THE GREAT MAIL ORDER MYTH There are a number of totally unrealistic beliefs about the mail order business. To belive in any of them can be dangerous to your pocketbook. Here are some of the most common ones:
1. It is possible to make vast amounts of money in a short period of time under the following conditions:
a. No experience b. Little or no investment c. Insignificant work effort
If this were a multiple choice test, then A, B, and C, would be FALSE– FALSE AND FALSE AGAIN
It does take experience, and knowledge, which can be acquired through reading, observing, and doing… There are many good books as well as some bad ones, on the mail order business. Stay away from books that make unreasonable promises. Our Special Report Series is designed to give you factual information on a specific subject. Universities and colleges across the country give courses in mail order and direct mail.
You can learn a great deal by observing companies that have been around for some time and are successful. Read their ads, study their offers and promotional literature. Some of the most effective direct mail offers are written by professional writers who are employed by large companies and who will not have a job unless they write successful and effective material. So, the next time you throw away a piece of mail from American Express or the Book of the Month Club, look at it and study it carefully.
The mail order business, like any business, requires an investment. It may be smaller, in many cases, than a business which requires a store front.. In most cases, mail order entrepreneurs launch their businesses from their homes. The amount of the investment is largely determined by the magnitude of the entrepreneur’s effort. A part-time mail order business can be gotten off the ground for less than a thousand dollars… The belief however, that a business, any business, can be started for $50 or $100 is totally false. I might add, it can be very profitable to those who make their living telling people it can be done. of course, they are usually the ones that want, and often get, the only $50 they say it takes to start the business.
And now we get to the really good part–little or no work. In some peoples’ minds, it goes something like this: Put in a few hours here and there, easy work, just stuff some envelopes, run a few ads; and wow, the money will be pouring into the mail box! Anyone who belives that probably also believes they are going to win a few million dollars in the lottery. The odds are not very far apart. Building a business, mail order or any other, is hard work. It takes great perseverance, belief in your efforts and lots of work.
2. Many people belive that they can get lucky in this business. Don’t believe it for a minute. It is the greatest mail order myth of them all. To belive it is fatal.