Secrets to Selling Books by Mail
By
DeAnna Spencer
This is intended for informational purposes only.
Selling books by mail is one of the "ideal" spare-time
business ventures that can be operated from your home, and
with minimal investment. However, there's a lot you must know
about this kind of business; a lot to learn, a lot to
understand, and a lot of common sense required.
The first thing you need to know is where to get books -
the kind of books - that sell best via mail order. Selecting
your source of supply, deciding which type of books you want
to sell, and arranging a working relationship with these
suppliers is your first step. Be sure that you know which
supplier has which books, the quantity discount prices, and
the drop-ship requirements. It's best to set up a file for
each of your suppliers; keep a copy of each of their latest
catalogs, and some sort of record of all dealings you have
with them.
Once you're organized with a source of supply, getting
started is pretty easy. One way might be to acquire a series
of money making reports that run two or three pages in length
such as this one - that sell for a couple of dollars each.
Then, you run a classified ad in some of the national mail
order publications reaching extra-income opportunity seekers.
Such an ad might read: FREE REPORT! $50,000 profit each year!
Sparetime home-operated business. Details SASE. (your name &
address).
Your secret to success in selling books by mail will lie in
what you put into all those self-addressed and stamped
envelopes you receive in response to your ad.
Of course, the first thing you have to put in those
envelopes is the "free report" you promised in your ad. We
have a number of reports describing a plan that can make
$50,000 a year for an energetic and determined extra-income
opportunity seeker, and have used all of them quite
successfully in accordance with the plan we're describing to
you here. Now then, in addition to the "free report", as
promised in your ad - and in order to sell books - you have to
include what is known as your "follow-up" package...
Actually, it's quite simple and should be almost automatic.
You'll need a full page circular advertising one of the books
you're selling. To see, and understand this ingredient,
collect the advertising sheets you receive from all the book
clubs, relative to their "featured selection" circulars.
Remember here that the more original and different from the
"other" advertisers you can maker your circulars, the more
books you'll end up selling. Still, you may not want to
undertake the work or have the extra finances to hire to have
"featured selection" advertising circulars made up for you. In
that case simply take one of the full page circulars
advertising a particular book, sent out to you by one of your
suppliers.
Following the successful methods used by all the Book of
the Month Clubs, in addition to your full page circular
advertising a specific book - a featured selection - you
should include a sheet of other titles - alternate selections
- for your customers to consider ordering. These are very
important things to consider and to think about every time you
send out a mail order offer.
Generally, you do not need to include either a separate
order form or a self-addressed envelope with your
order-solicitation package. However, we would advise you to
have your featured selection circular, and your alternate
selection list printed on colored paper - say your featured
selection circular printed on white paper with red or blue
ink, and your alternate selection printed on yellow or canary
colored paper with black ink. This tends to give your mailing
piece a bit of class, and at the same time tends to stimulate
the prospects into buying more than just ordinary white paper
with black ink. Give it some thought, try it, check your
results and then decide from there.
I've just explained the "nitty gritty" of how to get
organized, set yourself up in the book-selling by mail
business, and how to operate it profitably. But, unless you
have everything pre-planned, your fledgling business may die
before you've even scratched the surface of your potential
profit picture.
It's necessary that you have a different "featured"
selection circular and list of alternate selections to send
out, each time you send something out to your prospects or
customers. Thus, before you begin, it will pay you to elect
about 18 different books to call featured selections or say,
"Best Buy Of The Month". Make sure you have a full page
circular for each of these books - have a supply of each of
them printed and in stock - then either number them or arrange
them in the order you want to use them. You should have the
same kind of supply, and arrangement for your lists or
alternate selections.
With books, it will be necessary to always be on the
lookout for new books you can use as featured selections in
your customer follow-up program. A supply of 18 will get you
started, but as your business grows, you'll find some of your
customers ordering every book you offer, and thus, in order to
keep them buying from you, you'll have to keep offering new
selections to them. With your lists of alternative selections,
this is not so important. Actually, you could start out with
about a hundred or so reports, and from this list, make up an
alternative selection list of about 25 titles for each list.
After you've gone through 100 of these reports - 4 different
alternative selection lists - you could go back and mix the
selections from each list - 6 from list one, 6 from list two
and so on...
It's important that you get your customer's order on its
way just as quickly after receiving it as possible. When
you're having a supplier dropship for you, the best thing is
to accumulate all your orders - filling in your dropship order
from each day's mail - and then on Saturday of each week,
writing your check to each supplier, enclosing the dropship
order forms, sealing it and getting it in the mail. At the
same time, you should send out your order acknowledgment
notes, and follow-up packages on the same day you receive
them. It may sound a little complicated, but it really isn't -
and if you'll plan your business in detail before you place
your first ad, have your follow-up materials printed in
advance, and work this plan as I've explained it you should
have no trouble at all.
Copyright 2004 by DeAnna Spencer
Are you content with your advertising budget?
Schedule a coaching session with Frugal Solutions Expert,
DeAnna Spencer.
She will design an affordable online advertising plan for you.
Contact her by sending an email to deanna.spencer(at)gmail.com
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