How to Start a Mail Order Business from Home
When Madame Walker invented home remedies for hair loss and cosmetics for women in the early 1900s, she didn't set out to become the first black woman to become a millionaire. She was simply filling a need. That's how thousands of mail order businesses start out--filling a marketable need. A mail order business from your home can be an inexpensive start to a profitable business. Put the odds in your favor and choose products from a growing market. Picking prime products is key.
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Instructions
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Seek out your market and develop a plan. Make sure there is a strong customer base for your product and that the market is growing. A declining market leaves no room for success. Software business plans such as Business Plan Pro and Palo Alto contain customizable templates for mail order businesses that allow you to calculate your product costs and estimate your market for the products. Carefully calculate your costs and find your market before investing in an expensive inventory you can't sell.
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Start advertising. The Direct Marketing Association, a non-profit dedicated to supporting direct marketers, estimates over 131 million Americans order products by mail or phone. Marketing to potential buyers is your chance to convince them to call or send for your products. Use mailers and list your business on social networks on the Internet.
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Create your mailers on your computer using a word processing program such as Microsoft Word or Pages to keep costs down. Updated programs have brochure templates you can use. Look at samples from online mail order marketers and re-create one for your customers.
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Sell the sizzle. Make sure your mailer catches your customers' attention and gets them excited about your product. Write product copy that describes your products in attractive detail. Write about what your items will to to make your customers' lives, easier, better or more organized. Remember to include your order forms or information in the ad. Provide a sample of a filled out order form and highlight your ordering telephone number and invite customers to call with any questions about your products.
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Invest money with a local ad printer who can print your mailers in bulk. Ordering large quantities gives you a cheaper price per mailer. Check local pricing through at least three sources as print pricing is competitive. The Direct Marketing Association has pricing information on bulk postage and printing rates.
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Create a customer list and start sending your business information out. Gear it toward people who would actually buy your product. Advertising swim gear to customers living in Iceland won't target the right market. Investigating professional mailing lists and trade magazines such as Target Marketing Magazine will assist you in finding specific information about where to find your market.
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