subject: Learn How To Start A Mail Order Business [print this page] You might think that the world of the internet has totally changed the face of mail order. But you'd be wrong. In actual fact if you want to know how to start a mail order business there has never been a better time to do it than right now.
When you think about it, you will realize that people are used to ordering things from a company and then receiving them through the mail. You've probably done this yourself. What's the difference between doing this via a catalog or advertisement, compared to buying something from a website?
Are you starting to see the potential here?
Start with your product
Yes, you need to have a product to sell in order to enter the mail order marketplace. It needs to be something people want and also something that fills a need - even if the marketplace doesn't yet know it has that need!
But it doesn't end there. Your search for the ideal mail order product needs to bear in mind that it must be something that isn't available in the local store. If you tell me you have an amazing widget that does sixteen different household tasks for me, I would definitely be interested. But if I discovered that same widget was available in my local store, I wouldn't wait to receive it through the mail - I'd go out and buy it today.
Your product also needs to have a marketplace that is viable enough to make plenty of sales from. As you can see, you have to be prepared to do plenty of research before you can think about launching any new product on the market. It might seem like a long road to navigate before you actually get anywhere, but it's like having a roadmap to follow. If you set off excitedly but you don't have a map, you'll be bound to get lost.
And of course you also need to figure out where you're going to find your product. If it is totally new you'll either have to create it yourself - possible if you have the right skills - or you'll need to enlist the help of another company or person to create it for you.
Advertising your product and getting sales
Lots of mail order businesses start off with one product and build up from there. Some of the biggest names in business started off like this.
When you get to that stage in your mail order business you can think about producing a catalog that will help you garner more sales from new and existing customers. But until then you will be better off advertising your new product via adverts and classified ads.
Classified are much cheaper than adverts because you're using a small string of words instead of a whole display advert. But remember that you should never try and sell directly from a classified ad - you should only get people to contact you and then sell via a leaflet or order form from that point on.
Research the market and every aspect of your business
If you want to know how to start a mail order business the best thing to do is to figure out how other successful people have done it before you. Study everyone you can find who has made a success of their own business. How did they do it? What did they sell? How did they grow their business from a stuttering start to something truly impressive?
Once you have the answers you can apply them to your own business. Good luck!
