ARE YOU MAKING THESE FIVE DEADLY MISTAKES IN YOUR MAIL ORDER BUSINESS?
Has Your Business Been Slow to Take Off? If So, You Might be Making a Few Common Mistakes.
By Gregory H. Bey
If your mail order business is getting off to a slow start, you may be making one or more of the five errors listed below. Take a look and consider if any of these crucial mistakes apply to your business:
1. ARE YOU OFFERING A REAL PRODUCT?--If you're going to be in business, you have to offer a real product. If you're in some kind of gifting program or sending out a chain letter, you don't have a real product.If you're sending money and asking the person to put you on their mailing list, that's not a real product. If your program does have some kind of product but it's only being used so that you can send other people money through the mail, you still don't have a real product to sell.
If your product cannot be sold to or used by the public in general, you're probably operating some type of illegal program and your local postal inspector will soon be contacting you with a friendly warning telling you to stop. If you're operating this type of program, do yourself a favor and find a business that offers a real product or service.
2. ARE YOU IN LOVE WITH YOUR PRODUCT?--One of the common mistakes that the beginner makes is thinking that their product, service or program is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Don't make the mistake of thinking that just because you're in love with your product that everyone else is. It's fine to feel good about your product or services, however if you're having a difficult time selling it, that should tell you something--PEOPLE DON'T WANT IT.
If you are too much in love with what you're trying to sell, you may empty your bank account trying to get everyone else to feel the same way that you do. I recently received an offer in the mail from a mail-order dealer. He enclosed a handwritten letter explaining how wonderful his product was because he had put it together himself. I wrote him back and told him that I thought he had put together a nice package, but that I wasn't interested.
He wrote me another letter saying that if I thought his offer was good, why wasn't I interested in buying it? He then sent me another letter asking me if I had passed his information to someone else. I think that his problem was he thought that just because he had put his package together himself and that he had done such a great job, everyone would be falling all over themselves to purchase it.
It's good to have confidence in yourself and the things that you do. However, it's important to remember that there is always room for improvement. And if something isn't working, don't keep beating a dead horse--cut your losses and move on.
3. DO YOU HAVE A USA (UNIQUE SELLING ADVANTAGE)?--What are you doing to add that unique special twist to your business? No, I'm not talking about coming up with some totally new revolutionary concept. Your own special twist can be something as simple as inviting your customers to call you if they have any questions about your product or service or dropping your best customers a post card just to keep your business fresh in their minds. Instead of offering the usual 30-day money back guarantee, why not offer a 180-day guarantee? If you make your customers feel that they come first and that you're really interested in giving them RED CARPET service, this will go a long way in keeping your customers coming back to you.
4. ARE YOU USING LEVERAGE IN YOUR BUSINESS?--If you expect to survive in your business, it's important that you learn to use the principle of leverage.
Leverage can be applied in many ways. For example, you have a one-page circular that you send out for your network marketing program. You're using one sheet of paper, an envelope and a first-class stamp. You could offer five other dealers to send out their non-conflicting circular with yours, you charge each dealer a small fee to cover your expenses and your circular rides free along with the others. This is done all of the time by many dealers. It's called co-op mailing. If you have an in-house mailing list, you can offer to exchange your list with other dealers and you have new names that you didn't have to pay for.
You could also become a co-publisher of several inner circle publications and offer ad space to other dealers and also get 50% off on all of your advertising. Just give it a little thought and get your creative juices flowing and you will discover many ways to apply the principle of leverage to your business.
5. DO YOU WATCH FOR NEW TRENDS?--We live in an every-changing business climate. If you observe and take advantage of new trends, it could have a profound effect on your bank account. Just think about all of the people who have become rich (on paper anyway) in the Internet revolution. You don't need to have an earth-shaking idea. It's a matter of being in the right place, at the right time, and striking while the iron is hot.
Remember--keep an eye on wht is going on in your business area of interest and be ready to take advantage of the new trends. We all have heard the old saying, "EXPERIENCE IS THE BEST TEACHER." However, if you can avoid making costly mistakes by listening to the advice of others who have already made those mistakes, you'll save a lot of time, money, and setbacks.
Gregory H. Bey offers mail order and MLM beginners free business building advice. You can contract him at (412) 363-7187. You can also receive five (5) unique business-building reports with reprint rights that will teach you how to have a steady stream of dollars in your mailbox. Just send your request along with $12 to:
Day-Star Communications 7023 Hermitage St. Pittsburgh, PA 15208
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