BE A PRIME SOURCE
I am not complaining, but one of the main problems I see within the "inner
circle" mail order market is everyone selling everyone else's products. I
haven't picked up a publication recently where the pages weren't crammed
full with commission dealerships. Now, don't get me wrong. We sell
commission circulars ourselves, so I'm certainly not putting down the idea
-- however, a good thing can get out of hand.
It's been said over and over again, but newcomers to our industry should
realize that they need to develop their OWN products and services.
Commission dealerships are fine to compliment your business if the product
is relative to your main product, but everyone should strive for developing
their OWN product too. No one will ever get rich dealing in just commission
dealerships. And people who think this way will give up over a period of
time because they go broke. Let's stop this madness and spread the word
about becoming a Prime Source.
How do you develop your OWN specialized product or service? It may take a
few months to get your "feet wet" in mail order to determine your
particular "nitch." However, you should already know the talents you
possess inside yourself and what your own capabilities are. There has to be
more to your business than making money!
What are your hobbies and interests? What would you like to do more than
anything else and would you do it if you were not getting paid? For
instance, I personally enjoy publishing newsletters. I get a serge of
electricity when I am working on them and wish my body would last 24-hours
a day so I could work on them all the time. This is loving what you do.
On the other hand, this may sound really crazy to you. Perhaps you would
rather write, edit, paste-up or seal envelopes. I remember Dorothy
Christian (Shells 345) once explaining to me the "high" she used to get
when doing a mass mailing. She loved peeling off labels, sticking them on
envelopes and folding the materials to insert. She said that every envelope
she stuffed, she felt it would generate a big customer order. This is
enthusiasm!
Therefore, Dorothy could have developed a specialized or confidential
mailing service. Unlike a big mail where she would be mailing circulars in
envelopes, but a targeted-mailing for different programs and products.
(Example: A circular selling books and reports would be marketed only to
book buyers from lists Dorothy would purchase and use for these types of
mailings. She also would be careful not to put any conflicting information
in this special mailing she was preparing for specific customers.)
You can take anything you sell and creatively turn it into your own prime
source product. A good friend of mine, Helen VanAllen loved to prepare big
mails so she created the "Design-Your-Own-Big-Mail-Package." Customers were
presented with a list of the circulars Helen had on hand and they checked
off the ones that interested them. (This is one example of how an old
concept can be turned into something new with a twist that makes it YOUR
OWN product.)
Another friend, Max Ross, created a new product called "Business-In-A-Box."
He took 4 or 5 good commission circulars that he knew worked well and
pulled orders. When people ordered his "Business-In-A-Box" they would
receive the 4 camera-ready circulars along with 100 copies of them, 100
names from his own mailing list, 100 envelopes and an instruction sheet
that gave the customer ideas and tips about direct mailing.
Another gal I know created a "Complete-Business-Start-Up-Kit." She was a
typesetter and went in 50% with a mail order printer. When the customer
ordered this kit they would receive 100 letterheads, 100 envelopes, 100
memo sheets, 100 address labels and 100 business cards. Everything was
personalized for the customer and included information on how they could
order more as their supply ran out.
These are just a few ideas that other mail order folks used to create their
own product. You can use the same concept locally also. If you sell
vitamins, for instance, you could sell them in individual packets and label
them for each day of the week. Use the vitamins from the company you are
working with but the individual packets and labels would be your own
product. You can also charge more for this personal touch.
You are unique! You are an individual who has special talents and
interests. Your business should be a reflection of YOU and your own
contribution to mail order. Mail order is a wonderful business, filled with
some of the best people in the world. But it's up to every one of us to
keep it that way.
