There’s good news for entrepreneurs who need help but aren’t ready to hire full-time employees. Between January and July 2004, the ranks of part-time workers grew from 24.3 million to 25.5 million according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It was also learned that from June to July the increase came from people who wanted to work part-time and not because they couldn’t find full-time employment.
It seems that 1.7 million part-timers hold two or more part-time jobs, and do this by choice. Such workers will be harder to convert to full-time employees because they like the diversity of different jobs.
This all translates into benefits for the entrepreneur who needs help but can’t hire full-time employees. The employment gurus don’t expect this part-time preference to pass anytime soon. It seems that the appeal of a reduced schedule is strong both for seniors and baby boomers nearing retirement. Parents who have interrupted careers to care for their children but still want to work may also explain the boom.
Entrepreneurs should eagerly look to this pool of workers and eagerly employ part-time help. A big reason is that employer-paid health insurance and other benefits add costs equal to more than 50 percent of the average employee’s gross earnings. A part-time employer can get by with a low-cost factor, and still find somebody reliable and efficient.
Looking at the boom of part-timers seems like a win-win situation for entrepreneurs and workers alike. Check the prospect out with your accountant and you may find that you come out a winner and less stressed.
To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve Whitehead just go and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
HAVE 5,000 PEOPLE MARKET YOUR PRODUCT IN 30 DAYS
An excellent source for distributing your merchandise is by
"independent salesman".
There are individuals who sell on their own and are always on the
look out for good items to carry along with their regular
merchandise.
The best way to contact them is through magazines such as;
Making Profits
6255 Barfield RD.
Atlanta, GA 30328
or
Money Making Opportunities
11071 Ventura Blvd.
Studio City, CA 91604
Insert a good ad in the Classified Section of one of these
publications, for example; "brand new opportunity! Independent
salesman wanted nationwide. For information, contact (your name
and address). You will find yourself receiving thousand of
replies and you can be sure these independent salesman will do a
terrific job of selling for you, as they make money on
commissions only.
Another way is to contact "Wagon Jobbers"
A wagon jobbers is someone who takes any number of products from
different jobbers or manufactures, puts them in the truck or
station wagon and travel along his "route" selling to people whom
he knows will buy from him because they are his customers.
They are excellent salesman, and when given a decent commission,
can do a terrific job of selling your products.
The best way to contact them is to rent a "wagon Jobber" mailing
list from a mailing broker, and then write a detailed letter
describing the product you want to sell and what kind of
financial arrangement or commissions you are offering.
The more people you get to sell, the larger your profits will be.
To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve Whitehead just go and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.
"independent salesman".
There are individuals who sell on their own and are always on the
look out for good items to carry along with their regular
merchandise.
The best way to contact them is through magazines such as;
Making Profits
6255 Barfield RD.
Atlanta, GA 30328
or
Money Making Opportunities
11071 Ventura Blvd.
Studio City, CA 91604
Insert a good ad in the Classified Section of one of these
publications, for example; "brand new opportunity! Independent
salesman wanted nationwide. For information, contact (your name
and address). You will find yourself receiving thousand of
replies and you can be sure these independent salesman will do a
terrific job of selling for you, as they make money on
commissions only.
Another way is to contact "Wagon Jobbers"
A wagon jobbers is someone who takes any number of products from
different jobbers or manufactures, puts them in the truck or
station wagon and travel along his "route" selling to people whom
he knows will buy from him because they are his customers.
They are excellent salesman, and when given a decent commission,
can do a terrific job of selling your products.
The best way to contact them is to rent a "wagon Jobber" mailing
list from a mailing broker, and then write a detailed letter
describing the product you want to sell and what kind of
financial arrangement or commissions you are offering.
The more people you get to sell, the larger your profits will be.
To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve Whitehead just go and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Hang On To Top Employees
The best way to keep your top employees is to know them better than they know themselves. Use this knowledge to create the career of their dreams, and they’ll stick to your company like glue. The new “biz-speak” for this is called Job Sculpting.
The concept of Job Sculpting as defined by career experts, Timothy Butler and James Waldroop, in the Harvard Business Review, is that good people will stay only in jobs that “fit their deeply embedded life interests---that is their long-held emotionally driven passions.”
To adopt this strategy, spend a lot of effort listening to your company stars. For each one of them, try to identify what life interests are dominant with them, and then offer them the assignments that satisfy this interest. It may mean simply adding another assignment to the existing responsibilities, or it may mean switching one set of tasks to another employee. It may even require moving your “star” employee to a different position altogether.
To learn what kind of interests you’re looking and listening for, use these 8 identifiable areas:
Application of technology.
Quantitative analysis ability.
Theory development and conceptual thinking.
Creative production.
Counseling and mentoring.
Managing people and relationships.
Enterprise control.
Influence through language and ideas.
If you have a top employee who has been working in the area of customer service, but lately seems dissatisfied, after talking with him/her you might learn they would rather be dealing with the vendors. Your star might be just the answer you’re looking for to find that latest innovative product that could be added to your stock (conceptual thinking), and employee B would rather interact with the customers. By a simple switch of responsibilities, you have two happy employees that feel they’re now contributing to your business and not just putting in time for a paycheck.
It’s always more cost effective for the business, and better for employee morale to keep your existing employees happy with their careers. It takes a toll on your business when you have to fill an empty employee spot with a newcomer who has to be trained in the way your company functions.
Time is money, and time used to train a brand new employee is the highest cost of doing business. However, the time spent by you to find out what will keep your top producers happy to be working for you – is the best investment you can make in your business.
To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve Whitehead just go and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.
The concept of Job Sculpting as defined by career experts, Timothy Butler and James Waldroop, in the Harvard Business Review, is that good people will stay only in jobs that “fit their deeply embedded life interests---that is their long-held emotionally driven passions.”
To adopt this strategy, spend a lot of effort listening to your company stars. For each one of them, try to identify what life interests are dominant with them, and then offer them the assignments that satisfy this interest. It may mean simply adding another assignment to the existing responsibilities, or it may mean switching one set of tasks to another employee. It may even require moving your “star” employee to a different position altogether.
To learn what kind of interests you’re looking and listening for, use these 8 identifiable areas:
Application of technology.
Quantitative analysis ability.
Theory development and conceptual thinking.
Creative production.
Counseling and mentoring.
Managing people and relationships.
Enterprise control.
Influence through language and ideas.
If you have a top employee who has been working in the area of customer service, but lately seems dissatisfied, after talking with him/her you might learn they would rather be dealing with the vendors. Your star might be just the answer you’re looking for to find that latest innovative product that could be added to your stock (conceptual thinking), and employee B would rather interact with the customers. By a simple switch of responsibilities, you have two happy employees that feel they’re now contributing to your business and not just putting in time for a paycheck.
It’s always more cost effective for the business, and better for employee morale to keep your existing employees happy with their careers. It takes a toll on your business when you have to fill an empty employee spot with a newcomer who has to be trained in the way your company functions.
Time is money, and time used to train a brand new employee is the highest cost of doing business. However, the time spent by you to find out what will keep your top producers happy to be working for you – is the best investment you can make in your business.
To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve Whitehead just go and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Go For The Gold!
Perhaps you’ve planned it from the beginning, or maybe you’ve taken years to decide. Somewhere down the line will come the time to sell your business, and you want to make sure you come out on top.
“I sold my business” is a magical phrase for entrepreneurs. It conjures up of pictures of wealth, leisure and exciting new challenges. For many entrepreneurs, it’s the goal from day one.
“Selling might not be everyone’s objective when they’re starting out, but it should be” says Ned Minor. Mr. Minor is a transaction attorney in Denver, and the author of “Deciding to Sell Your Business: The Key to Wealth and Freedom.” It seems eventually, every business owner leaves their business either sitting down at a deal table or feet first on a stretcher.
The idea of working until your last breath is not uppermost in our minds when we start out on that exciting roller coaster ride known as “entrepreneurship.” But if you aren’t already planning a more graceful exit, you may come out on the short end of the stick.
When starting a business we’re usually so busy with the details involved in making it an eventual success that selling out is the furthest thing from our minds. But the day you start building should be the day you should start designing your exit. It should be the ultimate goal of your success.
Many entrepreneurs are successive business builders. The fact that they sell one business doesn’t mean retirement for them, it just means the opportunity to start another business that has been lurking in the back of their minds. In fact many entrepreneurs enjoy the building up of a business almost more than the profitable success it becomes.
What does a saleable business look like? It’s saleable if it’s “scalable” says Minor. There are small-and-steady businesses sold every day, but the big bucks come looking for a business that has huge growth potential. Every buyer thinks that he/she is smarter than the seller, and that they can double or triple the present business it’s doing. A business will fetch the best price only when buyers believe they can take advantage of significant future growth potential.
Selling a company’s future upside however, means proving your previous growth and validating your future growth strategy. You should start with 2 years of audited financials to backup the historical growth. Then be prepared to explain your business strategy and how it fits into the overall market. Be it through acquisitions that you’ve grown, then show how many more acquisition targets are still in the market. If through new product development, be prepared to give the details of your R&D pipeline and your ideas for future products.
Now as for buyers, there are two types. There are “financial buyers” who will typically pay a lower price because they have a fire-sale mentality. You need to find the strategic buyers out there, and paint a picture for them. Show them a great customer relationship, a great piece of intellectual property, an advantage in time to market, or a key employee. Show the strategic buyer how one plus one equals three.
Then again, why settle for just one buyer when you could have two? Having another buyer in the wings is a vital strategy in the sale process. Having a strong and visible alternative makes any acquirer sit up and take notice. There needs to be tension to the deal. Each side wants the other to think that they’re about to walk away; it’s the tension that gets the deal closed.
The best buyers are large, high-flying public companies with broad, strategic agendas and cash to spare. Selling to a public company also has other advantages and tangible benefits. Many transactions leave the seller with a fistful of stock, or worse, a long-term payout. A publicly traded acquirer makes an eventual cash payout more assured. Be sure to make your business sale more than a sale of your personal network and capabilities. Make it look like it’s worth the asking price, especially if you’re planning to leave after the sale.
Build a strong management team that can carry on when you’re gone. A team with clear policies and procedures, and a broad customer base which are the underpinnings of value. Your business should not just run without you, but be positioned to grow without you. Make sure your key employees are given incentives to stay on after you go, and make sure you communicate with them during negotiations. It’s crucial to minimize disruption.
The sale of a business is complex. If you’ve been in business for 10 years, then it has 10 years of potential liabilities, lawsuits, and bad accounting. Buyers want to know exactly where the business stands, so extreme diligence and complete disclosure on your part is essential. Sometimes what the buyer requests during negotiations is mind-boggling and you should hire some outside help to put it all together.
Getting the deal closed takes the talents of several people, and here’s a list of who you’re likely to meet on your way to closing.
On the Buyer’s Side:
CEO: The chief executive needs a vision of how the new company will fit into the existing organization.
CFO: This is the detail person, and a professional skeptic. In the long-term view, he/she will take the heat if reality doesn’t live up to expectations.
CPA: The buyer’s CPA (or accounting firm) will validate the seller’s numbers. Don’t be surprised if the CPA doesn’t argue for a lower purchase price based on historical profits. These are the “bean counters” of the deal.
On The Seller’s Side:
Investment Banker: He/she is a professional “quarterback” keeping both teams moving toward the goal. He keeps one eye on the sale price, and the other on the strategic best interests of the business owner.
Transaction Attorney: He’s the referee – there to make sure no one gets hurt. The transaction attorney’s focus is the sale contract, but he/she can also handle communication with the buyer.
CPA: The seller’s CPA should be advising the seller on the personal tax consequences of the deal, and how to handle the after-tax proceeds.
And you thought it was going to be easier to sell it than to start it, didn’t you? Remember, no deal is a sure thing until it’s done! Perhaps the only sure thing is that selling a business is never simple. It can be the most harrowing, and the most rewarding experience in the life of an entrepreneur. Take it slowly, with planning, strategy and guidance. Each step of the process can add value to the company, and get you closer to the finish line.
To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve Whitehead just go and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.
“I sold my business” is a magical phrase for entrepreneurs. It conjures up of pictures of wealth, leisure and exciting new challenges. For many entrepreneurs, it’s the goal from day one.
“Selling might not be everyone’s objective when they’re starting out, but it should be” says Ned Minor. Mr. Minor is a transaction attorney in Denver, and the author of “Deciding to Sell Your Business: The Key to Wealth and Freedom.” It seems eventually, every business owner leaves their business either sitting down at a deal table or feet first on a stretcher.
The idea of working until your last breath is not uppermost in our minds when we start out on that exciting roller coaster ride known as “entrepreneurship.” But if you aren’t already planning a more graceful exit, you may come out on the short end of the stick.
When starting a business we’re usually so busy with the details involved in making it an eventual success that selling out is the furthest thing from our minds. But the day you start building should be the day you should start designing your exit. It should be the ultimate goal of your success.
Many entrepreneurs are successive business builders. The fact that they sell one business doesn’t mean retirement for them, it just means the opportunity to start another business that has been lurking in the back of their minds. In fact many entrepreneurs enjoy the building up of a business almost more than the profitable success it becomes.
What does a saleable business look like? It’s saleable if it’s “scalable” says Minor. There are small-and-steady businesses sold every day, but the big bucks come looking for a business that has huge growth potential. Every buyer thinks that he/she is smarter than the seller, and that they can double or triple the present business it’s doing. A business will fetch the best price only when buyers believe they can take advantage of significant future growth potential.
Selling a company’s future upside however, means proving your previous growth and validating your future growth strategy. You should start with 2 years of audited financials to backup the historical growth. Then be prepared to explain your business strategy and how it fits into the overall market. Be it through acquisitions that you’ve grown, then show how many more acquisition targets are still in the market. If through new product development, be prepared to give the details of your R&D pipeline and your ideas for future products.
Now as for buyers, there are two types. There are “financial buyers” who will typically pay a lower price because they have a fire-sale mentality. You need to find the strategic buyers out there, and paint a picture for them. Show them a great customer relationship, a great piece of intellectual property, an advantage in time to market, or a key employee. Show the strategic buyer how one plus one equals three.
Then again, why settle for just one buyer when you could have two? Having another buyer in the wings is a vital strategy in the sale process. Having a strong and visible alternative makes any acquirer sit up and take notice. There needs to be tension to the deal. Each side wants the other to think that they’re about to walk away; it’s the tension that gets the deal closed.
The best buyers are large, high-flying public companies with broad, strategic agendas and cash to spare. Selling to a public company also has other advantages and tangible benefits. Many transactions leave the seller with a fistful of stock, or worse, a long-term payout. A publicly traded acquirer makes an eventual cash payout more assured. Be sure to make your business sale more than a sale of your personal network and capabilities. Make it look like it’s worth the asking price, especially if you’re planning to leave after the sale.
Build a strong management team that can carry on when you’re gone. A team with clear policies and procedures, and a broad customer base which are the underpinnings of value. Your business should not just run without you, but be positioned to grow without you. Make sure your key employees are given incentives to stay on after you go, and make sure you communicate with them during negotiations. It’s crucial to minimize disruption.
The sale of a business is complex. If you’ve been in business for 10 years, then it has 10 years of potential liabilities, lawsuits, and bad accounting. Buyers want to know exactly where the business stands, so extreme diligence and complete disclosure on your part is essential. Sometimes what the buyer requests during negotiations is mind-boggling and you should hire some outside help to put it all together.
Getting the deal closed takes the talents of several people, and here’s a list of who you’re likely to meet on your way to closing.
On the Buyer’s Side:
CEO: The chief executive needs a vision of how the new company will fit into the existing organization.
CFO: This is the detail person, and a professional skeptic. In the long-term view, he/she will take the heat if reality doesn’t live up to expectations.
CPA: The buyer’s CPA (or accounting firm) will validate the seller’s numbers. Don’t be surprised if the CPA doesn’t argue for a lower purchase price based on historical profits. These are the “bean counters” of the deal.
On The Seller’s Side:
Investment Banker: He/she is a professional “quarterback” keeping both teams moving toward the goal. He keeps one eye on the sale price, and the other on the strategic best interests of the business owner.
Transaction Attorney: He’s the referee – there to make sure no one gets hurt. The transaction attorney’s focus is the sale contract, but he/she can also handle communication with the buyer.
CPA: The seller’s CPA should be advising the seller on the personal tax consequences of the deal, and how to handle the after-tax proceeds.
And you thought it was going to be easier to sell it than to start it, didn’t you? Remember, no deal is a sure thing until it’s done! Perhaps the only sure thing is that selling a business is never simple. It can be the most harrowing, and the most rewarding experience in the life of an entrepreneur. Take it slowly, with planning, strategy and guidance. Each step of the process can add value to the company, and get you closer to the finish line.
To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve Whitehead just go and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.
Monday, May 5, 2008
GETTING YOUR ARTICLES PUBLISHED
Test Your Idea:
To lead to a sale, your query must convince the editor that you have a clear idea of what you plan to cover in the article, and what approach you ‘re going to take.
So before writing the letter, think your article idea through carefully, and picture yourself describing the article to a friend.
Find Your Angle:
Finding your angle is often a matter of narrowing your topic. A topic like “Sports” is far too general, narrow it to say, “Table Tennis” is better. Often, reducing the story to a single dimension e.g., focus on a key person, place, or event – gives a salable angle.
When your subject is popular, you must give the editor a fresh approach. One way is to take an idea like “Overcoming Failure” and give it a twist to something like “Failure Can Be Good for You.” It needn’t be exotic to sell, something as mundane as “New and Improved” has worked by adding a new ingredient to the usual.
Research Helps:
While many queries can be written entirely from your own knowledge, a little research can pay big dividends by seducing the editor. Facts sell editors on an idea. Editors look for queries with many specifics: Don’t just write that “Last year millions of people suffered from yeast infections.” Tell how many millions – and why!
Research both the topic and the markets you’re aiming it at. A common reason for rejection is because of inadequate knowledge of the magazine.
Shaping Your Raw Material:
After you have the basics:
the idea
the slant/facts, and
the market
then you’re ready to write your query. A good query starts strong, and never lets up until the editor is sold. Follow the two newspaper dictums; The five W’s (who, what, where, when, why) which explains the story immediately, and “the inverted pyramid” which emphasized putting the most interesting information first. You’ll lose the editor’s interest if you save the best for last, and always remember EDITOR’S CUT FROM THE BOTTOM UP!
3 Main Sections to a Query:
The Lead Paragraph
The Summary
The Author’s Bio.
Each has a specific purpose: first, tell the editor what the story is, then why she/he should buy it, and finally who is going to write it.
The Lead – is aimed to hook the editor and make them want to continue reading.
Once you’ve aroused the editor’s attention, move directly to a summary of the article.
Summary - This section should convince the editor that you know where you want to go with the article; it should outline the points you plan to cover or provide factual information about your topic – giving only enough to prove that your story is real. Here you can mention your sources. Tell the editor who’ll you’ll be talking to, and if experts are they on the cutting edge of today’s technology. Also include here a working title for the article. Don’t spend a lot of time trying to get a provocative headline, because titles are often changed by the editor before publication.
Author’s Bio – is where you sell yourself as a writer to the editor now that you’ve sold him/her on the idea. Don’t be bashful; editors expect a bit of sell in the bio. There’s nothing wrong with saying, “I’m highly qualified to write this article because…” if a convincing reason follows. Start your bio with your publishing credits, and include magazines similar to the one you’re pitching if you can.
To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve Whitehead just go and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.
To lead to a sale, your query must convince the editor that you have a clear idea of what you plan to cover in the article, and what approach you ‘re going to take.
So before writing the letter, think your article idea through carefully, and picture yourself describing the article to a friend.
Find Your Angle:
Finding your angle is often a matter of narrowing your topic. A topic like “Sports” is far too general, narrow it to say, “Table Tennis” is better. Often, reducing the story to a single dimension e.g., focus on a key person, place, or event – gives a salable angle.
When your subject is popular, you must give the editor a fresh approach. One way is to take an idea like “Overcoming Failure” and give it a twist to something like “Failure Can Be Good for You.” It needn’t be exotic to sell, something as mundane as “New and Improved” has worked by adding a new ingredient to the usual.
Research Helps:
While many queries can be written entirely from your own knowledge, a little research can pay big dividends by seducing the editor. Facts sell editors on an idea. Editors look for queries with many specifics: Don’t just write that “Last year millions of people suffered from yeast infections.” Tell how many millions – and why!
Research both the topic and the markets you’re aiming it at. A common reason for rejection is because of inadequate knowledge of the magazine.
Shaping Your Raw Material:
After you have the basics:
the idea
the slant/facts, and
the market
then you’re ready to write your query. A good query starts strong, and never lets up until the editor is sold. Follow the two newspaper dictums; The five W’s (who, what, where, when, why) which explains the story immediately, and “the inverted pyramid” which emphasized putting the most interesting information first. You’ll lose the editor’s interest if you save the best for last, and always remember EDITOR’S CUT FROM THE BOTTOM UP!
3 Main Sections to a Query:
The Lead Paragraph
The Summary
The Author’s Bio.
Each has a specific purpose: first, tell the editor what the story is, then why she/he should buy it, and finally who is going to write it.
The Lead – is aimed to hook the editor and make them want to continue reading.
Once you’ve aroused the editor’s attention, move directly to a summary of the article.
Summary - This section should convince the editor that you know where you want to go with the article; it should outline the points you plan to cover or provide factual information about your topic – giving only enough to prove that your story is real. Here you can mention your sources. Tell the editor who’ll you’ll be talking to, and if experts are they on the cutting edge of today’s technology. Also include here a working title for the article. Don’t spend a lot of time trying to get a provocative headline, because titles are often changed by the editor before publication.
Author’s Bio – is where you sell yourself as a writer to the editor now that you’ve sold him/her on the idea. Don’t be bashful; editors expect a bit of sell in the bio. There’s nothing wrong with saying, “I’m highly qualified to write this article because…” if a convincing reason follows. Start your bio with your publishing credits, and include magazines similar to the one you’re pitching if you can.
To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve Whitehead just go and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.
Friday, May 2, 2008
GET YOUR PRODUCT LISTED
An average mailing by a small, one person mail order company is
generally about a thousand pieces, and many such operators
rarely mail more than a hundred pieces per week. If you know
your conversion statistics, you know that the order return on
mailings is about 1% to 2% when using a rented list of names, up
to 5% or more when mailing to your own customer list.
Using those figures, the response rate would be about 2 orders
from a mailing of 100 when using a cold list, and about 5 to 10
orders when mailing to your own customer list for each 100
pieces mailed.
Contrast this to a major catalog mailing house such as Miles
Kimball, Hanover House, Lillian Vernon, Johnson-Smith or L.L.
Bean, each of whom might consider a mailing of six million
pieces a month or every few months.
Keep in mind that these are catalog merchandisers - mass
mailers, not manufacturers. Not publishers. Mailers!
They BUY what they sell from somebody. It could be from you!
WHAT ARE THEY LOOKING FOR?
Catalog houses are owned and operated by extremely sharp people
and they are highly selective in the products they choose for
inclusion in their catalogs, so to even be considered, your
product must pass some pretty rigid tests:
1. Since some catalog companies specialize in a certain type of
merchandise, they will choose only what they think their
customers will buy.
2. Virtually all of them will want to test-market a product
(possibly only a hundred or so) before making a complete catalog
mailing. If the test shows promise, they will purchase a large
quantity (1,000 to 5,000 or more) for their roll-out mailings...
and continue to purchase such quantities as long as the product
continues to sell.
3. Catalog mailers want to deal as close to the original source
as possible, such as inventor, the patent owner, copyright
holder, manufacturer or publisher. The reason for this is simply
that these are people who can offer them the largest discount on
quantity purchases. If you are merely one of many dealers who
had to purchase the product from a wholesaler who purchased from
a distributor, who purchased the product from the manufacturer,
you would not be in a position to offer the lowest price to the
catalog company.
4. The item in question should be new and unique, not something
that's been around for years. Naturally, it should be a good
mail order item.
HOW YOU CAN QUALIFY FOR ACCEPTANCE
First and foremost, you must look and act the part of an
established, professionally operated business. This means you
must have printed stationery with a company name that coincides
with the products you are offering, and all correspondence must
be typewritten.
If that seems trite and elementary, you would be surprised to
see how many companies receive scribbled hand written notes on
ruled paper with wording such as "I would like you to include my
product in your catalog." Sorry, it just doesn't work like that.
Even if you are not the actual inventor or manufacturer of the
product you are selling, you can qualify to have it included in
a large mailers' catalog where everyone can profit from it.
Imports are very popular catalog sellers, for instance, so if
you locate a new item from overseas, you can arrange to become
the U.S. distributor. Yes, it means a sizable investment for
stocking inventory, but if you have faith in what you plan to
sell, it should be worth investing in.
Before offering it to any catalog mailer, however, it would be
in your best interest to test-market the item yourself. You
certainly don't want to offer a "loser" to a major catalog
mailer. You'll want to be sure this is something that will sell,
so everybody is happy with the deal. Perhaps even more
importantly, it will bond your relationship with the catalog
companies and they will be eager to do business with you the
next time you come up with a new product.
PRICING YOUR PRODUCT
This is crucial. A price that's too high means it will not be
accepted; priced too low and you will not make a profit - no
matter how many are sold.
Keep in mind that some catalog mailers specialize in low priced
($10 or less) items, while others have geared their sales to the
higher bracket of $50 or more. When making a list of catalog
houses to approach, check their catalogs for prices of their
current merchandise.
There are three basic levels of retail prices:
1. The pre-established price by owner or manufacturer
2. Actual dollar value based on production costs
3. Perceived value by prospective buyers
If you are not the primary source for your product, the
manufacturer may have already set the retail price along with
distributor and wholesale discounts, so you will have to work
those figures in any deals made with catalog companies.
Assuming you have pricing control (granted by the original
source, or you are the originator) you can set the retail price
according to the production costs which can be a 5-to-1 or 10-1
ratio. If the item costs $1 to make, you can set a retail price
of $5 or $10 on it, depending on what you think it is worth to
the consumer.
SIMPLIFY YOUR PRICE STRUCTURE TO COMPANIES
The most common price structures are usually set in various
quantities like dozen or gross; or, 100, 500, 1,000, etc. Don't
use these price structures when trying to interest catalog
companies in your product. Right from the start, give them your
rock bottom lowest possible price.
For examples, if your usual prices are:
100 @ $4.50; 500 @ $3.75; 1000 @ $2.75 and 5,000 @ $1.95
give them your 5,000 quantity price no matter how many they
order for their original test. Even if they only want 100 for
testing, give them your $1.95 price - but be sure to tell them
this is your lowest price that is for regular 5,000 quantity
purchases, so they know they're getting the good deal.
TIME TO CREATE YOUR PROMOTIONAL PACKAGE
Company buyers are busy people, so you'll want to make your
presentation quickly, clearly, and distinctly, eliminating all
fluff and extraneous material or wording that might tend to bog
things down.
Here's what you'll need:
Descriptive folder or flyer about the product (Information sheet)
Glossy photo of the product
Possible advertising copy (although they will probably re-write
it)
Terms of your sale, including freight charges
Brief cover letter
(Optional) Sample of your product IF it is small, light weight,
inexpensive, and if you think it will impress the company.
Send this mailing package via First Class Mail!
How many of these promotional packages should you mail? Only you
can answer that question, but here's a tip: Don't expect only 10
or 12 to produce much response for your product. It might
require 50 to 100 or even 500 such mailings before you begin to
see worthwhile results. Of course, a lot depends on the product
itself and whether it is for the general public or restricted to
a more selective audience.
Whenever possible, try to determine what type of merchandise
each catalog house offers before sending them your offer. If
they cater only to men and your product will be used primarily
by women, why waste time and money? The same would apply to a
low priced item such as $5 offered to a catalog house whose
clientele happened to be sophisticated or wealthy people
accustomed to buying merchandise in the hundreds of dollars.
Match your product with the catalog company's line as closely as
possible.
HANDLING THE BUSINESS
If your product is a good one and if you have made a good
impression in your promotional materials, sooner or later you
will get an order for a trial quantity.
Fill the order promptly. Use sturdy boxes and have your own
shipping label (printed with your company name & address) on
each carton, typing the catalog company's name and address with
the customer's shipping number above the name.
SELLING ON CREDIT
Unlike the conventional mail order business, selling to catalog
houses is not a cash-with-order type of operation. It's
conducted on credit, so you'll need invoices to send to your
customer after shipment has been made. There are a few
variations of credit terms, but the best for you will be
"Payment due EOM or 2% discount within 10 days. "EOM" means end
of the month following the date of shipment.
Use your best judgment whether you will ship prepaid or bill
your customer for the shipping charges.
HERE'S A FINAL TIP
If you can get some free publicity for your product along the
way, it can help you reach catalog houses in addition to
bringing you additional sales.
Check magazines that are read by the type of people who will use
your product and look for departments such as "New Products."
Many magazines carry such a department under different titles.
Send a publicity package to the editors which will include the
glossy photo of your product, News Release that tells who will
be interested in the product and why, and a brief cover letter.
If you get a few magazines to accept your offer, they will give
you a mention in their New Products department. This will in
turn bring you a few or a few hundred orders, depending on the
circulation of the magazines and how much demand there might be
for your product.
More importantly, it can link you up with some catalog houses.
They often scan magazines looking for new products to be
featured in their catalogs. Thus, instead of you contacting
them... they will contact you.
The end result is that it can bring you many retail orders as
well as attract a few catalog house buyers who will ultimately
sell your product in their catalogs.
If each catalog house mails 10 million catalogs a year, and your
product is featured inside, I shouldn't have to tell you how
many products can be sold this way. Better stock up now!.
To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve Whitehead just go and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.
generally about a thousand pieces, and many such operators
rarely mail more than a hundred pieces per week. If you know
your conversion statistics, you know that the order return on
mailings is about 1% to 2% when using a rented list of names, up
to 5% or more when mailing to your own customer list.
Using those figures, the response rate would be about 2 orders
from a mailing of 100 when using a cold list, and about 5 to 10
orders when mailing to your own customer list for each 100
pieces mailed.
Contrast this to a major catalog mailing house such as Miles
Kimball, Hanover House, Lillian Vernon, Johnson-Smith or L.L.
Bean, each of whom might consider a mailing of six million
pieces a month or every few months.
Keep in mind that these are catalog merchandisers - mass
mailers, not manufacturers. Not publishers. Mailers!
They BUY what they sell from somebody. It could be from you!
WHAT ARE THEY LOOKING FOR?
Catalog houses are owned and operated by extremely sharp people
and they are highly selective in the products they choose for
inclusion in their catalogs, so to even be considered, your
product must pass some pretty rigid tests:
1. Since some catalog companies specialize in a certain type of
merchandise, they will choose only what they think their
customers will buy.
2. Virtually all of them will want to test-market a product
(possibly only a hundred or so) before making a complete catalog
mailing. If the test shows promise, they will purchase a large
quantity (1,000 to 5,000 or more) for their roll-out mailings...
and continue to purchase such quantities as long as the product
continues to sell.
3. Catalog mailers want to deal as close to the original source
as possible, such as inventor, the patent owner, copyright
holder, manufacturer or publisher. The reason for this is simply
that these are people who can offer them the largest discount on
quantity purchases. If you are merely one of many dealers who
had to purchase the product from a wholesaler who purchased from
a distributor, who purchased the product from the manufacturer,
you would not be in a position to offer the lowest price to the
catalog company.
4. The item in question should be new and unique, not something
that's been around for years. Naturally, it should be a good
mail order item.
HOW YOU CAN QUALIFY FOR ACCEPTANCE
First and foremost, you must look and act the part of an
established, professionally operated business. This means you
must have printed stationery with a company name that coincides
with the products you are offering, and all correspondence must
be typewritten.
If that seems trite and elementary, you would be surprised to
see how many companies receive scribbled hand written notes on
ruled paper with wording such as "I would like you to include my
product in your catalog." Sorry, it just doesn't work like that.
Even if you are not the actual inventor or manufacturer of the
product you are selling, you can qualify to have it included in
a large mailers' catalog where everyone can profit from it.
Imports are very popular catalog sellers, for instance, so if
you locate a new item from overseas, you can arrange to become
the U.S. distributor. Yes, it means a sizable investment for
stocking inventory, but if you have faith in what you plan to
sell, it should be worth investing in.
Before offering it to any catalog mailer, however, it would be
in your best interest to test-market the item yourself. You
certainly don't want to offer a "loser" to a major catalog
mailer. You'll want to be sure this is something that will sell,
so everybody is happy with the deal. Perhaps even more
importantly, it will bond your relationship with the catalog
companies and they will be eager to do business with you the
next time you come up with a new product.
PRICING YOUR PRODUCT
This is crucial. A price that's too high means it will not be
accepted; priced too low and you will not make a profit - no
matter how many are sold.
Keep in mind that some catalog mailers specialize in low priced
($10 or less) items, while others have geared their sales to the
higher bracket of $50 or more. When making a list of catalog
houses to approach, check their catalogs for prices of their
current merchandise.
There are three basic levels of retail prices:
1. The pre-established price by owner or manufacturer
2. Actual dollar value based on production costs
3. Perceived value by prospective buyers
If you are not the primary source for your product, the
manufacturer may have already set the retail price along with
distributor and wholesale discounts, so you will have to work
those figures in any deals made with catalog companies.
Assuming you have pricing control (granted by the original
source, or you are the originator) you can set the retail price
according to the production costs which can be a 5-to-1 or 10-1
ratio. If the item costs $1 to make, you can set a retail price
of $5 or $10 on it, depending on what you think it is worth to
the consumer.
SIMPLIFY YOUR PRICE STRUCTURE TO COMPANIES
The most common price structures are usually set in various
quantities like dozen or gross; or, 100, 500, 1,000, etc. Don't
use these price structures when trying to interest catalog
companies in your product. Right from the start, give them your
rock bottom lowest possible price.
For examples, if your usual prices are:
100 @ $4.50; 500 @ $3.75; 1000 @ $2.75 and 5,000 @ $1.95
give them your 5,000 quantity price no matter how many they
order for their original test. Even if they only want 100 for
testing, give them your $1.95 price - but be sure to tell them
this is your lowest price that is for regular 5,000 quantity
purchases, so they know they're getting the good deal.
TIME TO CREATE YOUR PROMOTIONAL PACKAGE
Company buyers are busy people, so you'll want to make your
presentation quickly, clearly, and distinctly, eliminating all
fluff and extraneous material or wording that might tend to bog
things down.
Here's what you'll need:
Descriptive folder or flyer about the product (Information sheet)
Glossy photo of the product
Possible advertising copy (although they will probably re-write
it)
Terms of your sale, including freight charges
Brief cover letter
(Optional) Sample of your product IF it is small, light weight,
inexpensive, and if you think it will impress the company.
Send this mailing package via First Class Mail!
How many of these promotional packages should you mail? Only you
can answer that question, but here's a tip: Don't expect only 10
or 12 to produce much response for your product. It might
require 50 to 100 or even 500 such mailings before you begin to
see worthwhile results. Of course, a lot depends on the product
itself and whether it is for the general public or restricted to
a more selective audience.
Whenever possible, try to determine what type of merchandise
each catalog house offers before sending them your offer. If
they cater only to men and your product will be used primarily
by women, why waste time and money? The same would apply to a
low priced item such as $5 offered to a catalog house whose
clientele happened to be sophisticated or wealthy people
accustomed to buying merchandise in the hundreds of dollars.
Match your product with the catalog company's line as closely as
possible.
HANDLING THE BUSINESS
If your product is a good one and if you have made a good
impression in your promotional materials, sooner or later you
will get an order for a trial quantity.
Fill the order promptly. Use sturdy boxes and have your own
shipping label (printed with your company name & address) on
each carton, typing the catalog company's name and address with
the customer's shipping number above the name.
SELLING ON CREDIT
Unlike the conventional mail order business, selling to catalog
houses is not a cash-with-order type of operation. It's
conducted on credit, so you'll need invoices to send to your
customer after shipment has been made. There are a few
variations of credit terms, but the best for you will be
"Payment due EOM or 2% discount within 10 days. "EOM" means end
of the month following the date of shipment.
Use your best judgment whether you will ship prepaid or bill
your customer for the shipping charges.
HERE'S A FINAL TIP
If you can get some free publicity for your product along the
way, it can help you reach catalog houses in addition to
bringing you additional sales.
Check magazines that are read by the type of people who will use
your product and look for departments such as "New Products."
Many magazines carry such a department under different titles.
Send a publicity package to the editors which will include the
glossy photo of your product, News Release that tells who will
be interested in the product and why, and a brief cover letter.
If you get a few magazines to accept your offer, they will give
you a mention in their New Products department. This will in
turn bring you a few or a few hundred orders, depending on the
circulation of the magazines and how much demand there might be
for your product.
More importantly, it can link you up with some catalog houses.
They often scan magazines looking for new products to be
featured in their catalogs. Thus, instead of you contacting
them... they will contact you.
The end result is that it can bring you many retail orders as
well as attract a few catalog house buyers who will ultimately
sell your product in their catalogs.
If each catalog house mails 10 million catalogs a year, and your
product is featured inside, I shouldn't have to tell you how
many products can be sold this way. Better stock up now!.
To begin Cruising to Wealth like Steve Whitehead just go and follow the steps he has outlined to sign up today. In no time at all you will be making money and vacationing all at the same time just by following in the steps of Steve Whitehead and Cruise to Cash. If you would like to contact Steve you can call him at 951-805-6332.
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