Are you interested in having your own mail-order business? Then check out this

Boyd,

The thing to remember is that you don't have to go from $0 to $50,000 in the first month. To do that you are going to need to make a sizable investment.

All you want to do (and Gordon has touched upon this extensivley) is turn say a monthly budget of $500 into something...be it $1,000 in product sales (with $500 in profit to cover your cost in advertising) OR if you can afford to 'invest' the $500 per month, into names of people that might be interested in your product using a two-step marketing model. If you consistently do this month after month you'll soon have a growing direct marketing company.

As far as the learning curve goes, quite frankly Boyd you (or we) are most informed people ever. We have all the information we need to succeed...no ifs, ands or buts. All the information we need to create a profitable business is right here on the net or in your local library or at your local book store. We have far more information at our fingertips than any previous generation of entrepreneurs. What stops us is not a lack of knowledge...even though we quite often use that as an excuse...but willingness to spend (or earn and then spend) a few dollars every month to make our business dreams happen. The other pitfall is our lack of focus, not because we have too little knowledge but because we have too much. Instead of picking one avenue and doing something we're always on the lookout for something easier...something less expensive or free that will put gold in our pockets. I grin everytime someone releases a 'new' colletion of guru tips. Everyone falls all over each other to get a copy to get the same info that's been out there (and known) all along.
If the folks that get all exciting at a new 'How To Get Rich' course got just as excited at really starting and seeing through a business opportunity they probably wouldn't be as excited about the next guru's offerings.

Take care,

Mike W.

> Hi Boyd,

> I think you can do direct response cheaply
> or expensively....

> If you want to do it cheaply, you can go the
> two-step classified ads route, then
> regularly mail your customers with
> announcements about your other products. I
> think this is essentially how Melvin Powers
> grew his business.

> (For those who may not know, a two-step
> classified ad is an ad which offers a free
> or very cheap booklet or some other product
> your target market will find attractive.
> When people respond to your ad, you also
> send out your much longer sales material for
> your real product, the one you make the
> real profits on. You can also stretch this
> to 3-steps, 4-steps, etc.)

> Or you can do it more expensively, using
> space ads or renting mailing lists. I think
> it's riskier (because you have more money on
> the line), but you can also grow more
> quickly this way too (or go bust more
> quickly as well).

> Using two-step classified ads, then
> regularly mailing your (hopefully growing)
> customer list, seems like a pretty safe and
> inexpensive route to me, though slower.

> Even better is to do joint ventures.... Have
> others promote your products for a cut of
> the profits. Then there are no up-front
> costs for you (assuming you already have
> your own products to provide to others)....
> Use their customer list under a joint
> venture arrangement. It's win-win for
> everyone.

> I'm not doing any mail order by the way at
> present, but I see what I'm doing as being
> the online equivalent.... The idea behind it
> is the same.

> - Dien Rice