Business
Lyceum
e-Letter
Practical Instruction in the Arts and Sciences of Making
Money
AUGUST 2000
Greetings & Salutations:
This past month, I went to a number of well-read Discussion Boards and
offered to answer any questions the people on those boards might have about
"Mailorder." -- The response was terrific. And, I think I did a bang-up
job of answering their questions ... anywho, I didn't get any complaints.
A number of the questions I got were like, "How do you get around the
stigma of the P.O. Box if you have one as your main address?" - or -
"For the small guy starting out, what does he have to do to get over this
credibility hump regarding a p.o. box, rather than renting a small office or
risking security by using his home address?"
One of the other people on the board responded with:
"I think the way you can do that is use the street address of the post
office and then use your P.O. Box # so your address looks like this:
Your Company
123 Main St., #438
Town, ST 39489
...where 123 Main St. is the Post Office's street address and #438 is
your p.o. box.
"I asked one of the clerks in my old post office if anybody can do that
and they said that the only mail that can be accepted at the post office's
street address is for the Postmaster only.
"However this was a large post office and let's just say that the "house
rules" might be a little more strict than a smaller office. Tomorrow I'll go
to the smaller office in the nearby town to see if I'll be able to do that
there."
To which I responded:
Don't waste your time. -- Some "clerk" may tell you it will be all right -
but - your mail will still be returned when the local Postmaster finds out
about it.
Although I didn't have time right then to go back & search 5 years
worth of archived newsletters to find the specific information, I promised to
publish a method used by a number of BIG companies who use non-existent
addresses like "1 Cash Money Lane" and the like ... legitimately ... and all
their mail goes directly into their Post Office Box. -- So, here's ...
How to Turn Your P.O. Box Address into a Street Address!
In the November '96 issue of one of my paper & ink newsletters, I told
my readers that, today, it doesn't really matter whether you use a 'P.O. Box'
or 'Street' address. -- Well, BURT DUBIN (Professional Speakers Profit
Letter, 1 Speaking Success Rd., Kingman, AZ 86402-6543) teached me
how to have the best of both.
Burt said:
"Get a P.O. Box at the smallest possible branch Post Office in your
area. Use the 9-digit Zip Code in all your return addresses. Then,
you can create any 'street' address you want because post office mail-sorters
are taught to read the numbers of the zip code rather than the words of the
address. However, since some of the bigger post offices have such a big
turnover in workers it might not work. So, have some of your friends
mail you some letters; using your made-up address plus your 9-digit zip code
to 'test' it before you use it in all your mailings.î
Burt's real address is P.O. Box 6543 - but - he gets all his mail
addressed to "1 Speaking Success Road." -- Publisher's Clearing
House uses "1 Winners Circle."
Burt even proved it to me by sending me a package of materials at "1
Mailorder Master Way"... it arrived in my P.O. Box without fail because he
included the 9-digit zip code (37320-5385) in the address. -- Try it
yourself if using a P.O. Box seems inappropriate for your mailings ... be sure
to 'test' it first.
Then, if you would like to "Discover how you can now earn $124 to $1,000
an hour - or more - by being a paid expert speaking for money," drop Burt
Dubin a note at the above address and ask for his #1 response package. -- or
-- visit his web site at http://speakingsuccess.com/
A tip of the Straw's Hat goes to Burt Dubin for his excellent insight.
Seeds of Wisdom!
Hey ... every once in a while I find something really good on the Internet.
-- Believe me, this one is good - but - I didn't just stumble across it.
I found this site when another old mailorder pro ... Gordon J. Alexander ...
invited me to participate in his Discussion Forum.
After reading his e-mail, inviting me to participate, I went to the site to
see what it was all about. -- I spent over an hour reading some of the most
fascinating articles with some of the most interesting subject matter. -- I
especially liked Gordon Alexander's Stories.
If you do nothing else this month, visit the site and enjoy. -- Pay special
attention to Alexander's stories entitle, "White Bread" and "Small Potatoes."
-- My favorites.
Check out the "Seeds of Wisdom" site, at: http://www.sowpub.com
Would You Do Me a Favor?
Tell me what your favorite web sites are? -- Tell me what you like best
about them.
Hey ... don't give me a bunch of "hype" or "MLM" web sites. I want to
know about your favorite web sites that contain real, honest-to-goodness
business information ... valuable information that can assist the reader in
achieving success.
Just send your favorite sites to:
mailto:favoritesites@businesslyceum.com?subject=MyFavorites
I'll go take a look and tell my readers about those sites that offer some
really good stuff. -- Maybe I'll even put together a Directory of Favorite
Sites for all of you.
Now, let's get into this month's ...
Questions & Comments
Rhiannon Walker (starlady@multiline.com.au) asked:
"I need help in setting up an autoresponder. I am fairly a newbie and do
not even know how to cut and paste."
In order to get an autoresponder, you might want to consider the service I
use. -- Go to: http://www.sendfree.com/ -- they offer
FREE autoresponders.
In case you weren't joking about cutting & pasting. -- Just highlight
the passage (word, phrase, sentence, paragraph, etc., etc., etc.), then
hit "command+c" - or go to the "Edit" menu and select "copy." -- That puts
whatever you 'copied' onto your clipboard. -- Then go to the place you want to
paste-in that word (etc.), place your cursor exactly where you want the copy
to appear and hit "command+v" - or go to the "Edit" menu and select
place/paste.
Anywho ... that's the way it works on my 'puter.
John Raabe (jraabe@whidbey.com) wrote:
"Just a short note to say that I really appreciated reading your latest
e-letter. I was surprised to find you actually responded to my
question/comment with some insightful thoughts. You must be one of the
hardest working e-guys around. You certainly are prolific!
"I get so many e-letters now that the majority get hit with the delete
button rather quickly. I'll browse an issue or two and when the third one is
more of the same, I start hitting the delete key without ever going to the
trouble to unsubscribe (I think maybe someday the title will recapture my
attention.)
"I say this just to admit how jaded and quick-triggered I've become in
this the "over-information" age ... I expect I am more typical than
not."
Thank You, John.
Clint Cooper (ci@torque.net) wrote:
"I'm focusing on mailorder intensely. -- I'm currently looking into
locating a used envelope stuffing machine. My thoughts are that the internet
is great but, everybody seems to be forgetting about traditional mailorder.
I realize the internet can supplement mailorder in many ways, but my
master plan is to start bringing in an OK amount of money before I spend
too much time trying to figure out the internet (and internet
advertising). -- I think that something that would be helpful --
that you have already likely tested over the last 30 years is ...
comparisons like 'this guarantee works better than the other
guarantee.' People are most likely to respond if you send them a
second mailout within 35 days or 45 days. These little tips go along
way, and would prove to be very helpful as they are hard to find in
the mailorder books that I have come across so far."
In response:
An "envelope stuffing machine" -- called an 'INSERTER' -- is an expensive
piece of machinery; even a used one will set you back from $8,000 to $12,000
... depending upon how many "stations" you need. (A "station" is a bin
on the Inserter where one piece to be inserted is stacked. If you are
mailing 4 pieces in an envelope, you need a 4-station inserter ... 5-station
for 5 pieces ... etc.)
The best place to start your search for a used inserter is in your
telephone book yellow pages ... under the heading, "Printing Equipment."
Call all of them. One of them might just have a used inserter on hand
... if not, they will all go looking for one for you.
Instead of buying the inserter, you might consider leasing it. Any of
the equipment leasing companies will be happy to handle it for you and you'll
only have to come up with the first and last lease payments out of pocket.
You are right about mailorder. -- My site has been profitable every month;
since January, simply because I added by web site address to all of my
outgoing mailorder solicitations.
By the way, we old pros in the mailorder game don't wait 35-45 days to make
a second mailing. -- If the first mailing is profitable, we remail the same
list almost immediately. But, if the first mailing wasn't profitable, we
may never mail that list again.
Here's something you need ...
As I have often said before, I luv it when someone who has really done
something writes about it ... so other people can do it too. I
especially enjoy it when I find myself nodding in full agreement while reading
- and - its even better when I learn something myself. -- This contact just
sent me a review copy of his "39 Myths About How to Make Money Selling
Information Products" ... with the appropriate subtitle, "How I
Break All the Rules and Make Thousands Each Month Selling Information
Products." -- In it, he doesn't just blow holes in the myth-bubbles,
he tells you how he found out it was a myth and how he does it ... to the tune
of thousands of dollars each month. This is the straight skinny, warts
& all, from somebody who is really doing it & really making money
doing it on the Internet. (That's the part where I learned some valuable
lessons.) -- Whether you are already in the Information Publishing business
... or just thinking about it ... this book with save you a lot of time &
improve your bottom line immediately. -- "39 Myths About How to Make Money
Selling Information Products" is only $39.95 (it would be cheap at twice
the price) - BUT - it only comes in an e-book version ... you have to print it
yourself. -- When you order your copy of "39 Myths About How to Make Money
Selling Information Products" just give him your e-mail address & he
will send it to you in PDF format. (That means you will need an Adobe
Acrobat Reader ... which you can get for FREE at www.Adobe.com ... to read
it.) -- If you don't have an e-mail address, he'll send it to you on a floppy
disk for an extra $2.50 ($42.45 total). -- You can order by mail, phone,
or on-line - but - whatever you do, order it today! -- Contact:
DENNIS J. HESSLER, Spyglass Point Productions, P.O. Box 13141, Pensacola,
FL 32591 -- (850) 438-5527 -- FAX: (850) 469-9632 -- Email:
Dennis@spyglasspoint.com -- OnLine: http://www.spyglasspoint.com/myths
Bill White (billwhite@tyler.net) asked:
"My question I'm sure is an easy one. I have some products manufactured
in the US that I would like to advertise and sell in other countries.
How and where does one look for places to advertise specific to those
countries, etc."
Check with your local library. Ask them for an International
Directory of Periodicals ... if they don't have one, have them request to
borrow one from their Regional Lending Library.
Those directories ... like U.S. Periodical Directories ... are broken down
by "trade" (i.e. agriculture, furniture, etc.) then by Country within each
trade category.
You won't be able to take the directory out of the library - but - you can
copy down the names, addresses, telephone numbers, etc. -- or make copies of
the pages.
While you're at it, contact Dennis Hessler (above) ... he has some
of the best info about exporting on his web site.
Phillip Dietzman (pamaurizzi@hotmail.com) wrote:
"I enjoy reading any and every 'How to' magazine, newsletter,
publication, and whatever else I can find that may help me be a success in
my Import/Export business. I am currently drawing up a business plan to
provide me with some guidance and help me with possible financing. Do you
know of any resources I may need to obtain financing? If so, I could use
them. I am fully confident that when my plan is finished I will be on my way
to fulfilling my life long dream of owning a business."
Contact Dennis Hessler (above) ... he has some of the best info
about exporting on his web site.
Of course, I would be remiss if I didn't just mention ... in passing ...
that I, too, have been involved in exporting for well over 30 years -- and --
I have written a complete course on exporting, entitled "Sell American." --
You can read all about it at http://www.businesslyceum.com/mdl.html
Alvin Corbett (alvincorbett@hotmail.com) tried to 'gotcha' the
old man, with this:
"I have created my own brand name Jazziewear USA. -- I will be
involved in a joint venture that will literally put my brand name on the
International map. I need $2500-$5000 in a bank draft. How do I raise
that type of capital with no credit no collateral? -- Do I gotcha or
what?"
Where can YOU get $2,500 to $5,000 without credit or collateral?
Since, I suppose, you don't have any Credit Cards either, pulling cash from
your Credit Cards is not a possibility.
If I were you, the FIRST thing I would do would be to check the Telephone
Book Yellow Pages in your area ... under the headings for "Loans," "Finance
Companies," etc. -- You would be surprised how lenient some of the local
private loan companies are ... especially when you need less than $5,000. -- I
am always amazed that most people over look the local area when they start
looking for a loan.
Should that not work, the next best would be a classified ad in your local
newspaper ... in the "Personals" column ...
PRIVATE INVESTOR Wanted - $5,000 - to fund International Joint
Venture. High return possible. Contact: (Phone
Number)
When someone calls, get with them and give them all the skinny about your
deal. It'll probably cost
you 15% (or more) for the money - but -
I've seen a simple classified ad like that bring in hundreds of thousands of
dollars in less than a week.
Try it ... you'll like it.
If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times ... you can get rich
in any business - IF - you sell enough of your products or services. -
But, every time I say that, someone always responds, "yeah, but you have
to be rich to afford the advertising to sell your products or services.î -
Well, Shel Horowitz says, "In 1981, I started my business with an
initial marketing investment of $12. It was enough to get started
and keep me going over the first few months. Nearly 20 years later, I'm
still running my business on a marketing investment of less than $40 per
week, yet my business is the busiest shop of its kind in a 3-county
territory, with clients on 3 continents." He
continues, "You too can learn to get this kind of return with easy
& straightforward marketing. Even in the year 2000, $10 is enough to
get started." -- Of course, after making statements like that, you
just know he wrote it all down in a book. He did, in 1991, in his book
"Marketing Without Megabucks" ... a compendium of marketing-on-the-cheap...the
definitive single-volume resource on effective low-cost marketing ... focused
on stretching your dollar while increasing your market effectiveness ... nuts
& bolts techniques for every stage of marketing, whether your budget is
$10 or $100,000. (It was one of the greatest shoestring marketing books
ever written.) -- Now, Shel has updated & revised his earlier
information in "Grassroots Marketing," with the subtitle,
"Getting Noticed in a Noisy World." -- This masterful work of
the marketing master contains over 70,000 words of new information ... an
entire new section on the Internet ... with an expanded chapter on electronic
media ... and an enlarged chapter on writing Press Releases. Beyond
that, obsolete material has been deleted ... making the book even more
powerful that it had ever been before. As a matter of fact, Shel
starts right-out on page #1 with a $10 Marketing Budget ... followed
by $100, $1,000 & $2,000 to $10,000 budgets. - SO - If you want to
get rich in your business (any business), by selling your products or
services, you need your own copy of "Grassroots Marketing."
It's only $27.95 in the U.S. ($22.95 + $5 Priority s&h). -- Do
yourself a favor, order your personal copy, today! - Contact: AWM Books, PO
Box 1164, Northampton, MA 01061 -- (800) 683-9673 -- FAX (617) 249-0153
-- Email: info@frugalfun.com -- OnLine: http://www.frugalfun.com/
Well ... that's it for this month. -- In order to make every issue
responsive to YOUR needs, please send me your questions; or tell me what
sources or resources you need to build your business; or give me any thoughts
you want to share with your fellow members.
Believe it or don't ... I ain't a mind-reader. -- If'n you doesn't tell me
what you need, I may never touch upon the information, sources or resources
you need.
This is your publication for you to use to your benefit ... I am just your
moderator.
Until next month, keep well ...
J.F. (Jim) STRAW
Grande Panjandrum
Thought For The Month!
"When you get into a tight place, and everything goes against you,
till it seems as though you could not hold on a moment longer, never give up
then -- for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn." --
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Can you stump the old master? -- Betcha can't!
Over the past 40 years (man and boy), I have made bundles of money in
direct selling, service contracting, wholesale merchandising, entertainment (I
was a professional Trumpet player, vocalist & Radio Announcer), freight
forwarding, import/export, retail merchandising, warehousing, real estate,
electronics manufacturing, finder's fees, closeout merchandising, financial
brokerage, business consulting, steel fabrication, gold and coal mining,
offshore banking, mailorder, writing, and publishing. -- That being the case
...
No matter what business you're in ... whether you're just starting, well on
your way, or at the top of the heap ... I've probably been where you are, done
what you are doing. -- So ...
Anytime you have a question about 'how' to do something in your
business - or - if you have any comments about anything I've said in
issues of this e-Letter; or if you want to add your 2 cents worth ... just
"ask" me or "tell" me.
Send your Questions, Comments or 2 Cents Worth to ...
eletter@businesslyceum.com
with "Question" - "Comment" - or, "2 Cents Worth" in the SUBJECT.
If I, personally, don't have an answer to any question you may ask, I will
contact some of the professionals in your field of endeavor (I will probably
know one or more personally) to get the real 'skinny' for you.
Making Money is FUN & EASY when you know how! Learning "how" is Fun & Easy too -- when you use the
... FREE Reports ... FREE Resources ... FREE Newsletter ... available from the "Business Lyceum."
Jim Straw's Business Lyceum