Member You - Home Based Business

How To Maximize The Value Of Your Business
You are contemplating on selling your business and want to understand how best to maximize the value of your business. You might have heard from your industry contacts that some businesses similar to yours sold for 3 times EBITDA and some others sold for 6 times EBITDA. This variation could mean a difference of several million dollars in take-home! What makes this variation possible?How can you get the best value for your business?z The purpose of this article is to help you look at your business as an acquirer might in valuing your company. The more attractive you can make your business to the acquirer, the better chance that you will get a higher value for your business. Your M&A advisor will also play a big role in the valuation and we will cover this in a different article.Here is a list of key vectors acquirers use in evaluating business: 1. Strategic Fit: Strategic fit occurs when some aspects of your business (products, services, distribution channels, location, etc.) are worth a lot more to another player in the industry than it is to you. When a strategic fit is established, the acquirer sees your business on a post acquisition basis and may be willing to offer much more than the going market multiples. Give careful consideration to who the strategic acquirers may be. This is one area where a knowledgeable M&A advisor can be of great help to you. 2. Cash Flow: After strategic fit, cash flow is the single largest value driver for most businesses. Think of ways to improve your EBITDA on a sustainable basis. Acquirers are suspicious of short term jumps in cash flow. So, be careful not to delay hiring or equipment purchases beyond what you believe is reasonable. Once an acquirer starts doubting your credibility, the due diligence increases and the acquirer will make changes to valuation to adjust for the risk. 3. Management Depth: Keep in mind that acquirers buy a business that they hope will be functional and growing after the sale. It is tough for the acquirer to place high value on your business if you are the sole decision maker in the company and the business depends largely on your skill set. Developing your staff so that they can run the business when you are gone can pay big dividends when it is time to sell. If you are concerned about your employees leaving once you are gone, it may be good idea to consider employment contracts, stock grants and other incentives that give them a reason to stay long term. If possible, start work on staff related issues at least a year before you plan on starting the sales process. 4. Customer Diversity: Acquirers are nervous about businesses where a high percentage of business comes from a handful of customers. Ideally, no single customer should contribute to more than 10% of your revenues or profits. The best solution for this problem is to diversify the customer base. If that is not feasible, be prepared to accept part of the transaction price paid as earn-outs or plan on supporting the acquirer in an advisory role to ensure customer continuity. 5. Recurring Revenue Stream: Acquirers love predictable and low risk revenue streams. Any long term contracts, annual service/licensing fees, and other recurring revenue streams make business more desirable and fetch a higher price in the marketplace. In service oriented business, converting predictable customer support calls into recurring revenue stream can turn a business liability into an asset. 6. Desirable Products & Services That Are Difficult To Copy: Acquirers place higher value on a business with unique products, services, or distribution systems than a business whose offerings are considered generic. What is unique about your business? Think of ways in which your product/service is unique and why it should be valuable to an acquirer. Having an edge and having the ability to communicate the edge can do wonders to your business’s valuati

. . . this is where you should begin your
mailorder career.

The next magazine I analyzed was the November 1975 issue 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 hunt for wild game spend a lot of money on their hobby.
They buy top quality hunting clothes. (Who wants to go hunting
in a CHEAP pair of jungle boots?) They spend a lot of money on
their guns, their hunting knives, and on top quality binoculars.
There are several dozen well-established mail order companies
selling this kind 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 that a hunter can USE, and begin you
mailorder business there.

Here are a few merchandise offerings being made by enterprising
dealers:

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

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

Also offered:

- Gun cleaning cloths (10 for a dollar)

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

- ID Tags for Your Hunting Dogs

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

- There was a small classified ad offering "Fish and Game
Rubber Stamps." I hope this dealer got a lot of orders, but if
he didn't, I suspect it was because his offer was too general.
First of all, it would have sold better with an illustrated
display ad. But even better . . . let us go back to the Virgo
and Scorpio concept above. How about rubber stamps for Coon
Hunters? Or for Pheasant Hunters? Or rubber stamps for
Taxidermists? You will always get more orders if you direct
your ad to specific people.

HUNTING (INFORMATION)

Frankly, I was amazed at the amount of Information Folios being
sold to Hunters. Here are some examples:

"How to Build Your Own Gun Cabinet"

"Duck Calling Instructions" (30 minutes on tape!) A lot of
information, in every field, is now being put on cassette tape
and sold by mail. If you would rather talk than write, this
could be an aspect of mailorder selling for you to consider.

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

"How to Build Box Traps - $1.00"

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

"Mount fish f

The Benefits of Specific Advertising
The great Claude Hopkins (Author of Scientific Advertising) once said, “Platitudes and generalities roll off the human understanding like water from a duck. They leave no impression whatever.” To say, "Best in the world," "Lowest price in existence," etc. are at best simply claiming the expected. But superlatives of that sort are usually damaging. They suggest looseness of expression, a tendency to exaggerate, a careless truth. They lead readers to discount all the statements that you make.--- A Dog & Pony ShowIt’s true that people accept a certain license in ‘sales talk.’ A person may say, "Highest quality" without seeming a liar, although you realise other brands are just as good. We expect a sales person to ‘sell’ and we excuse some enthusiastic exaggeration. It’s for that reason general statements count for very little. And a person inclined to grand statements and superlatives must expect their claims to meet a healthy dose of scepticism.However, someone making a specific claim is either telling the truth lying. We know advertisers cannot lie in the best mediums, so a definite statement is usually accepted. Actual figures are not generally discounted. Specific facts, when stated, have their full weight and effect.--- Just The Facts Ma’amThis is very important to consider in written or personal salesmanship. The weight of an argument may often be multiplied by making it specific. Say that one brand of light bulb gives more light than another and you leave some doubt. Say it gives 354% more light and people realize that you have made tests and comparisons.A dealer may say, "Our prices have been reduced" without creating any marked impression. But when he says, "Our prices have been reduced 27 per cent" they get the full value of their announcement.--- The Pre-emptive Advantage & SpecificityIn the old days all beers were advertised as "Pure." The claim made no impression. The bigger the type used, the bigger the folly. After millions had been spent to impress a platitude, one brewer pictured a plate glass where beer was cooled in filtered air. They pictured a filter of white wood pulp through which every drop was cleared. They told how bottles were washed four times by machinery. They he went down 4,000 feet for pure water. How 1,018 experiments had been made to attain a yeast to give beer that matchless flavour. And how all the yeast was forever made from that adopted mother cell.Now don’t misunderstand – any brewer might have easily made these claims. They were mere essentials in ordinary brewing. But this one company was the first to tell everyone about them, while the others simply kept repeating the worn out statement "pure beer." This one brewer made the greatest success that was ever made in beer advertising.--- The Art of LeverageRemember, one advertising statement may take as much room as another, yet a definite statement is many times more effective. The difference is vast. If a claim is worth making, make it in the most impressive way you possibly can.All these effects must be studied. ‘Salesmanship-in-print’ can be very expensive. A salesperson’s loose talk matters little when it’s simply one-on-one. However, when you are ‘talking’ to many at great cost, the weight of your advertising claims is important.Remember, no generality has any weight whatever. It’s like saying, "How do you do?", when you have no intention of inquiring about one's health. And specific claims when made in print are taken at their value.So the next time you are dreaming up adverts and offers for your business – BE SPECIFIC!

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

- appeals to a large segment of the population
- is not readily available in stores
- is easy to ship by mail
- is worthwhile
- and a product that lends itself to repeat orders

Most mail order writers will also tell you to try to acquire
exclusive selling rights to your product. Most writers will
agree that a dealer has a better chance of succeeding in the
mailorder business if he has created the product himself.

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

I would like to begin by making a very revolutionary statement.
THE FIRST STEP ON THE ROAD TO MAIL ORDER SUCCESS IS NOT THE
SELECTION OF A PRODUCT! That may sound like a very strange
statement, but there are three things you must do (if you want
to be successful) before you ever select a product to sell by
mail!

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

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

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

Once you have analyzed yourself, selected your market, and then
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 go back and study these three steps, one
by one.

ANALYZE YOURSELF

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

1. When I go to a newstand, what kind of magazines appeal to ME?

2. What kind of books do I really like to read?

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

4. What do I do with my free 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 more than any other subject in
the world?

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

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

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

Once you have HONESTLY answered all these questions, you will
see an amazing pattern emerging. When you have finished, pay a
visit to your local library. Go to the Reference Desk and ask
to see the latest edition of the WRITER'S MARKET. Sit down and
study the Table of Contents, which lists all the main categories
of magazines currently being printed. Decide which CATEGORY
interests you beyond all others. It is in 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 two other
publications. Either one will provide you with the information
you need. They are:

- THE STANDARD 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 interest in Astrology. With 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 as well.

Jot down the names and address of each and every publication.
Write to each of them, on your letterhead if possible. If you
don't have a letterhead, you will still hear from most of them.
Tell them you are starting a mailorder business, specializing in
Astrological products, and ask them for a sample copy of their
publications, along with their ADVERTISING RATES.

When you start receiving your sample copies, save them . . . and
save the advertising rate cards. They will be invaluable to you
in the future.

While you are waiting for these to arrive, go to the nearest
second-and magazine store and buy a few dozen old astrology
magazines. (The cost? Probably a dime apiece!) Get as many
different magazine titles as possible and be sure to get copies
with MAIL ORDER ADS in them. Issues that are ten or fifteen
years old will be valuable to you, but also try to obtain some
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. Read the first ad
. . . every line of it. Read it slowly and carefully. When you
have finished reading it, see if you can describe what is being
sold in five words or less. If you can't, go 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 the three headings
listed above. If the ad was for an Aquarian Necklace, it should
be listed under Merchandise. If it was for a treatise on Flying
Saucers, it should be listed under Information. If it was an
offer to chart your horoscope, it should be listed under Service.

After you have analyzed the first ad, go on and study the next
ad. Continue until you have thoroughly analyzed every single ad
in the magazine, including the classifieds. When you are
through, you will have three lists:

- A list of Astrological Merchandise for sale
- A list of Astrological Manuals (Information) for sale
- A list of Astrological services for sale.

As you read, watch 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 develop his idea. He may have died or he
may have run off with a chorus girl from Las Vegas and forgotten
all 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, of course). Here may be the perfect
source of mailorder products for you.

STUDY THE ARTICLES -- They will show you what the readers are
interested in and they will give you clues as to what the
readers want to buy. Remember the articles are doing two things
-- they are printing articles about subjects which the readers
are already interested. But they are also CREATING NEW
INTERESTS in the minds of the readers. CAN YOU CREATE A PRODUCT
THAT READERS WILL WANT AS A RESULT OF READING THOSE ARTICLES?

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

While researching this manuscript, I analyzed three totally
different magazines from the viewpoint of a mailorder man. I
would like to share some of my findings with you. Don't worry
if the fields are different from those which interest you.
MAILORDER PRINCIPLES ARE THE SAME FOR 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 first 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. Next to the name and address which he
prints on the stationary, he prints the Astrological sun sign
and he calls it ZODIAC STATIONARY.

The next ad is for another very commonplace product -- soap!
You can buy soap in any grocery store. But this soap is
special. It has YOUR ZODIAC SIGN imprinted in it, and it lasts
as long as the soap lasts. Here is another good example of
adapting a commonplace product to the special interests and
desires of your prospective customers.

If you are now selling a product by mail and you would like 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 go back and ask yourself what you
could do to your product to make it appeal to each individual
group. You'll be amazed at how you can turn commonplace items
into red hot mailorder sellers just 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, this is a fantastic idea. Had this
advertiser offered plain old seashells in an astrology magazine,
his mailbox would probably have been empty. Had he advertised
"Seashells for Astrologers", he MIGHT have gotten a few orders.
But he made his seashells special, exclusive, and very, very
desirable, because they are only for Virgos and Scorpios. He is
catching the attention of one reader out of every six and I
would bet that ad was a mailorder success! Here is an idea
worth remembering. Try 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 can be predicted in advance). The Astrology
magazines, in effect, have been creating a mailorder market for
this kind 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
about this new interest. If he had not studied his market, he
could never have discovered the NEED for a Bio-Rhythm computer!

ASTROLOGY (INFORMATION)

People who read Astrology magazines are very 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 been running successfully for years.
Back in 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 Future - $15.00

- Powerful Words to Be Recited Daily to End Your Money Worries
- $4.00

- How to Spiritually Heal Your Pets - $5.00

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

Can you create a WORTHWHILE manual for this market? (I predict
that the first dealer who writes a good manual on Bio-Rhythm
will make a fortune!) If you need ideas for manuals, study the
subjects being offered in the Astrology magazines. Remember --
the readers are interested in those subjects! In the issue 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"
"How to Make Your Dreams Pay Off"
"How Mercury Inspires Your Creativity"

A study of OLD Astrology magazines will provide you with a
wealth 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 LOVE TO BE ANALYZED AND COUNSELLED BY
PROFESSIONALS. Do you have specialized training in the art of
Horoscope Reading? If so, you can sell your services by mail.
Here are some of the headlines form ads offering such services:

- "Let an Expert Discuss YOUR Life!"

- "This Horoscope is about YOU"

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

- "Now there is a Horoscope written for the TWO OF YOU! . . .
One for you, one for your loved one! It could 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 least ten
years. Every year, the advertiser simply changes the dates!

Other services being offered 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 offer such services through the mail? Or are
you interested in receiving such training? (You will find many
such offers to train you in a newstand magazine called FATE.)
If you answer is Yes . . . this is where you should begin your
mailorder career.

HUNTERS (MERCHANDISE)

Here are a few merchandise offerings being made by enterprising
dealers:

Also offered:

- Gun cleaning cloths (10 for a dollar)

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

- ID Tags for Your Hunting Dogs

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

HUNTING (INFORMATION)

Frankly, I was amazed at the amount of Information Folios being
sold to Hunters. Here are some examples:

"How to Build Your Own Gun Cabinet"

"How to Build Box Traps - $1.00"

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

"Mount fish fo

Affiliate Programs - Great Way To Put Extra Dollars In Your Pocket
A banner or a text link on your website can generate hundred to million dollars for you! You don’t believe. You have to. Get an affiliate program signup for free and experience how your income double! Internet marketing is now affiliate marketing. It is the affiliate programs through which merchants are minting money. Become an affiliate marketer and start receiving hundreds of dollars monthly!An affiliate program is a marketing strategy that a trading site uses to promote its services and products. Trading site makes marketing agreements with other sites about which it feels that its target audience visits these sites. These affiliate sites then post banners and links of the merchant site. When the visitor of an affiliate site clicks a banner or link, it takes it to the original merchant site and the affiliate sites in returns get a fixed commission for it. Affiliates are paid either on per click, per impression, per lead, or per sale basis. However, pay per lead is most useful among all. In pay per lead, affiliate is paid if the visitor sent by him signs up for a free trial, e-mail list, or sales call.Affiliate programs are a great way to make your website profitable and to earn hundreds of dollars. It is a great business that does not involve product development and maintenance cost, client support cost, and order processing cost. So quite cost-effective business. The superb advantage of using affiliate programs is that they are free to join. You can run this business both as part-time or full-time.Affiliate program undoubtedly is a great money making technique. Choose an appropriate affiliate program, promote it properly and tactically, and get a handsome amount check monthly.

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 two other
publications. Either one will provide you with the information
you need. They are:

- THE STANDARD PERIODICAL DIRECTORY and
- ULTICH'S INTERNATIONAL PERIODICAL DIRECTORY

When you start receiving your sample copies, save them . . . and
save the advertising rate cards. They will be invaluable to you
in the future.

ANALYZING YOUR MARKET

- Merchandise
- Information
- Service

- A list of Astrological Merchandise for sale
- A list of Astrological Manuals (Information) for sale
- A list of Astrological services for sale.

As you read, watch for:

WHOLESALE SOURCES -- Watch for ads that say "Dealers Wanted"
(in more current issues, of course). Here may be the perfect
source of mailorder products for you.

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

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

ASTROLOGY (MERCHANDISE)

ASTROLOGY (INFORMATION)

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

- How the Maya Indians Foretold the Future - $15.00

- Powerful Words to Be Recited Daily to End Your Money Worries
- $4.00

- How to Spiritually Heal Your Pets - $5.00

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

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

A study of OLD Astrology magazines will provide you with a
wealth of subjects for New Mailorder Manuals (or folios).

ASTROLOGY (SERVICE)

- "Let an Expert Discuss YOUR Life!"

- "This Horoscope is about YOU"

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

- "Now there is a Horoscope written for the TWO OF YOU! . . .
One for you, one for your loved one! It could 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 least ten
years. Every year, the advertiser simply changes the dates!

Other services being offered 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

HUNTERS (MERCHANDISE)

Here are a few merchandise offerings being made by enterprising
dealers:

Also offered:

- Gun cleaning cloths (10 for a dollar)

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

- ID Tags for Your Hunting Dogs

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

HUNTING (INFORMATION)

Frankly, I was amazed at the amount of Information Folios being
sold to Hunters. Here are some examples:

"How to Build Your Own Gun Cabinet"

"How to Build Box Traps - $1.00"

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

"Mount fish f

Monetarizing Old Forgotten Websites to Prevent Littering Internet
There are so many old websites on the Internet where people no longer bother to upgrade them, yet if they were to be making money off these sites with AdSense or Click Ads then they might wish to continually upgrade them. Many believe that these older websites are littering the Internet with old information and are taking up key real estate on the Internet. In fact older websites get a better search ranking status often.The debate of whether one should take their old websites and monetarize them or not is one of pride often. Many website owners do not feel that adding click adds is professional and they feel it makes the websites look trashy and littered. Yet on the other side of the debate the folks say that old websites liter the Internet with trash and old websites.If an old website has good information on it and I will assume that the information you have on your older websites is in fact good information and interesting, then how can that be considered litter? Well I suppose it cannot be considered littering really. Indeed I find many AdSense websites with "good information" on them actually which look like litter.I find that some websites look stupid if the AdSense Ads are done wrong. That is to say in an unprofessional way you see? If you have older websites, as I have which rank high in the search engines then you should add AdSense, but do it in a professional way. Then use that money to upgrade your sites. Makes Sense right? Consider all this in 2006.

l order product.

WHOLESALE SOURCES -- Watch for ads that say "Dealers Wanted"
(in more current issues, of course). Here may be the perfect
source of mailorder products for you.

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

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

ASTROLOGY (MERCHANDISE)

ASTROLOGY (INFORMATION)

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

- How the Maya Indians Foretold the Future - $15.00

- Powerful Words to Be Recited Daily to End Your Money Worries
- $4.00

- How to Spiritually Heal Your Pets - $5.00

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

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

A study of OLD Astrology magazines will provide you with a
wealth of subjects for New Mailorder Manuals (or folios).

ASTROLOGY (SERVICE)

- "Let an Expert Discuss YOUR Life!"

- "This Horoscope is about YOU"

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

- "Now there is a Horoscope written for the TWO OF YOU! . . .
One for you, one for your loved one! It could 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 least ten
years. Every year, the advertiser simply changes the dates!

Other services being offered 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

HUNTERS (MERCHANDISE)

Here are a few merchandise offerings being made by enterprising
dealers:

Also offered:

- Gun cleaning cloths (10 for a dollar)

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

- ID Tags for Your Hunting Dogs

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

HUNTING (INFORMATION)

Frankly, I was amazed at the amount of Information Folios being
sold to Hunters. Here are some examples:

"How to Build Your Own Gun Cabinet"

"How to Build Box Traps - $1.00"

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

"Mount fish f

Ever Thought of Being a Virtual Assistant?
Are you a valuable, trustworthy office assistant or administrator? Are you successful at your job because you complete tasks in a way that makes your boss look good and feel better? Would you rather work for yourself and be in charge of your own time? Maybe you want to be at home when your kids arrive from school, or maybe you're just tired of commuting. Maybe you dream of living in the mountains or your rural hometown, but you still want to produce an income.Have you considered becoming a Virtual Assistant?What is a Virtual Assistant?A Virtual Assistant is a professional administrative assistant, who generally works from their own premises providing personal and office support services, such as general administrative tasks; making customer contacts; writing reports; editing documents; sending out marketing materials; handling thank-you notes, gifts and follow-up letters; setting up and maintaining databases; handling billing and bookkeeping; and creating and updating Web sites. Virtual Assistants also take on the tasks of personal assistance, such as appointment scheduling and event planning.A Virtual Assistant does not need to reside in the city of the company who is using her or his services. Because the VA and her / his clients work through the aid of technological advances, they stay in touch via email, phone, fax and instant message.Qualities to look for when searching for the ideal Virtual Assistant:The typical background to look for in a VA would include experience as an administrative or executive assistant, office manager or customer service rep. But because the kind of work VAs do varies, you also want to look for someone who has experience in doing the specific tasks you need help with.Virtual Assistants usually charge a higher hourly or daily rate than other office-support professionals because they often do more complex tasks. Expect to pay $30 to $45 per hour or more for more specialized assistance such as medical and legal transcription.

effect, have been creating a mailorder market for
this kind 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
about this new interest. If he had not studied his market, he
could never have discovered the NEED for a Bio-Rhythm computer!

ASTROLOGY (INFORMATION)

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

- How the Maya Indians Foretold the Future - $15.00

- Powerful Words to Be Recited Daily to End Your Money Worries
- $4.00

- How to Spiritually Heal Your Pets - $5.00

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

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

A study of OLD Astrology magazines will provide you with a
wealth of subjects for New Mailorder Manuals (or folios).

ASTROLOGY (SERVICE)

- "Let an Expert Discuss YOUR Life!"

- "This Horoscope is about YOU"

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

- "Now there is a Horoscope written for the TWO OF YOU! . . .
One for you, one for your loved one! It could 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 least ten
years. Every year, the advertiser simply changes the dates!

Other services being offered 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

HUNTERS (MERCHANDISE)

Here are a few merchandise offerings being made by enterprising
dealers:

Also offered:

- Gun cleaning cloths (10 for a dollar)

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

- ID Tags for Your Hunting Dogs

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

HUNTING (INFORMATION)

Frankly, I was amazed at the amount of Information Folios being
sold to Hunters. Here are some examples:

"How to Build Your Own Gun Cabinet"

"How to Build Box Traps - $1.00"

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

"Mount fish f

Finding an Apartment: Length of Lease
So you're moving to a new city for a career change, or leaving that dorm room in the dust. You've decided you want to live an apartment. We're going to offer you step by step advice from getting you from your current state: wanting an apartment, but not having one, to having the place that fits you just right in terms of budget, location, and amenities.Location is not firstMost people think of the phrase Location, Location, Location when they first start looking for apartments. The location of your apartment is indeed important, very important in fact, however, it is not the first thing you should think of when you start your search.Why? What could be more important than the location?Length of LeaseThis is actually the most important part at the beginning of your apartment search: the length of lease you are targeting and comfortable with.You may find that perfect flat downtown with an amazing view and close parking. But if the lease is not a fit for you -- perhaps they want to lock you in on an 18 month lease with huge security deposits -- then you've wasted your time.Sit down and think about the lease you want. Are you in town for a summer internship only? 3 months should be what you are targeting. Are you settling in the area and looking long term? Then maybe that 18 month lease with huge deposits is not so bad.Don't waste your time driving around town if you don't know what lease you want for your apartment. Pick your apartments that you look at based on the leases they offer. If they fit into your range, then you can move forward.Be sure to check back as we continue the series over at FindRentals.net!

. . . this is where you should begin your
mailorder career.

HUNTERS (MERCHANDISE)

Here are a few merchandise offerings being made by enterprising
dealers:

Also offered:

- Gun cleaning cloths (10 for a dollar)

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

- ID Tags for Your Hunting Dogs

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

HUNTING (INFORMATION)

Frankly, I was amazed at the amount of Information Folios being
sold to Hunters. Here are some examples:

"How to Build Your Own Gun Cabinet"

"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 Own Hides - Hair on or off - Complete, easy 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? Can you tell
him how to shoot ducks? Or how to hunt buffalo? . . . Or what
to do for snake bites? . . . Or how to sign up for a Big Game
Safari in the wilds of Africa? If you can, write a good 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 if you can
teach his hunting dog how to chase a bear up a tree, then he
will probably pay you for your services. Can you repair his
gun? Or can you stuff and mount his catches? If so, you can
build 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 if you have
done well in creative writing classes) you might decide to build
a mail order business catering to the needs of hundreds of
thousands of persons who dream of becoming professional writers.
here are some of the merchandise offerings being made to
writers:

- "Copyright and Related Laws for Writers"

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

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

- "Gagwriters Guide"

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

- "Make Money Writing Fillers! Up-to-Date Filler Directory."

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

If 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 will have CREATED a new mailorder
product! (To get ideas for subjects of interest to writers,
study the articles in such publications as the Writers Digest,
The Writer, Saturday Review, etc.)

WRITERS -- (SERVICE)

Some of the largest mailorder business in the world sell
correspondence courses teaching people how to write for a
living. There are also a dozen or more large printing companies
(called "Vanity Publishers" in the trade) whose sole business is
printing books for authors, whose works have been rejected by
the regular publishing houses.

If you are a serious literary person, with a gift for writing,
you could very possibly establish a business offering your
services to writers. Here are some of the services which were
being offered 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
such a service.)
- Manuscript Typing

Are you qualified to offer any of these services by mail? If
you are, you have found a service to sell by mail! If you are
not now qualified, why not acquire professional training . . .
and then offer your services by mail?

IN CONCLUSION

I realize that I have just touched the surface of three
different mail order markets. There are hundreds of other mail
order markets for you to explore! Analyze yourself and then
select the market that is best for you.

Study your market thoroughly . . . AND NEVER STOP STUDYING IT.
Most successful mailorder people read dozens of magazines every
month. They KNOW what their customers are thinking about, what
they need, and what they will buy.

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

In the beginning of this manual, I asked you to write to every
magazine in your chosen field. Subscribe to as many as possible.
When 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 unless you can run it in
three consecutive issues. Then CONTINUE running it for as long
as it continues to produce new customers for you. Slowly add
new (but related) items to your line. Whenever possible, expand
your business by inserting your ads in new publications.

Remember these simple guidelines:

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

- CREATE SOMETHING NEW AND EXCITING!

- CREATE SOMETHING USEFUL AND WORTHWHILE!

- CREATE SOMETHING YOU YOURSELF WOULD WANT TO BUY!

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

This article has been viewed 1703 time(s).
Article Submitted On: September 27, 2004

Tags

Links

Member You - How to Create Your Own Mail Order Products

Related Articles: