BJM Free Press |

HANDWRITTEN NOTES ARE FINE IF YOU CAN WRITE

My intentions here are not to make you feel horrible and degraded because you write handwritten notes. Besides, it’s easier to pick up a sticky note, write the words “Send me more information,” stick it in an envelope and respond to an ad.

The only problem is. What happens if the guy or gal on the other end can’t read your writing? What happens if they can’t read your address? How can they possibly fill your order?

One of the major problems I have experienced with beginners is that they don’t put their return address on the envelope. There is no excuse for this! Walter Drake will sell you 1,000 address labels for $1.00. They may look cheap, but I can read your address without any problem and at least contact you if I don’t know “what” you’re ordering.

Let me give you an example of how an order was submitted to me a couple months ago. Please understand this is only a facsimile (not a real address.) I don’t want to embarrass anybody:

POB 9776 RNV

Now, you tell me — what does this say? Instead of throwing the request away, I put it in my “hold” file, hoping that somebody would come along that could decipher this address or claim it. But do you know “what” the above example is translated as?

PO Box 9776, Reno NV

That’s right! The guy wrote me a few weeks later wondering what had happened to his order and I was able to finally decipher his handwriting this time.

People in Nevada might know that “RNV” means Reno, Nevada but I sure didn’t. I thought it meant “Registered Nurse something!”

However, this incident also alerted me to something too because I had been guilty of the same thing in the past. In fact — I used to write “Cols” for “Columbus.” People in Ohio automatically knew that “Cols” was an abbreviation but the other 49 states and foreign countries didn’t.

One problem with many people who begin a mail order business is that they have NEVER been in business before. They have no idea how to fold a business-size letter to fit in a business-size envelope. Many have never worked in an office environment before and have no clue about running an office effectively. They are taught by some to hand-address envelopes so that people will open them. In fact, I just read something the other day that came through the mail that said: “Using mailing labels on your envelopes will get 88% of your letters tossed in the trashcan!” THIS IS INSANE!! They tell you this nonsense because they know their mailing list is bad and they want to have an excuse for not bringing you any orders.

The fact is — ANY legitimate mail order dealer will open an envelope REGARDLESS of what is on the outside. They are only concerned with the contents INSIDE the envelope. Ask yourself: Do you go through your mail each day and throw away anything with a label on the outside? If you do, you are definitely part of the minority. EVERYONE uses labels these days.
It is the age of the computer folks! No one has the time to hand-address envelopes anymore. Hand-addressing them only show that you are a newcomer to business.

But, back to the problem at hand. If you have been mentally programmed to believe that hand-addressing envelopes and hand-writing your return address on your materials is okay, make sure people can READ your writing plainly. PRINT rather than write. Make sure people can easily see your “a” is not an “e.” And by all means — if you have an uncommon name, print it plainly. You wouldn’t believe how many people scribble their name for me to typeset on an ad, then complain when I spell their name wrong. One customer’s first name was “Armuond” and I could only make out the “Ar” and “nd.” I naturally had to assume the name was “Arnold” but the customer got very upset and mad at me because I didn’t read his writing correctly.

So, before you get upset and wonder “why” you never received an order ask yourself if you originally sent it with a handwritten note and/or abbreviated address. Chances are the company may not have been able to read your handwriting! And to combat this problem in the future — please invest $80 in a typewriter or $300 in a starter computer. If you can’t make this investment right now, then work your regular job until you can. And last but not least — if you have no exposure to office procedures, go get a book at the library and learn the bare minimum basics, please!