B&B Host grows, you'll find that a
lot of American tourists and business people on the road will
begin availing themselves of your hospitality. Certainly with
these people, it won't always be necessary to give the "Red
Carpet" visitors treatment.
Which brings us to the basic appeal of a Bed and Breakfast Inn.
Travelers seem to be looking for, and appreciate a quiet
"home-style" place to stay. Generally, they enjoy visiting with
the people off the superhighway and want to get away from the
sterilized atmosphere and sameness of hotels and motels.
Most people will either write to you ahead of time, inquiring
about the possibilities of staying at your home while in your
town or city. This means a bit of advertising on your part, or
listing your availability with a B&B broker. Some people will
check the local telephone listings, and the newspaper
advertisements when they arrive in a strange town. And some
people will just be driving across the country, come to a town or
city they think is interesting, and start driving through the
residential areas looking for Bed and Breakfast Inns.
Thus, you should have a small sign posed either in your front
yard or on the front of your house. This sign needn't be much
more than about two feet wide and about ten inches deep. It need
only state: BED AND BREAKFAST--Inquire Within or Call 123-4567.
For newspaper advertising, a similar listing in the personal
column of your local paper, particularly on Thursdays, Fridays
and Saturdays, will be all you'll need. But when it comes to the
yellow pages of your telephone and business directories, go with
a small display ad that describes in greater detail the comforts
and pleasures of your service.
Be sure to list your services with all the travel agencies in
your area. A brochure or a short synopsis of what you offer will
most assuredly give the travel agents an idea for steering
visitors your way. At the same time, listing your services in a
number of national travel magazines --particularly those that
cater to women--- will bring customers in for you.
Listing your services with a broker usually won't cost you
anything up front, but they will expect a certain
percentage--usually about 25% of the total bill. This same
arrangement applies with travel agents.
Now, suppose you're organized and ready to receive your first
customers. You greet them as host or hostess and offer to assist
them in getting situated in the room or rooms you have for them.
If they'd like to take a drive around your area and see the
points of interest, you do that. And then in the morning, serve
them a big, delicious breakfast.
You'll probably find that foreign visitors will want to stay
several days. With most people of this country who are just
travelling through your area, it'll be a one-night stopover.
Whatever, if they want to sleep comfortably through the night,
eat breakfast and be on their way, so be it. If they want to stay
around after breakfast and plan an itinerary for a compete visit
in your area, your assistance and help will be greatly
appreciated. (Remember those recommendations)!
That's it! The complete how and why of this tremendously
profitable business that's becoming more and more popular. It's
called Bed & Breakfast, and it's very definitely a low investment
idea. And you can parlay it into a very interesting and
comfortable income producing business--all from the comfort of
your own home!
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Starting A CO-OP Coupon Business From Your Home
Link for raising funds:
http://b3po.net/244
Mail out coupons, circular and ads for up to 30 clients at
a time on a cooperative basis. Contract to print (have
printed or use provided) and mail out coupons to area
residents and/or businesses on a cooperative, non-competing
basis.
Although you mail offers from several clients at any one
time in the same envelope, you guarantee that only non-
competive offers are contained in any one mailing.
For example, you would not include a 5 cent discount
coupon for potatoes from store A, and another 7 cents from
store B (store A would never do business with you again).
But you could include a free oil change coupon from a
service station with either.
Generally, it is best not to include two of the same type
stores or merchants in the same mailing --even though the
products themselves are not competitors, the merchants are.
Most businesses find it difficult and expensive to send
out their own flyers (advertisements, coupons, etc.), much
less work out the details of coupon discounts.
It requires know-how and is consuming to design a coupon
program and even more so to set up a workable mailing
program for one store.
Most merchants are not particularly talented or experienced
in this department, which makes the job all the more difficult
for them.
The cost of envelopes, manpower to stuff and address them,
rent for the mailing list and postage can quickly add up to
50 cents or more for each piece mailed!
This is why so many local merchants use newspaper inserts,
despite the fact that they are very expensive and not
everyone sees their ads there -- it is cheaper and a lot
less work than trying to do it themselves.
A person in the coupon business will soon become quite
knowledgeable in this type of advertising, which means they
can fulfill a definite need for the merchants in their
community.
This business involves showing merchants in your area how
you can print AND mail their coupons, flyers and ads to an
up-to-date, qualified local mailing list for 3 to 4 cents
per item! Not only will you relieve them of the requirements
to invest a good deal of their (non-expert) time and money,
you will save them as much as 90% of the cost. If you were
a merchant, wouldn't you listen?
You can help design coupons, offer standard models, or
use the client's design -- the possible varieties are
endless.
One plan would be to offer one or two color coupons for
"Windy Bucks" (in Chicago) coupons for discounts and free
introductory services such as 10% a permanent or a free
soda with a meal, two dinners for the price of one, or a
free car wash with a lubrication job.
This is where YOUR imagination needs to "catch fire" --
write down all sorts of ideas and have them ready to suggest
when you need them.
For example, you could have the basic Windy Bucks printed
with black ink on light green paper and then pay the printer
a little extra to insert specific client information red ink
(their name and offer) in red. You could use different
colored paper for several different clients, or even offer
an "exclusive" design or border (at an extra price, of course).
One "buck" could be printed with a five and become $5 towards
the purchase of $50 at Jones Hardware; the next, worth a free
shampoo at Sally's Salon and so forth.
You must promise to mail our a certain number of coupons to
bona fide residents (and/or businesses) within a specified
period of time (say, 30 days) and inform your clients that
although there will probably be others in the same mailing,
there will be NO COMPETING offers OR BUSINESSES (this is
VERY important).
Your printing should be based on your costs, including
printing, postage, paper and of course, your time.
Be sure to scale your offers so the larger the order, the
cheaper the price, AND work out "specials" to offer --
combination orders of either different products and offers
or future mailings.
For example, 1,000 Windy bucks with their info printed in
red, mailed out might be $45 per M; 3,000 - $39; 5,000 -
$37, etc.
Then, a combination of 3 different offers might be offered
at the 3,000 price -- or a contract for 1,000 per month for
five months might be offered at the 5,000 price. These are
just a few examples of many possible ways to offer discounts
that encourage larger orders -- which is your objective
because you not only make more profit; you get better rates
on larger orders too.
One thing you might need is a good mailing list, which is a
viable alternative to the "occupant" approach. You can rent
or purchase one or start accumulating your own.
If you live in a rural or small town area, you can build a
pretty good mailing list from the phone book (use the prefixes
to help determine the zip code).
If you have a computer, you can get a program with ZIP
codes -- or you can look them up in the post office
directory (assuming you don't want to buy one).
Some merchants will have their own mailing lists -- and may
allow you to use them. If so, you could combine theirs with
yours to eventually build a pretty good list. of course, you
can also purchase club and organizational listings, voter
registration lists and keep all addresses of anyone
answering mailed out offers.
A fairly important decision might be necessary in a promotion
like the Windy Bucks example -- you will need to determine if
you want to emphasize your company and idea or simply promote
whatever the clients desire.
Of course, the client's wishes always come first and you may
not have a good promotion idea (yet). If you do, you will be
able to offer some pretty good prices as well as a chance for
merchants to "get on the bandwagon" -- join in a program that
is working. Otherwise, you (and your company name) stay behind
the scenes as an advertising agent that helps design, print
and disseminate your client's materials for their promotion.
In either case, the longer you are at it and the more qualified
will you become -- and the more merchants will want to take
advantage of your experience and services. As the saying goes:
"the harder you work, the luckier you will get."
Before signing up any clients, work out arrangements with a
printer (unless you can do your own). Find out all the
"shortcuts" price breaks and cost of different paper, ink,
color combinations, as well as what sizes the printer can
accommodate and what type of cuts or logos are available (at
what price).
Normally, standard cuts (borders, pointing fingers) are
provided at little or no charge and custom cuts are so much
per square inch.
Note that you can usually save money by having more than one
made at a time. Standard coupons should be in the 3 x 8 inch
range, but always sized so that you can get as many as
possible on a single sheet of standard or legal sized paper
(to save $$).
Your cost for printing good quality single color coupons
should be in the 2 to 5 cents per page range (depending on
quantity, how many prices you check and how well you bargain).
Using colored paper and inks can increase the effect without
much extra cost (in comparison to two colors of ink or color
printing).
Mailing list addresses run about a half cent each; envelopes
one to 7 cents each, postage 10-13 cents, and your bulk
mailing permit about $50 over year after the initial permit.
Printing costs can be lowered by designing and keeping
general formats and merely substituting internal copy for
clients.
One color ink is cheaper than two; black and white is much
cheaper than color, colored paper and/or various ink colors
are cheaper and almost as effective as two color printing
(which requires two "runs" through the press).
Some local printers are quite expensive, while others will
want your business enough to "deal" (The more business you
can bring them, the more "clout" you will have).
If you have or can hire a desktop publishing system, you
can prepare "camera ready" masters that can be reproduced
inexpensively by a photo offset printer (small runs can be
+handled by copy services).
Note that some of your clients will provide their own
material (from their home offices) -- either to copy or
ready to mail. You may also be able to save by compiling
your own mailing lists (see B235).
Finally, you should offer "exclusive" mailings, where you
mail out client's material -- for a significantly price of
course. It may be worth it to a client because you have the
know-how, production facilities and the bulk rate permit.
They certainly don't want to believe their product is not
good! Your advice should always be honest in the sense that
you first advise them on how to be effective; second, how to
save money, and third, according to your profit margin.
You also should be extremely careful not to get in between
rival clients or appear to be favoring one over the other.
Never discuss one client with another (if you talk about one,
you will talk about all of them). Just "steer" them away from
advertising or layouts that would appear to compete directly
through your services.
Finally, be especially wary of "distress orders." Many
businesses, when they are on the brink of disaster will try
to bolster their position through heavy advertising. trouble
is that if it doesn't work, the advertising is added to their
list of unpaid bills. Don't be their "last resort."
BUSINESS SOURCES
BIG CITY LITHOGRAPH, 550 N. Claremont Blvd.,Claremont,
CA 91711. Photo offset printer.
THE PRINTING FACTORY, Box 27, Nesconset, NY 11767.
Printers of mail order materials.
GRAPHICS ARTS TECHNICAL, 4615 Forbes Ave.,Pittsburgh,
PA 15214. Printing supplies for the home printer.
TURNBAUGH PRINT SUPPLY, 104 S. Sporting Hill Rd.,
Mechanicsburg, PA 17055. 717/737/5637. sells new and
used printing presses and supplies.
EMPRINT, 329 Gunkel, Dayton, OH 45410, 513/2523-1452.
Small used offset printing presses.
DOT PASTEUP SUPPLY CO., Box 369, Omaha, NE 68101.
Free catalog of paste-up supplies for making
newsletters, advertisements, flyers, etc.
DUPLIPRINTERS, INC., 222/226 Broadway, Newburgh, NY 12550.
sells kits for in-home printing; sales and dealerships.
Starter kit - $72.
COUP-PAK, 585 Stewart Ave.,Garden City, NY 11530.
Information on an advertising coupon business without
investment.
DOVER PUBLICATIONS, INC., 31 East 2nd St.,Mineola,
NY 11051. Discount books, clip art, stencils, etc.
QUILL CORPORATION, 100 Schelter Rd.,Lincolnshire,
IL 60917-4700, 312/634-4800. Office supplies.
SWEDCO, Box 29, Mooresville, NC 28115. 3 line rubber
stamps - $3; business cards - $13 per thousand.
ZPS, Box 581, Libertyville, IL 60048-2556. Business
cards (raised print - $11.50 per K) and letterhead
stationery. Will print your copy ready logo or design,
even whole card.
WALTER DRAKE, 4119 Drake Bldg.,Colorado Springs,
CO 80940. Short run business cards (250 - $3), stationery,
etc. Good quality, but no choice of style or color.
http://b3po.net/244
Mail out coupons, circular and ads for up to 30 clients at
a time on a cooperative basis. Contract to print (have
printed or use provided) and mail out coupons to area
residents and/or businesses on a cooperative, non-competing
basis.
Although you mail offers from several clients at any one
time in the same envelope, you guarantee that only non-
competive offers are contained in any one mailing.
For example, you would not include a 5 cent discount
coupon for potatoes from store A, and another 7 cents from
store B (store A would never do business with you again).
But you could include a free oil change coupon from a
service station with either.
Generally, it is best not to include two of the same type
stores or merchants in the same mailing --even though the
products themselves are not competitors, the merchants are.
Most businesses find it difficult and expensive to send
out their own flyers (advertisements, coupons, etc.), much
less work out the details of coupon discounts.
It requires know-how and is consuming to design a coupon
program and even more so to set up a workable mailing
program for one store.
Most merchants are not particularly talented or experienced
in this department, which makes the job all the more difficult
for them.
The cost of envelopes, manpower to stuff and address them,
rent for the mailing list and postage can quickly add up to
50 cents or more for each piece mailed!
This is why so many local merchants use newspaper inserts,
despite the fact that they are very expensive and not
everyone sees their ads there -- it is cheaper and a lot
less work than trying to do it themselves.
A person in the coupon business will soon become quite
knowledgeable in this type of advertising, which means they
can fulfill a definite need for the merchants in their
community.
This business involves showing merchants in your area how
you can print AND mail their coupons, flyers and ads to an
up-to-date, qualified local mailing list for 3 to 4 cents
per item! Not only will you relieve them of the requirements
to invest a good deal of their (non-expert) time and money,
you will save them as much as 90% of the cost. If you were
a merchant, wouldn't you listen?
You can help design coupons, offer standard models, or
use the client's design -- the possible varieties are
endless.
One plan would be to offer one or two color coupons for
"Windy Bucks" (in Chicago) coupons for discounts and free
introductory services such as 10% a permanent or a free
soda with a meal, two dinners for the price of one, or a
free car wash with a lubrication job.
This is where YOUR imagination needs to "catch fire" --
write down all sorts of ideas and have them ready to suggest
when you need them.
For example, you could have the basic Windy Bucks printed
with black ink on light green paper and then pay the printer
a little extra to insert specific client information red ink
(their name and offer) in red. You could use different
colored paper for several different clients, or even offer
an "exclusive" design or border (at an extra price, of course).
One "buck" could be printed with a five and become $5 towards
the purchase of $50 at Jones Hardware; the next, worth a free
shampoo at Sally's Salon and so forth.
You must promise to mail our a certain number of coupons to
bona fide residents (and/or businesses) within a specified
period of time (say, 30 days) and inform your clients that
although there will probably be others in the same mailing,
there will be NO COMPETING offers OR BUSINESSES (this is
VERY important).
Your printing should be based on your costs, including
printing, postage, paper and of course, your time.
Be sure to scale your offers so the larger the order, the
cheaper the price, AND work out "specials" to offer --
combination orders of either different products and offers
or future mailings.
For example, 1,000 Windy bucks with their info printed in
red, mailed out might be $45 per M; 3,000 - $39; 5,000 -
$37, etc.
Then, a combination of 3 different offers might be offered
at the 3,000 price -- or a contract for 1,000 per month for
five months might be offered at the 5,000 price. These are
just a few examples of many possible ways to offer discounts
that encourage larger orders -- which is your objective
because you not only make more profit; you get better rates
on larger orders too.
One thing you might need is a good mailing list, which is a
viable alternative to the "occupant" approach. You can rent
or purchase one or start accumulating your own.
If you live in a rural or small town area, you can build a
pretty good mailing list from the phone book (use the prefixes
to help determine the zip code).
If you have a computer, you can get a program with ZIP
codes -- or you can look them up in the post office
directory (assuming you don't want to buy one).
Some merchants will have their own mailing lists -- and may
allow you to use them. If so, you could combine theirs with
yours to eventually build a pretty good list. of course, you
can also purchase club and organizational listings, voter
registration lists and keep all addresses of anyone
answering mailed out offers.
A fairly important decision might be necessary in a promotion
like the Windy Bucks example -- you will need to determine if
you want to emphasize your company and idea or simply promote
whatever the clients desire.
Of course, the client's wishes always come first and you may
not have a good promotion idea (yet). If you do, you will be
able to offer some pretty good prices as well as a chance for
merchants to "get on the bandwagon" -- join in a program that
is working. Otherwise, you (and your company name) stay behind
the scenes as an advertising agent that helps design, print
and disseminate your client's materials for their promotion.
In either case, the longer you are at it and the more qualified
will you become -- and the more merchants will want to take
advantage of your experience and services. As the saying goes:
"the harder you work, the luckier you will get."
Before signing up any clients, work out arrangements with a
printer (unless you can do your own). Find out all the
"shortcuts" price breaks and cost of different paper, ink,
color combinations, as well as what sizes the printer can
accommodate and what type of cuts or logos are available (at
what price).
Normally, standard cuts (borders, pointing fingers) are
provided at little or no charge and custom cuts are so much
per square inch.
Note that you can usually save money by having more than one
made at a time. Standard coupons should be in the 3 x 8 inch
range, but always sized so that you can get as many as
possible on a single sheet of standard or legal sized paper
(to save $$).
Your cost for printing good quality single color coupons
should be in the 2 to 5 cents per page range (depending on
quantity, how many prices you check and how well you bargain).
Using colored paper and inks can increase the effect without
much extra cost (in comparison to two colors of ink or color
printing).
Mailing list addresses run about a half cent each; envelopes
one to 7 cents each, postage 10-13 cents, and your bulk
mailing permit about $50 over year after the initial permit.
Printing costs can be lowered by designing and keeping
general formats and merely substituting internal copy for
clients.
One color ink is cheaper than two; black and white is much
cheaper than color, colored paper and/or various ink colors
are cheaper and almost as effective as two color printing
(which requires two "runs" through the press).
Some local printers are quite expensive, while others will
want your business enough to "deal" (The more business you
can bring them, the more "clout" you will have).
If you have or can hire a desktop publishing system, you
can prepare "camera ready" masters that can be reproduced
inexpensively by a photo offset printer (small runs can be
+handled by copy services).
Note that some of your clients will provide their own
material (from their home offices) -- either to copy or
ready to mail. You may also be able to save by compiling
your own mailing lists (see B235).
Finally, you should offer "exclusive" mailings, where you
mail out client's material -- for a significantly price of
course. It may be worth it to a client because you have the
know-how, production facilities and the bulk rate permit.
They certainly don't want to believe their product is not
good! Your advice should always be honest in the sense that
you first advise them on how to be effective; second, how to
save money, and third, according to your profit margin.
You also should be extremely careful not to get in between
rival clients or appear to be favoring one over the other.
Never discuss one client with another (if you talk about one,
you will talk about all of them). Just "steer" them away from
advertising or layouts that would appear to compete directly
through your services.
Finally, be especially wary of "distress orders." Many
businesses, when they are on the brink of disaster will try
to bolster their position through heavy advertising. trouble
is that if it doesn't work, the advertising is added to their
list of unpaid bills. Don't be their "last resort."
BUSINESS SOURCES
BIG CITY LITHOGRAPH, 550 N. Claremont Blvd.,Claremont,
CA 91711. Photo offset printer.
THE PRINTING FACTORY, Box 27, Nesconset, NY 11767.
Printers of mail order materials.
GRAPHICS ARTS TECHNICAL, 4615 Forbes Ave.,Pittsburgh,
PA 15214. Printing supplies for the home printer.
TURNBAUGH PRINT SUPPLY, 104 S. Sporting Hill Rd.,
Mechanicsburg, PA 17055. 717/737/5637. sells new and
used printing presses and supplies.
EMPRINT, 329 Gunkel, Dayton, OH 45410, 513/2523-1452.
Small used offset printing presses.
DOT PASTEUP SUPPLY CO., Box 369, Omaha, NE 68101.
Free catalog of paste-up supplies for making
newsletters, advertisements, flyers, etc.
DUPLIPRINTERS, INC., 222/226 Broadway, Newburgh, NY 12550.
sells kits for in-home printing; sales and dealerships.
Starter kit - $72.
COUP-PAK, 585 Stewart Ave.,Garden City, NY 11530.
Information on an advertising coupon business without
investment.
DOVER PUBLICATIONS, INC., 31 East 2nd St.,Mineola,
NY 11051. Discount books, clip art, stencils, etc.
QUILL CORPORATION, 100 Schelter Rd.,Lincolnshire,
IL 60917-4700, 312/634-4800. Office supplies.
SWEDCO, Box 29, Mooresville, NC 28115. 3 line rubber
stamps - $3; business cards - $13 per thousand.
ZPS, Box 581, Libertyville, IL 60048-2556. Business
cards (raised print - $11.50 per K) and letterhead
stationery. Will print your copy ready logo or design,
even whole card.
WALTER DRAKE, 4119 Drake Bldg.,Colorado Springs,
CO 80940. Short run business cards (250 - $3), stationery,
etc. Good quality, but no choice of style or color.
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