DOING BUSINESS IN JULY OR AUGUST
Whoever started the nasty rumor that mail order business is very slow
during the months of July and August is dead wrong. In case you are new
to the world of mail order you are likely to believe this rumor.
The sad part is that a lot of people in the business really believe it!
Why do they believe it? Because they have been told by someone else and the
rumor was considered "gospel" _ so that someone told someone else and so on,
and on, and on.
What people don't realize is that there is foundation to this rumor. The
only reason the mail order business MAY slow down in the summer months is
because of the nature of the product being sold. Try selling winter clothes
in July!
Some people will go so far as to stop advertising during the summer months
because they are convinced they won't get any sales. Because of the drop in
revenue for publishers, due to this line of thinking - everybody suffers
and they keep the rumor alive and true. Only people believing this lie is
making it happen. Nothing more!
Think about it this way: Don't people still read magazines and newsletters
during the summer? I've never seen Globe or The Enquirer stop publishing
during those months. Don't people still open their mail during the summer?
I don't think the whole world stops paying their electric bill from July to
September - and it comes through the mail.
And it would seem to me that the majority of the population would have MORE
TIME to read and study offers through the mail during their vacation than
during their working hours. Don't people watch more TV, spend time at home
catching up on neglected chores and sleeping during their vacation? So if
these people have more time to relax during their vacation, wouldn't they
have more time to dedicate to reviewing your ads and circulars that come
through the mail? Lillian Vernon even keeps busy during the summer months!
Isn't she a part of mail order like us too? If the big companies are still
doing business during the summer months _ what makes the smaller dealers
any different? Like I said before _ "who" started this rumor. It couldn't
have been originated by the big companies could it?
It will probably be hard for a lot of you to choke down this concept
immediately. You have been programd for years that the mail order business
is slow in the summer months. You have convinced your mind that this rumor
is true. It will take awhile to re-program your mind to the truth and I
sincerely hope this report helps you.
There are so many people "hung up" on the statistical data of exactly how
to run a mail order business. Here are some other rumors:
- Handwrite your envelopes instead of using a peel-n-stick address
label. (Come on folks - this is the 1990's - the age of the computer.
Nobody has time to sit down and hand address 1,000 envelopes anymore.
This rumor might have worked back in 1920 when the average mail order
dealer only mailed 10 or 15 envelopes per week _ but we are mailing
100 times that amount now.)
- Only mail on Tuesday to arrive by Friday. (With all the inconsistencies
in our postal system and UPS, you can never be guaranteed the day your
letter will arrive. Everyday is a business day! It doesn't matter what
particular day you mail. This is nonsense.)
- Dress your envelopes up to attract attention, such as placing sparkles
and hand-drawing diagrams on the outside. (This is nonsense! In fact,
this only cheapens your envelope. YOU have a business and your
correspondence should appear like you are an established business.
We're not playing pen-pal games here and we're not teenagers anymore.)
- Mail in a window envelope so the person receiving it will think it's
a bill or check. This way they will open it faster. (Bull! Any
established business opens all their mail. In fact, I never pay any
attention to the outside of the envelope. I open them all! What matters
the most is the content of the material inside and how it's presented.)
Now - please do the mail order industry a great big favor and pass the word
around. Let's keep busy making our businesses work like businesses. Don't
hold yourself back because of all these nasty rumors.
