BJM Free Press |

ATTACK FEAR OR IT WILL HOLD YOU BACK!

Last week I was fixing a computer system for a client of mine at their office. They worked for a secure company and depended on a regular salary on a bi-weekly basis. The client commented on how “lucky” I was to own and operate my own business and wished he could do the same.

I replied, “Why don’t you do it?” The reply was, “I have kids and a family and we live from paycheck to paycheck. I couldn’t possibly break-away not knowing where our next meal was coming from! It’s too scary!”

I explained to him how easy it was to start his own business while still holding down his present job. Then, when the business was bringing in more income than his job, he could quit. You would think this would have calmed his fear. Unfortunately, he replied, “But where do I find the time? What if it doesn’t work? I simply don’t have any extra money to lose!”

Immediately I determined that FEAR haunted this person’s life. He had been stuck in the 9-5 existence for so long and depended on such a normal routine for so long that he was absorbed in it. Unless he wanted to at least TRY, our conversation was worthless to continue.

The easiest way to combat fear is by NOT using excuses. Instead, you need to look for POSITIVE approaches to accomplish your goal. If you want to start a business, attend a meeting at the Better Business Bureau. Read some national magazines like “Income Opportunities” or “Spare Time.” Start reading the business section of your newspaper. Gather some ideas and do a little reading before actually jumping into a business. Surely you can find some spare time to read.

Also, begin associating yourself with people who are in their own business already. (An alcoholic never stopped drinking by hanging around his or her drinking buddies. They made a change by associating with people who DON’T drink.) Afraid to go out and make new friends, attend a local business-related seminar in your community. Start watching television shows that are related to business. You’ll eventually find people to associate with who know others and you’ll be the part of a new crowd — the motivating ones!

FEAR is always your enemy. Look at it this way: If you never try, FEAR wins by 100%. However, if you do try, FEAR only has a chance of winning by 50%. If you needed a place to live and only had $10 to your name would you allow FEAR to win and make you homeless? No, most of us would find a job or borrow the money to have a roof over our heads! FEAR is the root of failure, depression and lifelong problems. Are you going to let FEAR ruin your life?

FEAR also will cause you to lose out on many other things in life. If you FEAR the boss at work is going to fire you — it will naturally be on your mind day in and day out. It will eventually wear you down and you will begin making mistakes on the job. You will also get depressed and build up resentments that may have never been there in the first place.

Facing FEAR head on is the best way to combat it. If you think the boss is going to fire you — go up and ask him. It takes guts, but isn’t it better than putting yourself through many months of agonizing torture? Are you full of so much FEAR to even ask him because you think it will trigger him to say “yes” when he might not have been considering it at all? Believe me — asking a boss “if” they are thinking about firing you will put you in no different position than you are now. In fact — it will have the opposite effect. The boss will more than likely respect you for your candidness and ability to face FEAR head-on.

Is FEAR holding you back from a lot of things? Are you afraid to confront people and tell them how you really feel? Do you smile in their face and talk about them behind their back? What’s so hard about being truthful but using tact? Doesn’t it get rid of FEAR and solve many problems?

Complaining is also an act that emotionally drains you and goes hand-in-hand with FEAR. In fact, FEAR is normally the root of any complaint. People don’t want to admit their FEAR so they will complain to release some tension. This is a crazy merry-go-round! Instead of complaining, try to find ways to solve the problem.

A relative of mine used to drive me crazy complaining about her husband slurping his food. She never told him about it because she had a FEAR he would be embarrassed. But when I told her I was going to tell him for her if she didn’t confront the issue head-on, it scared her into talking to him. She was kind but stern about her complaint. She didn’t instigate an argument but honesty told him it was bothering her. He immediately made a change and they lived happily ever after!

Update 6-27-10

If you liked this article you may find Erica Douglass’ recent post, “Could the Biggest Obstacle to Your Success Be…You?“, interesting too.

CUSTOMER RESPONSE CARD

We all do it. If we get good service or order a product we like — we order from the company again. However, if there is something we don’t like or are dissatisfied with the service in any way, shape or form, we never bring it to the attention of the company. We simply don’t use their services again and think that solves the problem.

Let me share with you something that happened here locally to me. A new pizza shop moved into the neighborhood and I decided to try them out. When I placed my order I informed them that they had been highly recommended and this was my first order. When I picked up the pizza and brought it home it was HORRIBLE! I couldn’t believe I actually paid $14 for the thing. It wasn’t even worth $2 in my opinion.

Naturally, I had made up my mind never to order from this particular pizza shop again — but a few days later the owner called me to ask my opinion on what I thought of the pizza. (He had got my phone number off the check I paid my order with.)

Feeling a little embarrassed and reluctant to tell him how horrible it was, I said, “It was okay but not something I would order again.” The owner became very interested and asked me to give him more specifics. I explained that the sauce was too tangy and there was not enough cheese or pepperoni on the pizza — even though I ordered double of both items. He asked me to give his pizza one more try, but this time it would be free of charge. I accepted.

And guess what? The quality was greatly improved and I am now a steady customer.

You can use the same situation for your mail order business. Only you can’t afford to call everyone that orders from you. That is where the “Customer Response Card” is vital to your growing business. You hardly ever see them in mail order because people don’t think they really work. That’s because they have never put them to use. That’s where you can be different and innovative — and profitable — all at the same time.

“Customer Response Cards” can easily be typeset by any competent typesetter. They should ask such questions of the customer, as:

• How do you rate our service?
• Was the quality of our product or service excellent, good, fair or poor?
• What would you suggest for us to do in order to improve our services?
• Would you order from us again?
• Any additional comments?

Lines should be left for the customers’ name, address and telephone number. In addition, the “Customer Response Card” should be pre-addressed with your address and preferably pre-stamped for their convenience.

If you decide to use “Customer Response Cards” they will serve a very important function in your daily business. First of all, when customers receive them they will know you are concerned about them and their order. They will feel important that you have asked for their opinion and will feel free to make helpful suggestions, complain or brag about your company.

However, you must keep in mind that a complaint is NOT a reflection on you personally. A complaint should be an indication that there is some unfinished business to take care of. Almost 90% of the time, if you listen and try to understand a customer complaint — the customer is more than satisfied.

Then, if you offer to make up for the difference or offer them free services or a money-saving coupon on their next order, they will be much more than satisfied. Not only have you kept a customer but built a trust with them at the same time.

Solve complaints from “Customer Response Cards” as quickly as possible. Customers may make a complaint on a postcard more readily than calling you or writing you a letter. This helps draw your attention to problems before they get out of hand — problems you might not even know existed!

And never forget to thank your customers for providing you with their opinion. You could send them back a discount coupon to use on items you sell on their next order or simply send them a “Thank You” card. Remember that a customer’s opinion is worth its weight in gold. There are professional marketing firms that are paid $1,000’s of dollars per year by companies to find out what people really think of their products. A “Customer Response Card” is a very low-cost way of determining trends and interests that your customer market has. If you keep on top of things, you will never have to hire these high-paid professionals. You’ll know more than they do!

SELECTING YOUR FIRST COMPUTER

There are still a lot of mail order dealers and regular everyday people performing their daily office and accounting duties by hand. This is unfortunate because a computer system will cut your workload up to 80% — thereby leaving you more time to market and develop new products. Plus — it’s fun.

There has not been one single person that I have trained or knew, that after learning what a computer could do for them, thought it was a bad idea. In fact, everyone couldn’t understand “how” they did without one and will never go back to the old method again.

People are funny that way. They will resist change. I remember when microwave ovens first came out. My brother and I went together and bought my mother one for Christmas. As soon as she unwrapped it she jumped back and screamed: “Get that thing out of here. It emits ultraviolet rays that will give us all cancer.”

Although this sounds hysterical now, this was the immediate reaction to anything different from conventional ovens. And I bet your great-grandmother would have balked at the idea of replacing her scrubbing board with a Maytag automatic washer. Can you imagine where we would be at today if the automatic washer had not been invented? Women and men both hold full-time jobs. They barely have time to work all day, fix dinner and push a button just to do the laundry — let alone spend hours washing on a scrubbing board. Do you begin to see my meaning?

Of course, most people are either “afraid” or don’t feel they have the time to learn a computer system. They like the old way of doing things because it works for them. But — if you want your business to boom — you must invest in some type of computer system.

For the beginner to the world of computers, you really don’t need a system with a lot of “frills” to complicate your learning process. There are lots of older computers and word processors on the market in the $250-$400 range. That’s about the same amount you would pay for a typewriter and it’s much more efficient.

A basic system will handle mundane tasks without error, keep your mailing lists updated, labels printed and basic accounting functions. The best place to begin looking for a computer system for YOUR particular needs is a national, monthly publication entitled “Computer Shopper.” Their address is PO Box 51020, Boulder CO 80321 and a 1-year subscription is currently $21.97. This gigantic book/magazine It’s packed with over 700 pages per issue of the lowest prices and highest quality computer services around. In addition, if you study the contents you will gain a terrific computer education. Don’t be afraid to call manufacturers and ask specific questions on a system they are selling. Explain our needs (and possible future needs if you know them) and ask the sales person for advice.

Don’t take everything the salesperson says as “gospel” and call around. Don’t be worried about not understanding computer language. If you study the ads in your “Computer Shopper” things will begin to make sense. (I know, because this is where I first obtained my computer education.)

Check with other manufacturers to find out what they have to say. Compare prices. The only thing you need to keep in mind is determining exactly what you are planning to use your computer system for. Not everyone needs desktop publishing, engineering functions and costly word processing software. You may be able to obtain your software programs through Shareware and Freeware (low-cost or free programs). Take your time and ease into your new computerized office very slowly. You’ll love the change!

BE A PRIME SOURCE

I am not complaining, but one of the main problems I see within the “inner circle” mail order market is everyone selling everyone else’s products. I haven’t picked up a publication recently where the pages weren’t crammed full with commission dealerships. Now, don’t get me wrong. We sell commission circulars ourselves, so I’m certainly not putting down the idea — however, a good thing can get out of hand.

It’s been said over and over again, but newcomers to our industry should realize that they need to develop their OWN products and services. Commission dealerships are fine to compliment your business if the product is relative to your main product, but everyone should strive for developing their OWN product too. No one will ever get rich dealing in just commission dealerships. And people who think this way will give up over a period of time because they go broke. Let’s stop this madness and spread the word about becoming a Prime Source.

How do you develop your OWN specialized product or service? It may take a few months to get your “feet wet” in mail order to determine your particular “niche.” However, you should already know the talents you possess inside yourself and what your own capabilities are. There has to be more to your business than making money!

What are your hobbies and interests? What would you like to do more than anything else and would you do it if you were not getting paid? For instance, I personally enjoy publishing newsletters. I get a surge of electricity when I am working on them and wish my body would last 24-hours a day so I could work on them all the time. This is loving what you do.

On the other hand, this may sound really crazy to you. Perhaps you would rather write, edit, paste-up or seal envelopes. I remember Dorothy Christian (Shells 345) once explaining to me the “high” she used to get when doing a mass mailing. She loved peeling off labels, sticking them on envelopes and folding the materials to insert. She said that every envelope she stuffed, she felt it would generate a big customer order. This is enthusiasm!

Therefore, Dorothy could have developed a specialized or confidential mailing service. Unlike big mail, she would be mailing circulars in envelopes, but a targeted-mailing for different programs and products. (Example: A circular selling books and reports would be marketed only to book buyers from lists Dorothy would purchase and use for these types of mailings. She also would be careful not to put any conflicting information in this special mailing she was preparing for specific customers.)

You can take anything you sell and creatively turn it into your own prime source product. A good friend of mine, Helen VanAllen loved to prepare big mails so she created the “Design-Your-Own-Big-Mail-Package.” Customers were presented with a list of the circulars Helen had on hand and they checked off the ones that interested them. (This is one example of how an old concept can be turned into something new with a twist that makes it YOUR OWN product.)

Another friend, Max Ross, created a new product called “Business-In-A-Box.” He took 4 or 5 good commission circulars that he knew worked well and pulled orders. When people ordered his “Business-In-A-Box” they would receive the 4 camera-ready circulars along with 100 copies of them, 100 names from his own mailing list, 100 envelopes and an instruction sheet that gave the customer ideas and tips about direct mailing.

Another gal I know created a “Complete-Business-Start-Up-Kit.” She was a typesetter and went in 50% with a mail order printer. When the customer ordered this kit they would receive 100 letterheads, 100 envelopes, 100 memo sheets, 100 address labels and 100 business cards. Everything was personalized for the customer and included information on how they could order more as their supply ran out.

These are just a few ideas that other mail order folks used to create their own product. You can use the same concept locally also. If you sell vitamins, for instance, you could sell them in individual packets and label them for each day of the week. Use the vitamins from the company you are working with but the individual packets and labels would be your own product. You can also charge more for this personal touch.

You are unique! You are an individual who has special talents and interests. Your business should be a reflection of YOU and your own contribution to mail order. Mail order is a wonderful business, filled with some of the best people in the world. But it’s up to every one of us to keep it that way.

HOW TO WRITE A PRESS RELEASE

The word “Press Release” seems to scare most people to death. On top of that — not many people take the time to even think of writing their own Press Release. We hope this brief article will help clear up some of the mystery’s surrounding this simple form of marketing.

The first thing you have to remember is that a Press Release is a “news” item. It needs to “inform” people, NOT sell them something. For example, you are reading this report because you want to learn something that will BENEFIT YOU. You aren’t reading it just so you can buy something else. If money is the deriving force in your business — you won’t go too far. Your main goals should be in pleasing customers, providing them with a high-quality product and more than their money’s worth. The trick is to do all this while still making money.

People don’t care what mountains you had to climb, what seas you had to cross or what tribe of people you had to learn the ways of just to find a secret formula. Instead — they want to know WHAT the secret formula is. Get the idea?

The sales circulars you print and mail sell your product. A Press Release informs others about your product. Instead of your main objective being to sell the product and have the customer send in an order immediately, a Press Release informs the customer exactly how your product will benefit their lives. This must be conveyed in the form of a “newsworthy” Press Release. If you have a sales circular to sell a product, you can easily turn it into a Press Release without much difficulty. It’s just a new marketing angle of presenting your product to the public.

The following is an example of a typical Press Release for our publishing services:

So many people are entering the mail order market these days, but so many of them are getting ripped-off by a bunch of hype. People are promised untold riches in a short period of time. The hype ads play with their emotions by making them believe it’s so easy to make money through the mail. It’s sad.

However, a new book has just been released to help solve these problems for the average person. For the first time in history — a REAL directory has been compiled listing the ACTUAL name and addresses of 179 honest and trustworthy mail order folks. People can write DIRECTLY to these people and receive FREE information to get them started in their own business now!

It’s unbelievable. Without trying to sell you anything else, you can get this book for only $4.95 — a price anyone can afford. Meet the real mail order dealers who care about their products and want to help you get started doing what they are doing.

Only available from: Graphico Publishing, PO Box 488, Bluff City TN 37618.

As you can see, this is a short but sweet Press Release — however, you should be able to see the “newsworthiness” in it. It’s main focus is on the fact that most people get ripped-off when they start their first mail order business. The solution to this problem is a new directory that is available for the first time in history. The sell is slowly led into because the reader will naturally want to get their hands on this one. It doesn’t ask for money — it only tells the reader how to get a copy if they want one.

Here’s a great test for a real press release. Since your final sales pitch is included in the last paragraph — read the Press Release aloud. Would it still be worth reading WITHOUT your sales pitch? If so, it’s probably a Press Release.

Press Releases come in many forms due to the product you are writing about. However, the basic rule of thumb still applies. If you’ve never wrote one before — it may be a little difficult. Don’t despair. Grab the latest daily newspaper and read some of their informational articles. Notice how each article is written and pattern yours after the same format. After you do a few of them — you’ll be able to “get the picture.”

When your Press Release is written to your satisfaction, the proper way to submit it to a publisher is:

Be sure and type it on a typewriter or computer.

Standard format is double-spaced and not longer than two 8 1/2×11 pages.

Be sure and put your name, address and page number at the top of each page.

Write the words: “For Immediate Release.” at the top.

If you are only sending the press release to one publication — tell them it’s a “first run.”