10 STEPS TO SUCCESS IN DIRECT SALES

Every year thousands of men and women across America sign on with direct selling firmTupperware, Amway, or a cosmetic company-hoping to make money enough for new draperies, a new davenport, or some new clothes. They sell a little merchandise to a few relatives and close friends. Then they are through. They quit before they give themselves a chance to learn the basics of success in sales. "I am simply not a born salesperson," they often say. No one is born a salesperson, anymore than one is born a doctor or born a lawyer. Sales is a profession. To be successful in any profession one must learn not only the basic techniques, but also how to apply those techniques. Success in sales makes use of all the abilities one is born with, plus all those acquired through education and experience. If you are looking for a career opportunity or "extra income" to help with the family budget, direct selling offers you dream-fulfilling possibilities. However, you must give yourself time to learn the techniques of sales. Ask yourself. "How long does a doctor take to study? A lawyer to study? WHAT IS DIRECT SELLING? Direct selling is marketing a product directly to the consumer with no middleman involved. Most reliable firms are members of the National Association of Direct Selling Companies. They bring to the public fine products that are modestly priced in order to insure mass consumption. Most direct selling companies furnish their representatives with a starter kit and essential supplies below-cost prices. In many instances the investment is under $100. I was a teacher. In the early 60s, teachers' salaries ranked next to nurses', the lowest of all professionals salaries. I went into direct sales to earn a better income. I chose a cosmetics line and marketed them to small groups of women in the home. I provided a service for women who wanted to learn professional make-up techniques and the art of professional color-coordination. My teaching background proved beneficial. My clients were interested and eager to learn. I worked every day, as I would at any job, and put in long hours. I read books on how to sell to women. I devoured inspirational and motivational books. My income grew steadily. Soon I was earning more money than I had ever earned teaching school. I was excited about my new "freedom to earn" and I began to share this opportunity with others-recruiting and training sales organization.

There is an old adage which says "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." I taught my trainees how to fish. Many of them were able to change their lives for the better. They took their families on nice vacations. They purchased a piano or an organ and provided music lessons for their children. They saved money for college educations. They redecorated their homes, bought needed furniture. One highly successful saleslady built a new home. The rewards of direct selling are many 1. You can be your own boss. 2. You can set your own hours. 3. You can own your own businesses with little or no investment. 4. You can pay yourself more than any boss would ever pay you. 5. You can give yourself regular raises as your business grows.

It is only fair to tell you that there are failures, too. There are people who will not work for themselves. When working for a boss, they rise early, are well-groomed, and get to the office on time. However, when they are their own boss, they are still in a bathrobe, drinking one more cup of coffee at 11:00 A.M. If you can be your own boss and discipline yourself to do what has to be done when it has to be done, direct selling offers a most unusual earning opportunity. THE TEN STEPS Here are ten steps that will assure your success: 1. BE A GOAL SETTER. What do you want to accomplish? Do you want to save for college educations for your children? A new car? A new home? You can have whatever you want, but you must want it enough to do the things that have to be done to get it. Whatever your goal, write it down and set a target date for reaching it. Divide the time period into blocks of achievement that are reachable. Work consistently toward accomplishing each day, each week, each month what you set out to do. Goal-setting is a must in every area of life. Little is ever accomplished without definite goals. 2. BE A LIST MAKER. Each evening list all the things you want to get done the following day. That gives you an organized approach to each day. As each task is finished, mark it off your list. It is amazing how much gets done when one works with a "things-to-do" list. Also, have a notebook listing appointments, potential clients, repeat clients, and referrals, and keep it with you at all times. You will be adding to it constantly. 3. BE ENTHUSIASTIC. Enthusiasm is the high-octane "fuel" that salespeople run on. Enthusiasm generates its own energy. Energy and good health are synonymous with busy, happy people, people who are achieving. 4. RECOGNIZE THAT THE MAGIC WORD IN SALES IS "ASK." In direct sales we don't have to wait for business to come to us. We create our own business by asking for it. Ask for appointments, then you can do business. Ask for business, then you will close sales. Ask for referrals, then you always have a full list of potential clients. Be quietly, yet firmly aggressive. 5. EXPECT NO'S. Realize that no's are not personal. In sales, as perhaps nowhere else, the law of averages works. Every no gets you closer to a yes. Keep track of your ratio. It will help improve your techniques. Are you getting ten no's to one yes? Is your ratio five to one? Remember, the yes's are your income. Also remember that "no" does not necessarily mean "no." Often a "no" is simply a stall for more time to think. It may be a request for more information about your product or your service. What your client is actually buying is assurance. Assure here by your helpful attitude and your complete honesty, that you want what is best for her. She will most likely respect you and do business with you. 6. SCHEDULE TIME WISELY. A schedule is the roadmap by which salespeople travel. It takes the frustration out of the day. It assures that the necessary things get done and get done on time. Plan your work then work your plan. 7. BE POSITIVE IN YOUR ATTITUDE. Success in sales, as in all areas of life is 90 percent attitude and 10 percent apitude. All of us must work at developing habits of constructive thinking. I am proud to be a salesperson. Sales make the wheels of our economy turn. Bernard Baruch, advisor to several presidents, is quoted as saying, "If every salesperson sat down and took no orders for twenty-four hours, it would bankrupt our country!" Every company that manufactures any kind of product depends upon salespeople to move that product. Without salespeople business would be paralyzed. Remember, sales is one of the highest paid of all professions. Statistics show that good salespeople enjoy incomes far above the average.

8. HAVE AN OFFICE AREA. Most direct salespeople work from their own homes, but it is essential to have a place where you can work in a organized and efficient manner. An office plus a strict working schedule gives you dignity. Both are absolutely essential for efficient operation and accurate record keeping, so important to the success of any business. 9. BE INVOLVED. Most sales organization offer contests to stimulate production. Include winning contests as part of your business goals. Contests make your business fun as well as adding considerable dollar value to your income. One of my prized possessions is a lovely grandfather clock earned as a contest prize. 10. LEARN TO HANDLE MONEY INTELLIGENTLY. A regular nine-to-five job usually means a paycheck at the end of the second week. Direct sales "reps" handle money constantly. Direct sales is instant income and constant income. Therefore. it is absolutely necessary to become an efficient money manager. I trained organization to deposit every penny collected from clients into a checking account set up especially for its business. Since bank statements show an exact record of all monies collected, and business expenses can be verified by cancelled checks, record keeping becomes simple and accurate.Everything except a few "petty cash" transactions can be directly taken from bank statements. Money saved regularly and put at interest, soon develops a second income in addition to earned income. A long-term goal, which is realistic in direct sales, is to be able to live in retirement off the interest earned on savings. Would financial security mean a lot to you? If so, ask yourself these questions: * Am I honest? * Do I really like people? * Am I willing to learn? * Am I willing to work? * Am I capable of being my own boss? If your answers are yes, I encourage you to find a good product for the direct sales market, one that you like, one that fills the need of a lot of people, and go to work for yourself! .You can turn dreams into reality.

24 PRINCIPLES OF DIRECT MARKETING

1. There are four important elements in a "Direct Mail Package" and close attention must be paid to each: (Before anything, of course, comes the essential "idea" since the conceptual strategy is still key.) a) the graphics (carrier) which must be opened by reader - i.e, "what does it look like?" b) the offer: the way the proposition is phrased - i.e "what's the deal?" c) the copy: the compelling description that gets the reader to buy or act - i.e. "how is it said?" d) the list: the targeted audience most likely willing to buy or act - i.e. "who is it sent to?" 2. Perhaps the most important element is the list since an excellent offer, with a striking carrier and compelling copy if mailed to wrong list - can be a disaster. Others belive copy is most important, but don't let ranking bother you since each element is important. Take all reasonable steps to get, use and keep the most accurate and up=to-=date lists possible to increase your margin of success. Set up a system to add names and keep'em current. 3. Heed "Daly's Law" - "Everything takes longer and costs more!' So. it's wise to start project in ample time to make all elements come together in easy manner. Use "reverse timetable" to plot

what needs to be done and when. For instance, you probably need to order lists first. Then, don't forget the envelopes, printed stock, other enclosures , etc. Allow time for delivery and return action plus follow-up mailings. 4. Direct Mail is a demanding taskmaster, so if it fails it's probably you who missed somewhere, not the medium.. If possible, "test" some or all portions of your program so you can alter methods if needed. 5. Writing compelling Direct Mail copy only seems simple so don't be deceived. Heed basic principles of writing to single person in simple, straightforward manner - yet with style. For success, remember the 3 "S's" of successful copy are: (1) Simplicity, (2) Sincerity, (3) Serenity. Long copy is not necessarily bad, in fact it can outpull short copy. Focus on main message you intend to convey. Never forget you want action to occur...NOW. Be sure copy answers the always-asked questions: "What's in it for me?" Always keep reader's perceived needs in mind. Do the necessary research to determine them. 6. Closely analyze your potential markets and your offer so you can hone lists and copy to target your approach. Though you mail by the thousands, remember Direct Mail is more akin to a rifle than a shotgun. Write your copy to be read by one person at a time. 7. Remember Direct Mail is a substitute sales representative.Where an in-person sales representative can immediately answer prospects' questions and overcome objections when raised, Direct mail copy must anticipate all aspects and insure logical points are covered. 8. Incorporate an action device - coupon, order form, reply card or envelope, phone number - to make it easy for recipient to take desired action.. Repeatedly tell recipient what action you want and make it simple to do. Put nothing in the way of getting an order or response. Use all action devices cited. 9. A letter almost always works better in a Direct Mail package than a package - even a catalog without a letter. Don't worry if the letter repeats what's in the catalog, brochure or order form. It's there for a different purpose. The sales letter is a one-to-one communications to explain and sell, to get the recipient to act. The postscript is often the most-read part of the letter. 10. If all elements of package are good, it is imperative repeat mailings be made. It's difficult to wear out a good list and, unless mailings are overdone, you can't wear out your welcome. Let statistical probabilities and the laws of economics work in your favor rather than allow difference about making frequent mailings deter you. A common error is not to mail often enough or to a wider list. 11. Keep detailed records of everything you do.. Follow a "systems approach" so you know what happened, when and why. That way you can repeat successes and avoid failures. Sometimes the difference of a tenth of a percent or less is all it takes to tune a marginal performer into a winner. 12. Study all elements of your package so you can know what's working. Is it the price? The geography? The timing? The phrasing of the offer? The list? The copy? The product? Which of those myriad elements, in combination or without one element, makes the critical difference in the return? Analyze your records closely and continually until you know why you're winning and can repeat success. 13. Keep current with changing postal rules, rates, regulations and procedures. Regularly monitor your procedures to insure you're in full compliance. To illustrate expensive errors, a frantic client called after the Postal Inspector visited. We can help with postal problems.. Had he checked with us before the visit, the $5000 per word differential postal cost and worry most likely could have been avoided. We offer professional authoritative postal expertise but seldom can avert

unchecked mistakes. Check in advance. (We can supply you with a checklist of valuable postal publications upon receipt of addressed, double stamped #10 envelope.) 14. Save, subdivide and study the good Direct Mail you get to learn what to do - and maybe what not to do. Remember some of the things that appeal may, in fact, be "tests" that, when results are known, are failures. Never underestimate need for simplicity and complete honesty. 15. People who take actions by mail are different from those who don't. Thus it is wise to isolate them so you can easily remail with new or different offers. Remember the axiom: "People who buy by mail"...buy by mail...buy by mail..." Best lists are of mail buyers of similar products or services who recently purchased in same price range. 16. Do what's necessary to make your maill stand out, even "look peculiar" since it has to fight all types of competition. If it doesn't get opened, looked at, and read...there's no chance it will bring the action you want. Clever "teaser copy" on outside of carrier can work wonders. 17. Wise mail merchants work at differentiating between "suspects," "prospects" and (best of all) "customers." Once they can distinguish names on lists among those three categories they are able to achieve cost efficiencies that novices can only dream about. So keep good records of what happens and when it happens with mailings to a particular list with a particularoffer. Capitalize on success. 18. Testimonials can be effective promotional tools, especially if they're heartfelt and cogently express what the average user might feel about a product or service.. They're even better when offered by celebrities or persons well-known to the audience. Treat testimonials like the jewels they are and gather more. 20. There's no such thing as a "normal" percentage of return that's universally applicable across a wide range of products and services but, over time and by keeping careful records you can determine what some norms are for your offer (s). Goal then is to "beat your best"...if only by 1/2 or 1/4 of a percent! 21. In producing Direct Mail programs these seven words may be cliche - but only because it's true: "Nothing is as simple as it seems." Continual care needs to be exercises at every step of the planning and conceptual stage, though any step in the conception-production process can become critical if close attention isn't paid to what's happening. "To error is human." Yes. I'm aware of the error but that's exact spelling of sign I spotted in printer's window and I reproduce it to emphasize how vital it is that extreme care be given to this facet of production. Proofreading in a professional manner is essential. 22. Direct Mail Copywriter John Yeck long ago cautioned me to be aware of these two "sinful" acronyms: KISS and CIPU. The first, "Keep It Simple, Sweetie" describes how to tell your message, while the second cautions us to avoid lapsing into business or industrial jargon which "we" understand but most everyone else doesn't. CIPU stands for "Clear If Previously Understood." 23. While the Power of Mail will long be with us (even though the nature of the Postal Service might change) wise direct mailers see themselves practicing in the fields of "direct Marketing" or "Direct Response." They become knowledgeable of the synergistic value from use of print media (magazines, space ads, newspaper inserts, etc) as well as electronic media (radio and/ or TV) to supplement their mail promotional efforts. The combination can be powerful. 24. Continually study and be alert to what's happening in this dynamic medium. It may seem that not much is new, when in fact, there are subtle but important shifts in many of the areas delineated in each of the four elements cited in Principle #1. (Our seminars, workshops and speeches point these out tosponsor's audiences.)

287 PROFIT-MAKING ADS

If you haven't read about this ad before, then you will be excited to read it now: 287 PROFITMAKING ADS - SELL UNDER YOUR NAME. EARN 50-100% ON DROP SHIPMENTS. EARNING POTENTIAL $370. SEVEN SHEETS. 189 ADS PAYING 50%. 76 PAYING 75%. 28 ALL-PROFIT ADS. DEALERSHIP SET-UP, $2.00. MOORE'S ENTERPRISE, 2639 MERHOFF ST., LOUISVILLE, KY 40217. We sent off for the above offer and found out that Joseph Moore, the owner, has expanded and improved the dealership set-up since January. He added more and better deals: ALL items selling less and $1 pay 75% commission - all drop-ship. What's more, Joe has one single price $15 Special for ALL he's got - hundreds of offers and reports in a BIG envelope including the right to reprint and sell these items for 100% profit.

AN EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE TIP

So often we forget that our customers are our boss. I think I discovered one significant reason why most of us fall into this "rut." The day we began our business we were as happy as could be. The customer was king! We didn't have many orders so we bent over backwards to make sure that all our customers were happy. Some of us might have even went overboard and "went into the hole" just because we were so overjoyed that we had received a customer order! But, later on, we became much more busy. We were putting in long hours, neglecting family and social life and realizing that being in business does have it's gloomy side. While we tried our best to give each customer personal attention, some customers couldn't be pleased if we hung ourself with a new rope! Therefore, new policies had to be established. Prices had to increase for you to invest into business growth. And somewhere in-between all this we lost the zeal for customer satisfaction. Instead of the customer being "king" he/she was now a "pawn." What originally began as a eager desire to please your customers has now turned into a daily struggle. But who could blame you? You can remember spending $100 and 30 hours of time trying to help a beginner get started in mail order. However, after that beginner learned all your trade secrets they left owing you money and never giving you the time of day again. This made you cautious. Then how about the customer that pretended they were going to send you a $500 order, wasted an hour or so of your time (and long-distance phone charges) just to get them quotes before they sent in their money. Then _ after all the toil and added expenses, you never heard from the customer again. How irritating! At least, you thought, they could have sent you a "Thank You Note" for all the trouble they put you though.

But 20 minutes later, you get another phone call from a customer wanting to put you through the same thing. Only this time _ the guy is serious. Do you give this guy the same treatment you gave to the first customer? As a human being _ you normally can't because you are ruled by emotion. It takes someone with a lot of self-confidence in their own character to treat each customer like a big business! Just treat every customer you talk to the same way you would treat someone from a big business _ who was getting ready to send you a $10,000 order! Unfortunately, some business owners allow owning a business to go to their heads. After they start becoming successful, the owner will think he/she is "king" and makes all the rules. He/she feels that their reputation speaks for itself and customer's are eager just to do business with them. This normally happens because income increases and you don't "need" certain customers who you feel have been a thorn in your side. But although it is perfectly fine to do this _ if you dispel a customer solely based on the "amount" and "quantity" of orders he or she sends you _ that's a big mistake. Those small guys and gals might just grow up and become BIGGER businesses than

you someday! Wouldn't you rather have them on your side? Wouldn't you rather be in a position to work with them _ perhaps on a multi-million-dollar contract together? One never knows what the future holds so try to BE NICE _ even if you have to grin and bear it! That's why it's even more important to stop and think again. Are you guilty of having a business ownership ego? If you allow it to go too far you could lose your business entirely. Egos are a very tricky thing to deal with. A hurt ego's downside is normally jealousy, deceit and even criminal activity. Rage does nothing but tear you up emotionally inside and always erupts in bad behavior and lost relationships. Never, ever, go into a rage over the phone. If other people are screaming at you _ you will either calm them down by remaining calm yourself or show them up for being emotionally unstable. Rage is truly the result of an unstable personality trait. It's really NOT normal. So get with the program and be calm (and nice.) Everyone is in business to make money _ however, making it at someone else's expense is suicide! Perhaps some of you reading this are laughing inside yourself. You know I speak the truth! If you are the least bit intelligent you can easily see that making a fast buck through the expense of other people is a way to live a very short life. If you can only see the moment and not the future in your life _ you belong back in grade school, perhaps kindergarten! It's true that "Humility Demonstrates Superiority". for you to invest into business growth.

The Truth About Electronic Marketing By Bill Booth

(c) 1995 Infopreneur Publishing. This report can be reproduced and sold provided no words are omitted or altered. If this copyright notice or any words are omitted or altered then you will be in violation of Federal copyright laws. Most people who are prospering from this form of marketing are selling the sizzle and have forgotten the steak. This article will provide the facts behind the hype. You will get the straight truth from someone who uses online marketing personally and who isn't trying to get rich by selling direct response techniques as realistic BBS marketing concepts. Marketing Electronically is a hot topic especially in these days of instant gratification. There are advantages and disadvantages to any form of marketing, but lately all I hear are the advantages. Let me first mention the benefits as expressed by others and then I will provide the negatives that have been unvoiced. (1) You can reach millions of people. (2) Lower lead costs. (3) Quickness of response. (4) Lower inquiry fulfillment costs. All of this sounds great huh? The disadvantages include: (1) You must consistently market, more than with direct response advertising or direct mail. (2) Trying to keep your material on the boards. (3) Your material can t be sales related.

(4) Finding out if there is an audience for your product or service involves searching the online networks to determine if it's large enough to even bother uploading your material to. One major disadvantage to online marketing as I mentioned in item three is: You cant blatantly promote your material, your product, or your service. With conventional advertising you can go right after your potential customer with a sales letter, but, with bbs marketing you have to provide up front information in the form of a how to article and at the closing of your article you can include a resource box which invites the reader to respond to an offer that you make within it. There are two advantages to utilizing a how to article. (1) You are considered an expert on the subject that you have written about. (2) Your material if information rich could remain on the boards for years. You cannot provide information that points the reader to your product or service. In effect it must be generic. Give plenty of information up front. This is what the system operators want on their board and this will be what determines whether your material stays on the board. The online services are like magazines, readers call back again and again if there is valuable information. If you re not providing valuable information that they can read and download, then your material won't remain up on the boards. Packaging Is Everything One of the best ways I know of keeping your material on the boards is in a newsletter format. You accomplish this by using a software program. I recommend Writers Dream (available from Infopreneur publishing for $5) It s an easy but powerful program. You can create up to forty five individual chapters, each chapter can be a separate article, a portion of a book, manual, directory, etc. The online publication once created can be compressed with PKZip and uploaded onto the boards. When you place material as an online newsletter your chances are greater that its going to remain up on the boards. I have a business associate who has had his material in this format on one large commercial network for over a year. One important point, you can't put your salesletter (water-down or not) into this online publication format and expect for it to stay on the boards. If you create an online newsletter in this IBM software driven format, also create an issue that is in a straight ascii format. This can be accomplished with a simple text editor or word processor. This will cover all the bases and allow additional computer platforms such as Macintosh, Amiga or Unix to read it. Direct Response Techniques Don t Work! I must keep emphasizing that you must provide solid information. This form of marketing can not be approached using direct response marketing techniques. It won t work! I warn you to be careful if your following the advice of those who have a direct response marketing mind set. You need to listen to those who use the computer bulletin boards personally and know how to operate a computer. Such as myself.

Listening to those who dont market electronically or know how to use a computer is like trying to take advice on how to run a successful business from someone who has never started one. It s simply foolish! Direct response marketing involves hype in print, you don t tell a lot, instead you sell a lot, offering the reader plenty of benefits that spell out wants in it for them." With online marketing you need to tell a lot and I don t mean tell them what they re going to get if they buy your product or service.

What do they need to do to accomplish specific objectives? If youre writing a report on 25 ways to make money staying at home, you can t write order my book and I will reveal these 25 ways. No! You need to write an article that details the 25 specific (workable) ways to make money at home and within the resource box at the close of this article you can mention that there are also an additional 75 other ways to make money at home and if they would like to receive this valuable report simply contract you. An Effective Method Focus on building a list by lead generating. Offer something for free. Generate the name and address. Then follow-up with direct mail. This approach allows you to present the salesmanship, the professionalism (straight ascii text is not very nice looking) the potential customer is getting your sales message. You cannot do this on the boards, without gathering the names and addresses and mailing to them. This is the method that I prefer to use, and one method I see working. If you don t have a computer then you need to get into the computer age. You can't utilize this new marketing method without one. Actually, this form of marketing is not new it s been around for quite some time. It s just been brought to the general publics attention most recently. However, it s been presented in a false and misleading way. All the hype and misinformation that has been given as fact has confused a lot of people. Through a great deal of online research I have found that some things are down right false, yet they are still being presented by some individuals as fact. For your own benefit I highly recommend that you research this technology. I will tell you, from my own research that you re not going to make thousands of dollars just uploading your sales material on the boards. There are realistic methods that can make you one, two, three, or four thousand dollars or more a month. But, it s not going to be instantaneous. You re not going to put your material up on these bulletin boards one time and then overnight get flooded with orders. I have discovered that online marketing is a method that must be consistent and met with strict regulations. Each board has it s own rules and you must adhere to them. Otherwise spending time uploading your material onto these boards isn't going to do much good. Your material will get kicked right off. Ignore the hype associated with this marketing method and do some research to determine what is true and what isn't. One truth that will ring loud is that there are plenty of inconsistencies being promoted. If you do your homework you'll have an advantage over those who are still being taken for a money stealing ride. Your first step should be of course to get a computer if you don't have one. If you are going to get serious about online marketing get a computer if you don't ave one. I have dealt with clients in the services end of my business (placing their material on the boards) and I can honestly say that if you want to get involved in online marketing you need to do it yourself. The online tools that are needed for electronic marketing success can actually do a better job in your hands than mine or another. It s similar to marketing a book that you have written, you have a love for it because it s your creation. Only you can promote the book and sell it with the enthusiasm and intricate details that nobody else an. It s your own pride and joy. It s the same way with online marketing. E-MAIL & CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING

E-mail is a powerful tool to use. It s instantaneous delivery of your on-line classified ad inquiries. A lot of the boards like CompuServe, America On-Line, Delphi, Genie all except classified ads. Classified ads on the various commercial on-line services are inexpensive. I placed a classified ad on CompuServe ( a user base of 2 million) to run for 26 weeks and it's under fifty dollars. A benefit with on-line classified advertising is; readers of you ad can automatically respond to your ad via E-mail instantly. E-mail is faster than the postal service, even overnight delivery is slow compared to e-mail! The simple steps that it takes to place an ad on CompuServe for example include: (1) You type your advertisement into a classified section (exactly like those found in magazines), (2) The money is electronically pulled out of your bank account or charged to your credit card for your advertising order, (3) Your ad is posted usually 24 hours later on the board, (4) Within minutes of it being posted you can start receiving replies in regards to your classified ad. Once you receive your replies. You could E-mail back to your inquiries your sales literature. This eliminates printing and postage. However, I have found that orders increase if you actually mail them your material by snail mail (first class). I believe that the professional hard copy appearance is a better selling device then straight ascii text. Detailed Know How Cheap! If you want to make money marketing online, then you need to order a new 90 minute audio tape and special report (it s not a sales letter) entitled Electronic Marketing Bootcamp This is truly a need to listen to resource that will get you started making money on the information superhighway. Send your order to: Infopreneur Publishing, Box 20412, Dept EMBC-R, El Cajon, California 92021.

A word of caution, don t become overly enthusiastic about online marketing that you forget other forms of marketing such as direct mail and print advertising. Online marketing is just another form of marketing not an end in itself. I would continue to do your print advertising and direct mail, but also utilize online marketing. Electronic marketing like I've already mentioned is much more demanding. Your not in complete control. You have to overcome a lot of obstacles (as I have personally found out). If you cannot be patient and you cannot be consistent with this form of marketing I would not market electronically. As a simple starter, place classified ads on the boards. Lead generate, gather names and mail your offer. Use this simple online marketing method. Gather your inquiries by placing a lead generating (offer something for free) classified ad or article. When you retrieve all your requests send out by first class mail your sales literature. The following article was taken from The Infopreneur Report Newsletter which also discusses: Fax on Demand, voice mail, sending your sales material via E-mail, how to put together an online newsletter, how to create an diskbased catalog and how to package your how-to-reports, articles, or books that you can sell at a high mark up, but produce for under a $1 postage included! If your current information products are costing you two to five dollars to produce. They can be produced for 23 cents. This information and more is available in the pages of this insightful newsletter. You can get 4 issues for just $5 by sending your subscription request to: Infopreneur Publishing Box 20412-IRR, El Cajon, California 92021. I want to mention one important and almost over looked point. Focus on the commercial boards, don t waste your time with the little boards. A great deal of these little boards don t have the funds

to promote their service in the massive scope that CompuServe, America On-Line, Delphi and Genie can and do.

They also don t have many callers as the larger broads have. Even if you got your material on 70,000 of the smaller boards, it still would dwarf the number of callers on the larger boards in a 24 hour period. You want a lot of people calling the board if your material or classified ad is on it. I would only utilize the smaller local bbs for practice and fun. For serious online marketing the only way to go is the larger commercial networks.