This Mail-Order Pro Shares the Gift of his Experience and Offers a Few Tips for Those Just Breaking into the Business.
By Murray Bagur
The year was 1963 and I was a young married man with two little daughters. I was working in a print shop in Iowa and for extra money, I was writing "fillers" for magazines and newspapers. I had just finished a piece on how to turn your hobby into a cash-producing business. I was extremely proud of that little article.
I figured everyone would buy it on first sight, but nobody did, so I decided to self publish it and sell it through the mail. This was my first venture in mail order. The post office was right across the street from where I worked, so I rented a box. I placed a small classified ad in one of the popular magazines of the day and waited. For two months, I checked my empty post office box. I was beginning to think nobody wanted my work of art.
About two and a half months after I placed the ad, I made my daily ritual to the post office. When I opened the door, I almost did a back flip. It was stuffed. There was also a pink card telling me I had even more mail at the window. They gave me additional mail that filled about half a gray postal sack.
My wife and I poured the mail out on our kitchen table. There was cash, checks, and money orders from all over the country. I'll never forget the excitement of opening those envelopes and getting money out of them. It's an exhilarating feeling that has never left me. It's the greatest thrill I ever experienced.
I fell in love with mail order that day long ago. I was hooked. Today, my love for mail order has grown ten times ten and each day I live, I love it more. When things are going bad and I get down, I simply remember those first days and I remind myself just how lucky I really am to have found this wonderful world of mail order.
If you share that passion, here are a few tips to increase your own mail-order sales:
1. Include Coupons With Your Offers--They don't have to be fancy. They should offer a free discount or a gift for early orders. The gift should sound like it's valuable but should be inexpensive for you to provide. In most cases, people like to get something free. Don't you?
2. Make Your Offer Look Different--Use pictures, diagrams and artwork of your own. If your offer looks like all the others, it might get thrown away before it's even read. Save unique headlines, cartoons and drawings from your incoming mail and use them as clip art to design your circulars.
3. ALWAYS Use a Cover Letter--A cover letter acts as a preview to announce all the good things contained in your sales letter. Even a hand-written note included with your sales letter will create more sales for you. I use "Post-It" type notes and they work very well.
4. Use a Teaser on the Outside of Your Envelope--This will draw attention to your mailing piece and makes it stand out from the other mail your prospective customer receives. Make your teaser short and to the point. Example-- "Look what I've got for you!"
It's a tough world. Competition is stiff and we can use all the help we can get. Use your imagination and you'll notice more sales coming your way.
Murray Bagur has been in the mail order business for more than 35 years. For some of the best offers from a seasoned pro, send a #10 SASE to:
Murray Bagur P.O. Box 2511 Louisville, KY 40201-2511
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