How to Create Your Own Mail Order Products

Pick up almost any book or report on Mailorder Selling and invariably you will find the same advice. When you decide on a mailorder product, select the one that:

- appeals to a big segment of the populace

- is not readily available in stores

- is simple to ship by mail

- is worthwhile

- and a product that lends itself to repeat orders

Most mail order writers may also tell you to try to acquire exclusive selling rights to your product. Most writers will agree that a dealer has a better potential for succeeding in the mailorder business if he's got created the merchandise himself.

All of this is certainly good advice. The difficulty with it is that it generally does not go far enough. It generally does not tell you HOW to create a product that is exclusively you own. In what follows, I'd like to show you, step-by-step, HOW to create your personal mailorder product.

I would like to begin with by making a very revolutionary statement. THE INITIAL STEP ON THE ROAD TO MAIL ORDER SUCCESS ISN'T THE SELECTION OF A PRODUCT! That may appear to be an extremely strange statement, but you can find three things you must do (in order to achieve success) before you ever decide on a product to sell by mail!

FIRST, you must ANALYZE YOURSELF. You will only flourish in selling a product, or a type of mailorder products if you really enjoy selling them, if you can be honestly enthusiastic about them, and if they're products you yourself would honestly want to buy.

SECOND, you need to SELECT YOUR MARKET. Once you have analyzed yourself, you will want to sell to people who have interests similar to your own. Only then are you considering comfortable in your mailorder business.

THIRD, you must thoroughly ANALYZE YOUR MARKET. Before you ever select a product, you need to know what your market is buying, what it would like to buy, if available, and what it'll buy form you, in the very near future.

When you have analyzed yourself, selected your market, and thoroughly analyzed your market, you will have no trouble selecting or creating a product to sell by mail. It will almost select you! Now, let's return back and study these three steps, one at a time.

ANALYZE YOURSELF

To assist you understand yourself, sit back and, as honestly as possible, write out your answers to the following questions:

1. When I visit a newstand, what type of magazines interest ME?

2. What sort of books do I like to read?

3. When I daydream, what do I daydream about?

4. What do I do with my leisure time? (How do I spend my evenings? What do I do on weekends?)

5. What do I do on my vacation?

6. What one subject interests me a lot more than any other subject on the globe?

7. If I didn't have to work for a full time income, how would I spend my time?

8. If I could get back to college, what subjects would I take?

9. What sort of products do I like to purchase by mail?

When you have HONESTLY answered all these questions, you will notice an amazing pattern emerging. If you have finished, pay a visit to your local library. Go to the Reference Desk and have to start to see the latest edition of the WRITER'S MARKET. Sit back and study the Table of Contents, which lists all the main categories of magazines becoming printed. Decide which CATEGORY interests you beyond others. It is for the reason that mailorder market that you will be most at home . . . and it is there that you will be most successful

Now go back to the Reference Desk and ask for just two other publications. Each one offers you the information you will need. They are:

- THE TYPICAL PERIODICAL DIRECTORY and

- ULTICH'S INTERNATIONAL PERIODICAL DIRECTORY

I, of course, have no idea what your interests really are, but let us, for the sake of illustration, say that you have a compelling fascination with Astrology. With just a little search in the Standard Periodical Directory, you will find the name and address of at least a dozen or so Astrology magazines. In Ulrich's you will find even more, since it lists magazines published in foreign countries aswell.

Write down the names and address of each and every publication. Write to each of them, on your letterhead if possible. Unless you have a letterhead, you will still hear from many of them. Tell them you are starting a mailorder business, focusing on Astrological products, and ask them for an example copy of their publications, along with their ADVERTISING RATES.

When you begin receiving your sample copies, save them . . . and save the advertising rate cards. They'll be invaluable to you later on.

While you are looking forward to these to arrive, visit the nearest second-and magazine store and purchase several dozen old astrology magazines. (The price? Probably a dime apiece!) Get as many different magazine titles as possible and be sure to get copies with MAIL ORDER ADS in them. Conditions that are ten or fifteen yrs . old will be valuable for you, but also make an effort to obtain a number of the more current issues. You are now ready to start . . .

ANALYZING YOUR MARKET

Start a notebook. Pick up one of the magazines which you have purchased at the second-hand magazine store. Browse the first ad. . . every type of it. Read it slowly and carefully. Once you have finished reading it, see when you can describe what is for sale in five words or less. If you can't, return back and read it again. If you can, record your description under one of three headings in your notebook:

- Merchandise

- Information

- Service

All mailorder offerings come under one of many three headings in the above list. If the ad was for an Aquarian Necklace, it ought to be listed under Merchandise. If it was for a treatise on Flying Saucers, it should be listed under Information. If it had been an offer to chart your horoscope, it ought to be listed under Service.

After you have analyzed the initial ad, go on and study another ad. Continue until you have thoroughly analyzed each and every ad in the magazine, like the classifieds. When you are through, you should have three lists:

- A listing of Astrological Merchandise for sale

- A listing of Astrological Manuals (Information) on the market

- A listing of Astrological services for sale.

As you read, watch out for:

UNDEVELOPED IDEAS -- Especially in older issues, you will find really good ideas that were, for one reason or another, never developed. Perhaps the originator lost interest or didn't have the capital to build up his idea. He may have died or he might have elope with a chorus girl from NEVADA and forgotten about the mail order business. If you can develop the idea, you have a mail order product.

WHOLESALE SOURCES -- Watch for ads that say "Dealers Wanted" (in more current issues, needless to say). Here may be the perfect way to obtain mailorder products for you.

STUDY THE ARTICLES -- They will show you what the readers want in and they'll give you clues as to what the readers want to buy. Remember the articles are doing a couple of things -- they are printing articles about subjects that your readers are already interested. But they may also be CREATING NEW INTERESTS in the minds of the readers. CAN YOU DEVELOP A PRODUCT THAT READERS WILL NEED BECAUSE OF READING THOSE ARTICLES?

You will be amazed at what you will discover once you read magazines from the viewpoint of a mailorder man!

While researching this manuscript, I analyzed three completely different magazines from the viewpoint of a mailorder man. I would like to share a few of my findings with you. Don't worry if the fields will vary from those that interest you. MAILORDER PRINCIPLES ARE THE SAME FOR EACH AND EVERY MARKET!

The first magazine which I analyzed was ASTROLOGY - YOUR DAILY HOROSCOPE, December 1975. I would like to begin with the Merchandise Offerings.

ASTROLOGY (MERCHANDISE)

The initial ad is for personalized stationary. Any mailorder man knows you can sell personalized stationary to any market. But this dealer took a commonplace product and adapted it to the Astrological market. Close to the name and address which he prints on the stationary, he prints the Astrological sun sign and he calls it ZODIAC STATIONARY.

Another ad is for another very commonplace product -- soap! You can purchase soap in any supermarket. But this soap is special. It has YOUR ZODIAC SIGN imprinted inside it, and it lasts provided that the soap lasts. Here's another good exemplory case of adapting a commonplace product to the special interests and desires of your prospective customers.

For anyone who is now selling a product by mail and you want to increase you sales, make a list of the kinds of people you would like to sell it to. (For example, doctors, waitresses, farmers, gun collectors, etc.) Then return back and ask yourself what you could do to your product to make it appeal to every individual group. You will be amazed at the best way to turn commonplace items into red hot mailorder sellers simply by taking the time to put yourself in your customer's shoes for a while.

The next merchandise offering is for "SEASHELLS FOR VIRGOS AND SCORPIOS". Brother, that is a fantastic idea. Had this advertiser offered plain old seashells within an astrology magazine, his mailbox may possibly have already been empty. Had he advertised "Seashells for Astrologers", he could have gotten a few orders. But he made his seashells special, exclusive, and incredibly, very desirable, because they are only for Virgos and Scorpios. He could be catching the attention of 1 reader from every six and I would bet that ad was a mailorder success! Here is a concept worth remembering. Make an effort to apply it to YOUR product!

Another merchandise offering was a "Hand Bio-Rhythm Computer". For the past few years, Astrology magazines have been running article after article on the Bio-Rhythm Theory (i.e. every male and female person has emotional, intellectual and physical cycles, which is often predicted beforehand). The Astrology magazines, in effect, have been creating a mailorder market for this sort of new product. The ad promises, "it reveals your emotional, intellectual and physical state . . . EVEN BEFORE THE DAY BEGINS!" This dealer was clever enough to do something relating to this new interest. If he previously not studied his market, he could do not have discovered the NEED for a Bio-Rhythm computer!

ASTROLOGY (INFORMATION)

Individuals who read Astrology magazines have become interested in Love, Money, Success, Power, Miracles, Prayer, etc. One enterprising dealer has written six "personal guidance" manuals, and runs full page ads in Astrology magazines, selling them form $2.00 to $11.00 each! His ads have already been running successfully for a long time. Back 1960, when I first became interested in selling by mail, this dealer was running small ads in mail dealer magazines, selling mailorder manuals!

Here are some of the other information manuals which dealers have written and are selling by mail:

- How the Maya Indians Foretold the near future - $15.00

- Powerful Words to Be Recited Daily to End YOUR CASH Worries - $4.00

- How exactly to Spiritually Heal Your Pets - $5.00

- A Manual on Etheric Astal Projection, written "specifically for the Neophyte" - $3.00

Can you develop a WORTHWHILE manual because of this market? (I predict that the initial dealer who writes an excellent manual on Bio-Rhythm can make a fortune!) If you need ideas for manuals, study the subjects on offer in the Astrology magazines. Remember --the readers are interested in those subjects! In the problem of ASTROLOGY - YOUR PERSONAL HOROSCOPE which I read, the following information articles appeared. (This is only a partial list.)

"Yearly Forecast for Sagittarians" "Basic Astronomy for the Astrologers" "Sybil Leek Analyzes YOUR Dreams" "Steps to make Your Dreams Pay Off" "How Mercury Inspires Your Creativity"

A study of OLD Astrology magazines offers you an abundance of subjects for New Mailorder Manuals (or folios).

ASTROLOGY (SERVICE)

If there is one thing people who read Astrology magazines love, it is this . . . They WANT TO BE ANALYZED AND COUNSELLED BY PROFESSIONALS. Are you experiencing specialized training in the art of Horoscope Reading? If that's the case, you can sell your services by mail. Here are several of the news form ads offering such services:

- "Let an Expert Discuss YOUR DAILY LIFE!"

- "This Horoscope is approximately YOU"

- "Now . . . a serious study of YOU!"

- "Now there is a Horoscope written for the TWO OF YOU! . . .

One for you, one for your cherished one! It might mean the

difference between a Happy Marriage and a Painful Divorce!"

- "1976 - 1977 - 1978! Is one of these YOUR Year of Destiny?"

(This had been running in Astrology magazines for at the very least ten

years. Every year, the advertiser simply changes the dates!

Other services on offer in this magazine include:

- Personal Questions Answered by Psychics and Mystics

- Spiritual Readings

- Tarot Readings

- Palm Readings

- Handwriting Analysis

- Questions answered through Astro-Extra Sensory Perception

Are you trained to provide such services through the mail? Or do you enjoy receiving such training? (You will see many such offers to teach you in a newstand magazine called FATE.) In the event that you answer is Yes . . . that's where you should begin your mailorder career.

The next magazine I analyzed was the November 1975 problem of FIELD AND STREAM. Since this magazine is aimed at two mailorder markets, hunters and fishermen, I analyzed only those ads pertaining to Hunters.

HUNTERS (MERCHANDISE)

Men who search for wild game spend big money on their hobby. They buy top quality hunting clothes. (Who would like to go hunting in an inexpensive couple of jungle boots?) They spend big money on their guns, their hunting knives, and on top quality binoculars. There are several dozen well-established mail order companies selling this type of merchandise to hunters. If you ar planning to establish a one man mail order operation, you would be well advised not to try to compete with these companies. Instead, look for something unique a hunter can USE, and begin you mailorder business there.

Here are some merchandise offerings being made by enterprising dealers:

"Deer Hunter's soap" (Bathe in soap scented with the aroma of a female deer and you may attract a Buck. Only $1.50 per bay!) Notice what sort of smart dealer ADAPTED a commonplace item to a specialized market. Notice too, that he adapted it to ONLY 1 SORT OF HUNTER. HE DIDN'T OFFER IT TO BEAR HUNTERS, TO COON HUNTERS, TO QUAIL HUNTERS, OR EVEN TO GAME HUNTERS GENERALLY. He offered it to deer-hunters! If you are a deer-hunter, you would observe that ad!"

"Curtain rods for HUNTING Vans - $3.95 some." (Sure, you can buy curtain rods in any dime store, but not curtain rods for HUNTING VANS! Another excellent exemplory case of taking a commonplace item, adapting it to a specialized market, and developing a new mailorder product.

Also offered:

- Gun cleaning cloths (10 for a dollar)

- Brass Nameplates for HUNTING DOGS (not for any old dog!)

- ID Tags for Your Hunting Dogs

- Handwarmers and Bodywarmers (Boy, would you use these once you get lost in the snow!)

- There was a small classified ad offering "Fish and Game Rubber Stamps." I am hoping this dealer got a great deal of orders, but if he didn't, I suspect it had been because his offer was too general. For starters, it would have sold better having an illustrated display ad. But better still . . . let us go back to the Virgo and Scorpio concept above. Think about rubber stamps for Coon Hunters? Or for Pheasant Hunters? Or rubber stamps for Taxidermists? You'll always get more orders if you direct your ad to specific people.

HUNTING (INFORMATION)

Frankly, I was amazed at the number of Information Folios being sold to Hunters. Below are a few examples:

"How to Build YOUR PERSONAL Gun Cabinet"

"Duck Calling Instructions" (half an hour on tape!) Plenty of information, in every field, is currently being placed on cassette tape and sold by mail. In the event that you would rather talk than write, this may be an aspect of mailorder selling so that you can consider.

"Chart showing Life-size Tracks of 38 Animals in the Adirondack Mountains" (Incidently not all information is written. website of people buy plans, diagrams, etc. To digress, recently a dealer advertised plans to build your personal flying saucer detector!)

"How to Build Box Traps - $1.00"

"My Secret on Coon Trapping, after 50 years. Guaranteed, $1.00"

"Mount fish for Fun and Profit - Easy instructions - $1.00"

"Tan YOUR PERSONAL Hides - Hair on or off - Complete, an easy task to follow instructions and Formulas - $1.00"

"Build (meat, fish, sausage) smoker! Inexpensive, protable.... easy plans, $1.00"

"Wild Game and Fish Recipes - Deer, Bear, Rabbit, Trout, Salmon and dozens more - $1.00"

Can you write an information manual for hunters? Is it possible to tell him how exactly to shoot ducks? Or how exactly to hunt buffalo? . . . Or what to do for snake bites? . . . Or how exactly to sign up for a Big Game Safari in the wilds of Africa? If you can, write an excellent manual (or put it on tape!) and sell it by mail!

HUNTING (SERVICE)

Unlike the readers of Astrology magazines, Game Hunters don't give a damn about being analyzed or counselled! But when you can teach his hunting dog how exactly to chase a bear up a tree, then he will most likely pay you for your services. Is it possible to repair his gun? Or is it possible to stuff and mount his catches? If so, you can create a mailorder business offering such services.

The final publication analyzed was the WRITER'S DIGEST of November, 1975.

WRITING (MERCHANDISE)

If you are interested in the craft of writing (or in case you have done well in creative writing classes) you might decide to build a mail order business catering to the requirements of hundreds of thousands of persons who dream of becoming professional writers. below are a few of the item offerings being designed to writers:

- "Copyright and Related Laws for Writers"

- "Grants and Aids to Individuals in the Arts - 1500 Sources." (What writer isn't searching for a grant?)

- "I receive checks weekly for features, fillers, news. Free details."

- "Gagwriters Guide"

- "Secret Way to Make Money Writing - $2.00"

- "EARN MONEY Writing Fillers! Up-to-Date Filler Directory."

- "International Directory of Little Magazines and Small Presses."

When you can produce an information manual showing writers how to write better, or how to sell their manuscripts, then write it and sell it by mail. You should have CREATED a new mailorder product! (To get ideas for subjects of interest to writers, study the articles such publications as the Writers Digest, The Writer, Saturday Review, etc.)

WRITERS -- (SERVICE)

A number of the largest mailorder business on earth sell correspondence courses teaching people how exactly to write for a full time income. There are also twelve or more large printing companies (called "Vanity Publishers" in the trade) whose sole business is printing books for authors, whose works have already been rejected by the standard publishing houses.

If you are a serious literary person, with a gift for writing, you can very possibly establish a business offering your services to writers. Here are a few of the services which were on offer in the November 1975 issue of Writer's Digest:

- Literary Counseling

- Literary Criticism

- Literary Editing

- Short Story Evaluation

- Manuscript Analysis

- Article Evaluation (No Fiction)

- Ghost Writing

- Newspaper and Magazine Reference Service (Authors often need this type of service.)

- Manuscript Typing

Are you qualified to provide any of these services by mail? Should you be, you have found something to market by mail! If you are not now qualified, why not acquire professional training . . . and offer your services by mail?

IN CONCLUSION

I realize that I have just touched the surface of three different mail order markets. You can find hundreds of other mail order markets that you can explore! Analyze yourself and select the market that's best for you.

Study your market thoroughly . . . AND NEVER STOP STUDYING IT. Most successful mailorder people read a large number of magazines every month. They KNOW what their customers are considering, what they want, and what they'll buy.

Successful mailorder people are interested in the NEEDS and WANTS of these customers FIRST. They understand that if they focus on those, profits will flow naturally. Those who think only of profits soon go by the wayside.

In the beginning of the manual, I asked one to write to every magazine in your selected field. Subscribe to as many as possible. If you have created your first product, then start advertising in those magazines (which is why I said to keep their rate cards.) Never run an ad if you don't can run it in three consecutive issues. Then CONTINUE running it for as long as it continues to produce new customers for you personally. Slowly add new (but related) items to your line. Whenever possible, expand your organization by inserting your ads in new publications.

Remember these simple guidelines:

- DON'T COPY OTHER PEOPLE! You are a unique individual. Express your own individuality in your Mail Order business.

- CREATE SOMETHING NEW AND EXCITING!

- CREATE SOMETHING HELPFUL AND WORTHWHILE!

- CREATE SOMETHING YOU YOURSELF WOULD WANT TO BUY!

Copyright by DeAnna Spencer 2004

This article could be reproduced and redistributed freely on the Internet as long as the resource box remains intact.

DeAnna Spencer is a virtual assistant that helps entrepreneurs run a successful business by providing affordable administrative help. She also publishes a blog for small business owners. Visit this small business resource today.